World War II German Super-Heavy Siege Guns

Author: Marc Romanych
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472837169
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 49

Book Description
As the outbreak of World War II approached, Nazi Germany ordered artillery manufacturers Krupp and Rheimetall-Borsig to build several super-heavy siege guns, vital to smash through French and Belgian fortresses that stood in the way of the Blitzkrieg. These 'secret weapons' were much larger than the siege artillery of World War I and included the largest artillery piece of the war, the massive 80cm railway gun 'schwere Gustav' (Heavy Gustav). However, these complex and massive artillery pieces required years to build and test and, as war drew near, the German High Command hastily brought several WWI-era heavy artillery pieces back into service and then purchased, and later confiscated, a large number of Czech Skoda mortars. The new super siege guns began entering service in time for the invasion of Russia, notably participating in the attack on the fortress of Brest-Litovsk. The highpoint for the siege artillery was the siege of Sevastopol in the summer of 1942, which saw the largest concentration of siege guns in the war. Afterwards, when Germany was on the defensive in the second half of 1943, the utility of the guns was greatly diminished, and they were employed in a piecemeal and sporadic fashion on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. In total, the German Army used some 50 siege guns during World War II, far more than the thirty-five it had during World War I. Supported by contemporary photographs and detailed artwork of the guns and their components, this is an essential guide to these guns, exploring their history, development, and deployment in stunning detail.

German Self-Propelled Artillery Guns of the Second World War

Author: Craig Moore
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 238

Book Description
• One of the few books that explores the design and deployment of German artillery self-propelled guns (SPGs) to support tanks and infantry during the Second World War • A great reference book for military modellers, historians and tank wargamers interested in German SPGs • A comprehensive guide to German SPGs between 1939 and 1945 in one volume for the very first time, including previously unpublished information on the little-known Hummel-Wespe proving that at least twelve units were built • Authentic camouflage suggestions for military modellers A single towed artillery gun required a team of six horses and nine men. During the Second World War, German engineers mounted an artillery gun on top of a tank chassis; this new technology reduced the amount of valuable war resources as self-propelled guns only required a four- or five-man crew. They could also be made ready to fire more rapidly. German Self-Propelled Artillery Guns of the Second World War covers the development and use of this new weapon between 1939 and 1945. One type was successfully deployed in the invasion of France in 1940 and more were used on the Eastern Front against Soviet forces from 1941 until the end of the war. The ‘Desert Fox’ (Ewin Rommel) demanded artillery guns that could keep up with his panzers in North Africa. He was sent 15-cm howitzers mounted on top of Panzer II tank chassis’ and captured French Army Lorraine 37L-tracked armoured supply vehicles. Rommel’s forces in northern France were equipped with a variety of new self-propelled guns, which were used against the Allies on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day in 1944. • Includes 81 colour photographs

German Artillery in World War II, 1939-1945

Author: Joachim Engelmann
Publisher: Schiffer Pub Limited
ISBN: 9780887407628
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 172

Book Description
Never before in German military history did the German Artillery possess such variety and magnitude as in the World War II era. From North Cape to Tobruk, Biscay to Lapland, Den Helder to the Caucasus, there were more than 1000 light and about 340 heavy artillery units, as well as the light and heavy field howitzer units, assault gun units, brigades and batteries, observation units, railroad batteries, mountain artillery units, light gun units and launcher regiments. The German Artillery included 655,000 men in 1943, or 22 percent of all the soldiers who went into action. Thirty-nine German gun tipes and forty captured gun types from ten different European countries were utilized by these units. The German Artillery took on special significance in the spring of 1943 when the fighting strength of the exhausted infantry began to decrease and armored vehicles became less and less effective in their battle against overwhelming Soviet power. During this period, the Artillery again and again provided the backbone of the German resistance and defense. This volume of photographs presents a look into the operations, action and everyday life of the German artillery - a frequently over-looked aspect of Wehrmacht history.

German Artillery of World War One

Author: Herbert Jager
Publisher: Crowood Press UK
ISBN: 9781861264039
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
World War I introduced the use of artillery on a hitherto unprecedented scale, changing the very nature of war from a series of set-piece battles to stalemates punctuated by attacks on frontlines. Starting with development of German artillery through 1914, this illustrated history describes in detail the light and heavy howitzers used by the Germans before going on to examine heavy mortars and long-range weapons. Specialist weapons for mountain, coastal and railway use are also covered, along with specialist engineer and infantry guns.

42cm 'Big Bertha' and German Siege Artillery of World War I

Author: Marc Romanych
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780960190
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 50

Book Description
In the early days of World War I, Germany unveiled a new weapon – the mobile 42cm (16.5 inch) M-Gerät howitzer. At the time, it was the largest artillery piece of its kind in the world and a closely guarded secret. When war broke out, two of the howitzers were rushed directly from the factory to Liege where they quickly destroyed two forts and compelled the fortress to surrender. After repeat performances at Namur, Maubeuge and Antwerp, German soldiers christened the howitzers 'Grosse' or 'Dicke Berta' (Fat or Big Bertha) after Bertha von Krupp, owner of the Krupp armament works that built the howitzers. The nickname was soon picked up by German press which triumphed the 42cm howitzers as Wunderwaffe (wonder weapons), and the legend of Big Bertha was born. This book details the design and development of German siege guns before and during World War I. Accompanying the text are many rare, never-before-published photographs of 'Big Bertha' and the other German siege guns. Colour illustrations depict the most important aspects of the German siege artillery.

Weapons of the Third Reich

Author: Terry Gander
Publisher: Doubleday Books
ISBN: 9780385150903
Category : Germany
Languages : en
Pages : 371

Book Description

Railway Guns of World War I

Author: Marc Romanych
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472816412
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 49

Book Description
World War I was the Golden Age of the railway gun. Even though at the start of the conflict none of the armies possessed any railway artillery pieces and the very idea was comparatively new, more railway guns were used during this war than in any other conflict. Designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare, the first railway guns were simple, improvised designs made by mounting surplus coastal defence, fortress, and naval guns onto existing commercial railway carriages. As the war dragged on, railway artillery development shifted to longer range guns that could shell targets deep behind enemy lines. This change of role brought much larger and more sophisticated guns often manufactured by mounting long-barrel naval guns to specially-designed railway carriages. This book details the design and development of railway guns during World War I from the very first basic designs to massive purpose built "monster" railway guns. Accompanying the text are many rare, never-before-published, photographs and colour illustrations depicting how these weapons were used during World War I.

The Day of Battle

Author: Rick Atkinson
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780805088618
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 852

Book Description
In the second volume of his epic trilogy about the liberation of Europe in World War II, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Atkinson tells the harrowing story of the campaigns in Sicily and Italy.

German Artillery

Author: Wolfgang Fleischer
Publisher: Fact File
ISBN: 9781473823983
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"Each weapon is presented with a short description, images and a reference table of key technical data, supplemented by colour drawings."--Back cover

German Naval Guns

Author: Mirosław Zbigniew Skwiot
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 9781591143116
Category : Ordnance, Naval
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
From the huge 15-inch guns carried by the Bismarck to the smallest machine gun used by coastal forces, this comprehensive encyclopedia covers every German artillery piece mounted afloat during World War II. All marks and variations of these weapons are described individually, including their mountings and the ammunition fired, along with extensive tabular data. The feature that makes this book unique, however, is the range and detail of the illustrations, including close-up photos, three-view drawings, and computer-generated full-color representations of the guns from every angle, making this the most complete reference available.