42 cm Gamma Mörser
Encyclopedia
The 42 cm Gamma Mörser as it was known in World War II
or, originally, the 42 cm kurze Marinekanone L/16 (short Naval gun with 16 caliber barrel) was a German siege howitzer
. It was one in a series of super-heavy siege guns developed by Krupp
before World War I
, during that war the gun was used to attack the Kaunas Fortress
. The one howitzer that survived World War I was used to attack the Maginot Line
, the fortress of Sevastopol and bombarded Polish rebels in Warsaw
.
began development of a series of super-heavy siege guns intended to crack the armored fortresses being built by its neighbors. The Gamma was the third major design in this series, hence the name of Gamma-Gerät (Gamma device), and was basically an enlarged 30.5 cm Beta-Gerät. The Krupp company also had relevant prior experience building 42 cm guns; a 33 calibres long, 122 ton, brown powder
coastal gun had even been exhibited in Chicago at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
. (This was a rebored 40 cm test gun that had served as prototype for the four 40 cm L/35 guns of 121 tons delivered to Italy for mounting in coastal twin turrets at La Spezia
and Taranto
.)
For transport, the Gamma broke down into ten loads. It was a Bettungsgeschütz (bedding-gun) that had to be fired from a concrete platform. This was a real tactical limitation and demanded extensive planning since the concrete had to cure, which could take up to a week, before the Gamma could be assembled. Even then assembly took a couple of days before it was ready to fire, even with the aid of a rail-mounted traveling crane.
The impetus from the Prussian General Staff to equip the army with large siege gun came first from a single young officer, Max Bauer
, who soon after his 1905 (initially temporary) appointment to the Fortress Department of the Staff, started to lobby his superiors. He soon won over Erich Ludendorff
, and he engaged in correspondence with Rausenberger of Krupp. By April 1909 a 42 cm prototype was ready for test firing at Krupps. Based on Bauer's correspondence, these tests were apparently very promising. In early 1911, the gun was delivered for more testing by artillery proving experts. These tests also impressed Ludendorff, who was now head of the Mobilization Department of the Staff, and transferred Bauer to a permanent assignment in his own department. The new gun even convinced Ludendorff to resurrect the idea of smashing trough France's fortress wall in a double envelopment move. Ludendorff proposed to attack the massive fort complexes of Verdun
and Toul
-Nancy in addition to the assault on Belgium which had been the doctrinaire orthodoxy of the Schlieffen Plan
for about 15 years. Ludendorff calculated that his alternative required eight 42 cm Gamma Devices and 16 Beta 30.5 cm mortars. The War Ministry Artillery Department, especially Karl Justrow, were however skeptical of the mobility of the Gamma gun, as well as of the ammunition costs of Ludendorff's double envelopment plan. The Ministry wanted a more mobile 42 cm howitzer, and placed its own orders for a 44 ton howitzer, the M-Gerät (M device, but popularly known as Dicke Berta), which was less powerful and had shorter range, but was transportable by tractors over land, while the Gamma device required railroads. An angry compromise resulted, in which both types were built. Between 1913 and 1914 four more Gamma Devices where built, (raising the pre-war production total to five), and two M Devices were also built in this period. Five more Gamma devices were built during the war.
Like the Beta-Gerät, it was virtually unique among German World War I–era artillery in using a Welin interrupted-screw breech. Oddly it used a cartridge case even though its breech design didn't require one to provide the necessary seal to prevent the escape of combustion gases. Possibly this was done to speed up its rate of fire, or simply because virtually every other German artillery piece used cartridge cases rather than bagged powder. It used an interesting (chain-driven?) loading system to move ammunition from the ground up to the breech, which is the diagonal structure on the left in the picture to the right. It broke down into ten train loads for transport.
An armored gunhouse for protection against shell fragments (Splitterschutz-Panzerkasten) could be fitted, and at least the Becker battery (KMK no. 2) was photographed deployed this way during in the Belgium 1914 campaign. The WWII Gamma also had one at Warsaw
according to photographic evidence. The surviving gun gained a much more elaborate firing platform, as can be seen from the photos in the photo gallery linked to below. It's unclear what other changes the Germans made to the surviving gun, but the data presented here is for the howitzer in its World War II incarnation, but without the gunhouse.
Sources disagree on the number of Gammas built, although numbers up to ten are cited, but it is clear that only one survived the cutting torches of the Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control
that enforced the dictates of the Versailles Peace Treaty. It was hidden at Krupp's proving ground at Meppen
and was recommissioned during the Thirties to test concrete-piercing rounds. The Germans deployed it against the Maginot Line
, the Siege of Sevastopol and the Warsaw Uprising
in 1944.
.
In World War II it used a concrete-piercing shell (42 cm Sprgr Be) weighing 1003 kilograms (2,211.2 lb), propelled by up to four increments of powder, weighing in total 77.8 kilograms (171.5 lb).
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
or, originally, the 42 cm kurze Marinekanone L/16 (short Naval gun with 16 caliber barrel) was a German siege howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
. It was one in a series of super-heavy siege guns developed 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...
before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, during that war the gun was used to attack the Kaunas Fortress
Kaunas Fortress
Kaunas Fortress is the remains of a fortress complex in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was constructed and renovated between 1882 and 1915 to protect the Russian Empire's western borders, and was designated a "first-class" fortress in 1887...
. The one howitzer that survived World War I was used to attack the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
, the fortress of Sevastopol and bombarded Polish rebels in Warsaw
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
.
Design and history
Well before World War I KruppKrupp
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...
began development of a series of super-heavy siege guns intended to crack the armored fortresses being built by its neighbors. The Gamma was the third major design in this series, hence the name of Gamma-Gerät (Gamma device), and was basically an enlarged 30.5 cm Beta-Gerät. The Krupp company also had relevant prior experience building 42 cm guns; a 33 calibres long, 122 ton, brown powder
Brown powder
Brown powder or prismatic powder, sometimes referred as "cocoa powder" due to its color, is an explosive agent similar to black powder, but with a slower burning rate...
coastal gun had even been exhibited in Chicago at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. (This was a rebored 40 cm test gun that had served as prototype for the four 40 cm L/35 guns of 121 tons delivered to Italy for mounting in coastal twin turrets at La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
and Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
.)
For transport, the Gamma broke down into ten loads. It was a Bettungsgeschütz (bedding-gun) that had to be fired from a concrete platform. This was a real tactical limitation and demanded extensive planning since the concrete had to cure, which could take up to a week, before the Gamma could be assembled. Even then assembly took a couple of days before it was ready to fire, even with the aid of a rail-mounted traveling crane.
The impetus from the Prussian General Staff to equip the army with large siege gun came first from a single young officer, Max Bauer
Max Bauer
Max Hermann Bauer was a German artillery expert in the First World War and later military and industrial advisor to the Kuomintang....
, who soon after his 1905 (initially temporary) appointment to the Fortress Department of the Staff, started to lobby his superiors. He soon won over Erich Ludendorff
Erich Ludendorff
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a German general, victor of Liège and of the Battle of Tannenberg...
, and he engaged in correspondence with Rausenberger of Krupp. By April 1909 a 42 cm prototype was ready for test firing at Krupps. Based on Bauer's correspondence, these tests were apparently very promising. In early 1911, the gun was delivered for more testing by artillery proving experts. These tests also impressed Ludendorff, who was now head of the Mobilization Department of the Staff, and transferred Bauer to a permanent assignment in his own department. The new gun even convinced Ludendorff to resurrect the idea of smashing trough France's fortress wall in a double envelopment move. Ludendorff proposed to attack the massive fort complexes of Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
and Toul
Toul
Toul is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Toul is located between Commercy and Nancy, and situated between the Moselle River and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin....
-Nancy in addition to the assault on Belgium which had been the doctrinaire orthodoxy of the Schlieffen Plan
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staff's early 20th century overall strategic plan for victory in a possible future war in which the German Empire might find itself fighting on two fronts: France to the west and Russia to the east...
for about 15 years. Ludendorff calculated that his alternative required eight 42 cm Gamma Devices and 16 Beta 30.5 cm mortars. The War Ministry Artillery Department, especially Karl Justrow, were however skeptical of the mobility of the Gamma gun, as well as of the ammunition costs of Ludendorff's double envelopment plan. The Ministry wanted a more mobile 42 cm howitzer, and placed its own orders for a 44 ton howitzer, the M-Gerät (M device, but popularly known as Dicke Berta), which was less powerful and had shorter range, but was transportable by tractors over land, while the Gamma device required railroads. An angry compromise resulted, in which both types were built. Between 1913 and 1914 four more Gamma Devices where built, (raising the pre-war production total to five), and two M Devices were also built in this period. Five more Gamma devices were built during the war.
Like the Beta-Gerät, it was virtually unique among German World War I–era artillery in using a Welin interrupted-screw breech. Oddly it used a cartridge case even though its breech design didn't require one to provide the necessary seal to prevent the escape of combustion gases. Possibly this was done to speed up its rate of fire, or simply because virtually every other German artillery piece used cartridge cases rather than bagged powder. It used an interesting (chain-driven?) loading system to move ammunition from the ground up to the breech, which is the diagonal structure on the left in the picture to the right. It broke down into ten train loads for transport.
An armored gunhouse for protection against shell fragments (Splitterschutz-Panzerkasten) could be fitted, and at least the Becker battery (KMK no. 2) was photographed deployed this way during in the Belgium 1914 campaign. The WWII Gamma also had one at Warsaw
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
according to photographic evidence. The surviving gun gained a much more elaborate firing platform, as can be seen from the photos in the photo gallery linked to below. It's unclear what other changes the Germans made to the surviving gun, but the data presented here is for the howitzer in its World War II incarnation, but without the gunhouse.
Sources disagree on the number of Gammas built, although numbers up to ten are cited, but it is clear that only one survived the cutting torches of the Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control
Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control
The term Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control was used in a series of peace treaties concluded after the First World War between different countries...
that enforced the dictates of the Versailles Peace Treaty. It was hidden at Krupp's proving ground at Meppen
Meppen, Germany
Meppen is a town in and the seat of the Emsland district of Lower Saxony, Germany, at the confluence of the Ems, Hase, and Nordradde rivers and the Dortmund-Ems canal...
and was recommissioned during the Thirties to test concrete-piercing rounds. The Germans deployed it against the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
, the Siege of Sevastopol and the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
in 1944.
Ammunition
Details are lacking on its ammunition used during the First World War, other than it used two different shells, the original HE shell of 1953 pounds (885.9 kg) at some 1200 feet (365.8 m) per second and a lighter 1,680 pound (760 kg) shell that it shared with its successor, the 42 cm howitzer commonly called Big BerthaBig Bertha (Howitzer)
Big Bertha Bertha") is the name of a type of super-heavy howitzer developed by the famous armaments manufacturer Krupp in Germany on the eve of World War I...
.
In World War II it used a concrete-piercing shell (42 cm Sprgr Be) weighing 1003 kilograms (2,211.2 lb), propelled by up to four increments of powder, weighing in total 77.8 kilograms (171.5 lb).
