24 cm Kanone 3
Encyclopedia
The 24 cm Kanone 3 was a German heavy siege gun used in the Second World War only by the first battalion of Artillerie-Regiment 84. Only four were in service when Germany invaded Poland, assigned to the first two batteries of I./AR 84. In the Battle of France
the battalion still only had 4 guns. By Operation Barbarossa
all three batteries were equipped with two guns apiece. And this situation didn't change for the next two years.
placed a lot of emphasis on ease of assembly. It didn't require a crane because it used electric winches, mounted on the carriage itself, to pull various parts through an ingenious system of inclined ramps, guide rails and runways. It also used the Rheinmetall's dual-recoil system, first seen on the 21 cm Mörser 18
. The barrel recoiled normally in its cradle, but, in addition, the whole top carriage, which carried the barrel and its cradle, recoiled across the main part of the carriage. This system damped out the recoil forces and made for a very steady firing platform.
The K 3 was a gigantic weapon that was transported in six loads, as was generally necessary for such large weapons. These consisted of the firing platform, the carriage, the cradle, the barrel, the breech and an electric generator.
The Wehrmacht was not content with the gun's performance: "It was felt to be wasteful of time and manpower, the transport arrangements were cumbersome and the performance was not considered to be commensurate with the size of weapon." These led to a number of experiments by Krupp
and Rheinmetall to extend the range. These included "pre-grooved" projectiles which showed no significant improvement, squeeze-bore, discarding sabot and even a smoothbore
version. None of these reached beyond the experimental stage.
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
the battalion still only had 4 guns. By Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
all three batteries were equipped with two guns apiece. And this situation didn't change for the next two years.
Design & History
While the K 3's gun design was itself nothing innovative, the same cannot be said for the carriage. RheinmetallRheinmetall
Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defence company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. The company has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces...
placed a lot of emphasis on ease of assembly. It didn't require a crane because it used electric winches, mounted on the carriage itself, to pull various parts through an ingenious system of inclined ramps, guide rails and runways. It also used the Rheinmetall's dual-recoil system, first seen on the 21 cm Mörser 18
21 cm Mörser 18
The 21 cm Mörser 18 was a German heavy howitzer used in the Second World War by independent artillery battalions and batteries. A number were also used by coast defense artillery units.-Design & History:...
. The barrel recoiled normally in its cradle, but, in addition, the whole top carriage, which carried the barrel and its cradle, recoiled across the main part of the carriage. This system damped out the recoil forces and made for a very steady firing platform.
The K 3 was a gigantic weapon that was transported in six loads, as was generally necessary for such large weapons. These consisted of the firing platform, the carriage, the cradle, the barrel, the breech and an electric generator.
The Wehrmacht was not content with the gun's performance: "It was felt to be wasteful of time and manpower, the transport arrangements were cumbersome and the performance was not considered to be commensurate with the size of weapon." These led to a number of experiments by Krupp
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
and Rheinmetall to extend the range. These included "pre-grooved" projectiles which showed no significant improvement, squeeze-bore, discarding sabot and even a smoothbore
Smoothbore
A smoothbore weapon is one which has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.-History of firearms and rifling:...
version. None of these reached beyond the experimental stage.