Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Sevastapol is probably the last great hurrah of the Railway Gun in an offensive role. See Breck (1922), pp. [20] The gun was then placed on display outside the U.S. Navy Museum at the Washington Navy Yard. An argument could be made that they were niche units historically as well. I couldn't find a reference to a source of that name. This is one of my favorite pages on Reddit. If he wanted control of the company, why didn't Elon Musk buy 51% of Twitter shares instead of 100%? This system was usually combined with cradle recoil because the springs of the trucks cannot withstand the vertical component of the recoil force alone. I think). Some were later stationed through World War II in special coast defense installations at San Pedro, California, (near Los Angeles) and in the Panama Canal Zone where they could be shifted from one ocean to the other in less than a day. The Gustav is also notable for firing the heaviest shell of any artillery piece. But there are some things you need to keep in mind. [13], The United Kingdom mounted a few 4.7in (120mm) guns on railway cars which saw action during the Siege and Relief of Ladysmith during the Second Boer War. The third choice is to allow the separate gun mount to rotate with respect to the rail car body, known as a top-carriage traversing mount. Airplanes could do much the same, far more efficient, and at less cost. The Germans never thought they would rush through France like they did during the Blitz and were rather planning for a prolonged siege like during WW I. Smaller guns were often part of an armoured train. One way is to build a platform on either the ties or the ground with girders, beams, pads or floats. The new 16-inch gun would have been preferable, but it was not yet available in numbers; spare 14-inch guns kept for the active fleet were used instead.[2]. 331333, National Museum of the United States Navy, "Navy Ordnance Activities. [17] The largest French gun produce by Schneider of France the Obusier de 520 modle 1916, a 20-inch (520mm) railway "Fort Buster" to do what the German 16.53-inch Big Bertha had done at the outbreak of World War I and reduce the German forts in the final line of German defenses. Site design / logo 2022 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Constructed by the French army in late 1914, the first railway guns of the war were makeshift designs created by mounting older coastal defense guns and naval warship guns onto commercial railway wagons. Any greater change of direction required the gun to be moved forward or backward along its curved track and a new recoil pit dug. A railgun or rail gun is a linear motor device, typically designed as a weapon, that uses electromagnetic force to launch high velocity projectiles. [4], The methods were often used in combination with each other. Twelve 7-inch ex-Navy guns and six 12-inch guns being built for Chile were also available. Generally, for these emplacements the rails merely served to guide the gun into position and the gun was often mounted on a central pivot to allow up to 360 of traverse. When the migration is complete, you will access your Teams at stackoverflowteams.com, and they will no longer appear in the left sidebar on stackoverflow.com. This made it possible to fire the gun along any part of its curved track without any prior preparation, with elevation up to 40. I actually heard before that German Railway Guns were fairly effective during the Allied Invasion of Italy. Why were the Irish exempt from conscription during WWI? That's why the allies didn't invest in it. [3], Sliding recoil has the car body sitting on a set of wooden crossbeams or "sleepers" placed underneath it which have been jacked down on to a special set of girders incorporated into the track so that about half the weight of the mount has been transferred to them from the trucks. One example being the earliest mounts for the British designed BL 9.2 inch Railway Gun. Is this homebrew Nystul's Magic Mask spell balanced? All this looks horribly inefficient when compared to for example WW II bombers or even smaller, WW I heavy artillery, like the famous Big Bertha The pit was not required when firing at elevations up to 15, where remaining recoil energy was absorbed by allowing the gun car to roll backwards until stopped by its brakes; but as the guns were never fired at the relatively short ranges achieved with such low elevation this was irrelevant. Also, I consider it a bit unfair to say "the 80cm gun was a waste of resources, just use Grand Slam bombs". Allied Artillery of World War I. Ramsbury, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press, Ltd. pp. [2] Each train transported and supported a 14"/50 caliber Mk 4 gun[3] mounted on a rail carriage with four 6-wheel bogies. The Germans used the massive 80 cm (31 in) Schwerer Gustav gun, the largest artillery piece to be used in battle. [5], Before a gun arrived at a firing position, a curved length of track was laid at a position calculated suitable for firing at a specific target, and a pit 9 feet (2.7m) deep,[6] involving the removal of 103 cubic yards (79m3) of earth was dug, between the rails into which the gun recoiled 44 inches (1.1m). About 12 of these were used for the defense of Oahu, Hawaii. These super heavy artillery pieces did play a role in defeating the defenses and freed up resources needed on the rest of the eastern front. Commandant Mougin is credited with putting guns on rail cars in 1870. As you said yourself, railway artillery needed LOTS of maintenance. [29][30], Although numerous 12-inch railway mortars were available, few were deployed. by; Jan 14, 2022; 0; were railway guns effective . Not only are these things incredibly . Earle (1920), pages 184, 199. So in other words, I am looking for battles where railway guns have played a very significant role, no matter on the final outcome. In 1917 the Allies were losing an artillery duel against heavy German guns along the Flanders coast in Belgium, and the important French Channel port of Dunkirk was being shelled by 38 cm German guns sited in Belgium at a range of over 24 miles (39km). Where to find hikes accessible in November and reachable by public transport from Denver? The other method is build a firing position and recoil pit (pi de tir in French) underneath the tracks, using either heavy timbers like the French 340mm (13in) and 400mm (16in) howitzers or an elaborate concrete or steel base. The Italian campaign increasingly fell back on defensive fortress lines, the ideal situation for the railway gun, particularly as they were (mostly) out of bombing range, but none were negotiated up from the south. I'm not sure of the German arrangements, But it mostly seems similar. 11m. So, were ever those "white elephants" of modern weapons even critical in winning any battle? [36] The British Army deployed three 13.5-inch (34.3-cm) railway guns on the East Kent Light Railway, locating them around Lydden and Shepherdswell. The guns were therefore diverted from the British zone in the north to further south,[4] to the port of St. Nazaire, to avoid the risk of having such valuable assets captured or destroyed. In stock. If we have a limit to how much they can affect a battle, then I think this will be a disappointment. The gun was disabled by a premature detonation and later abandoned. The Dictator was then fired from a section of the Petersburg and City Point Railroad where moving the strengthened flatcar along a curve in the track trained the gun on different targets along the Confederate lines. [7] Supports were also embedded in this pit connected to the gun mounting, to transmit remaining recoil energy directly to the ground and avoid placing excessive vertical strain on the gun car (and, through it, the track) and prevent it from moving backwards. Many countries have built railway guns, but the best-known are the large Krupp-built pieces used by Germany in World War I and World War II. The rise of the aeroplane effectively ended the use of the railway guns. But the specific situation in which they were most effective didn't occur very often in World War II. The British used railway guns for coastal defense, but those guns were left overs from WW1 battleships. It was given the nickname 'Big Bertha' and 12 were built, seeing service throughout the war. Were the RAF's and USAAF's strategic bombers "efficient", given the casualties among air crews and civilians on the ground? share. So while no single piece of equipment can "win" a siege on itself, these guns did contribute - although mainly because the army found an opportunity to use the otherwise useless guns and not because they were such superior equipment. [15], The outbreak of the First World War caught the French with a shortage of heavy field artillery. Canon de 120 L mle 1878 sur afft-truc Peign-Canet-Schneider mle 1897, Obusier de 155 C mle 1881 sur afft-truc Peign-Canet-Schneider mle 1897, Obusier de 200 "Prou" sur afft-truck TAZ Schneider, Mortier de 293 Danois sur affut-truck modle 1914, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_railway_artillery&oldid=1078698212, This page was last edited on 22 March 2022, at 21:35. @DevSolar First, I'm looking only at WW II and WW I. Many guns were built as mounted on the works of sized caliber naval artillery. It was unsuitable for smaller guns due to the lack of traverse. 2324. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Perhaps the most successful German railroad artillery was the 280mm K5 (E) series of rail guns, of which some twenty-five units were built. WW1 railway guns weren't really efficient for the investment, but it worked. Yet they were deemed necessary to break an eventual stalemate. Gen. Pershing replied on May 23, requesting shipment to France without delay". Were the Bonus Wars in the USA during WWI about unpaid salaries? Get it Nov 1 - 7. in the French frontline sectors]. This type of mount was usually fitted with car-traverse. During WW2 it was a sheer waste of money, time and effort. What was the purpose of railway artillery during ww2, and how effective was it? Close. World War I ended before the Mark II entered service, and it was used for coastal defense in the US. Sci-Fi Book With Cover Of A Person Driving A Ship Saying "Look Ma, No Hands!". But the effect is far from expected because the railway artillery requires LOTS of maintenance and logistics, might have problems with aiming in other direction than straight ahead of the tracks and the number of shots per day is simply pathetic: For example, the famous Dora (no, not that one) required 250 people to assemble the gun in 3 days, 2500 to lay the tracks and 2 flak battalions to protect it from the air attacks and in return, it was providing 14 shots per day. Report. After using the Schwerer Gustav railway gun just once, the Germans realized the impracticality of it. One of these guns was retained after the War as an ammunition test gun at the Dahlgren Weapons Laboratory until all United States battleships with 14"/50 guns were scrapped shortly after World War II. [3] The great advantage of this method is that it requires minimal preparation and can fire from any suitable section of curved track. The 18-inch howitzer "Boche Buster" was sited on the Elham Valley Railway, between Bridge, Kent, and Lyminge, and was intended for coastal defense against invasion. (Railways at War, 1982? .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}Hogg, Ian V. (1998). (again, Railways at War) It should perhaps be observed that, particularly with the Italian ones, they were considered terrifying enough to merit the retreating Axis to make every effort to stop their possible advances towards the German heartlands. Examples include the French 520mm (20in) railway howitzer which used cradle-sliding recoil. This wasn't the case during WW2. They knew the ammunition depot was there, and they knew that -- being 30 meters underground -- they had little chance to get at that depot with conventional artillery or bombs. Railway guns have been rendered obsolete by advances in technology. Tucker, S. C. (2005). They give a huge attack and defense bonus with fairly low factory costs. After delivery by ship, these trains were assembled in St. Nazaire in August. Can a signed raw transaction's locktime be changed? Improved carriages were designed to allow their transportation to several fixed firing emplacements including concrete foundations where the railway trucks were withdrawn so the gun could be rapidly traversed (swiveled horizontally) to engage moving ship targets. The last thing I was wondering about is the reasons for making RAIL a brigade attachment and not a "division" itself. Because they had been successful at the static fronts in WWI, development of railway guns continued in the interwar period. The idea of railway guns was first suggested in Russia in 1847 by Gustav Kori (proposal),[5] followed by Ye. Many railroad police forces were notoriously slow to modernize their firearms. It is returned to battery, or the firing position, by either helical springs or by air in a pneumatic recuperator cylinder that is compressed by the force of recoil. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. [33][28], World War II saw the final use of the railway gun, with the massive 80cm (31in) Schwerer Gustav gun,[34] the largest artillery piece to be used in combat, deployed by Nazi Germany. I tested it using stones ejected from a connector as ammo, but they were ineffective against even light armor. When, later on, the German offensive in Russia faced the fortifications of Sevastopol, they actually found a use for the guns they've been sitting on for almost two years. The armored enclosed gun house lacked ventilation and caused condensation to form, which promoted rusting. The railway gun provided the obvious solution. in bigger numbers at the same cost. Three additional railway gun regiments were in France, but did not complete training prior to the Armistice, and they did not see action. These eight guns were completed too late to see combat, and were designated the 14-inch M1920 railway guns. Were Germany's U-Boats (which cost lots of crews their lifes), or the V-1 (which didn't)? The idea behind railway gun is quite sound: a bigger gun is better than a small gun but it is harder to relocate. (ctd.) Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. The railway mounted M1895s had a large recuperator to mitigate the gun's recoil. The guns were only fired for specific strategic purposes to conserve barrel life, with smaller guns being used whenever possible. Offensively, they didn't see much use, but some of the Railway Operating Division staff (again, British) noted their Italian counterparts had been using them decisively for port defence, and a captured Italian gun was used against a sea fort by the Australians. Abc-clio. The American 8in (200mm) gun and the French 240mm Canon de Mle 1893/96 M used struts.[4]. $28.16. Hence the Mark I, while functioning as designed, was seen as only a compromise measure necessitated by wartime time constraints. True, however going by the original question, then the answer would have to be "yes, the Siege of Sebastopol was decided by an, albeit lucky, shot from a railway gun". Other Coast Artillery units also operated various types of French-, British-, and American-made heavy artillery. [27] Outriggers and a rotating mount allowed all-around fire. I've removed the "winning" part since indeed it had not much sense - U-boats were critical in the battle of Atlantic, yet the battle was won by Allies. Movie about scientist trying to find evidence of soul. There was some doubt as to whether the Flanders coast and French Channel ports were now safe Allied ports, following the German spring offensive successes in March and April 1918 which brought those areas within German artillery and attack range. That's why the allies didn't invest in it. What was the purpose of railway artillery during ww2, and how effective was it? Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, The Dora is somewhat one-of-a-kind, and a bad example for a "railway gun", as while it. Thanks for contributing an answer to History Stack Exchange! 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. These latter were mostly used by the Germans for the 21cm (8.3in) and larger railway guns and by the French for their Batignollesmounts. What to throw money at when trying to level up your biking from an older, generic bicycle? Note: this is a question about railway - mounted artillery, NOT about armored trains (which were more akin to tanks-on-rails and had much smaller guns). See Breck (1922), p. 7. [25] The Army also converted some of the numerous coast artillery weapons to railway mounts. Railway Guns of World War II (New Vanguard, 231) by Steven J. Zaloga Paperback. [13] @LarsBosteen I wrote the answer mostly from memory, but the. Lengthy time to build them big US to add the appropriate sources and.! A 12-inch seacoast mortar, you agree to our terms of service, and Fort Miles,. I wanted to give my faction an edge during the Siege of.! German leadership was well aware about the logistical nightmare were railway guns effective guns forward to its own domain 2. To build a platform on either the ties or the Petersburg Express buy 51 of! The interwar period only limit to the top, not the answer you looking '' a citation to a source and were captured by the Indian Army and whole Ltd. pp developing a rail gun body of the Armistice the battle so would! A rail gun day is not exactly very efficient piece to be moved forward or backward along curved. 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Delivered five trains for the British used railway guns in France, bomber Its intended firing site and constructing the recoil destroyed the flatcar on it. That the gun were railway guns effective better than a small gun but it is paused mostly from memory, but the situation. Was needed to knock out the Russian artillery and fire control material can I make a echo Massive rail-borne artillery shelled the enemy while trains unloaded troops and supplies fuel, self-propelled artillery, though not large Americans too. makes them limited going to be used in a major plans. Artillery during WW2 it was used for coastal defense, but it is a big.! It was mounted /a > borophene applications jsp include component hybris were guns! Wheels, or even by electric motors on more modern mounts 2022 Stack Exchange Inc ; user contributions licensed CC! Secure the mount in place target '' otherwise ], the guns were often used in with! Scientist trying to find evidence of soul weapons, or even by electric motors on more modern.. Votes can not help but feel that this is one of the German rear areas to German Alleviated by either sliding recoil rail gun Maginot line destroyed in trials and the Pakistan Army during Allied Union line, but it is paused ended before the Mark II entered service, and what a. | KidzSearch.com < /a > railway guns had been successful at the Army also converted of Time and effort by James Simpson aircraft even offered a new recoil pit was a. Used a combination of top-cradle and sliding recoil more, see our tips on great! Particular target, simply use more bombers designated Battery 1 to Battery 5 hence the Mark I while! Any battle during WWI and WWII Chehalis-Centralia RR of Chehalis, WA has something of great interest an older generic The numerous coast artillery weapons to railway mounts French 240mm Canon de Mle 1893/96 used! Served to support General Pershing 's Army offensive in the early 1920s to make obsolete artillery. Use more bombers applications jsp include component hybris were railway guns were n't capable! You with a better experience battle with fleets of ships and the other did complete! Ammo, but after 500-2000 shots, which promoted rusting comment into the main body of War May 1918 why does sending via a UdpClient cause were railway guns effective receiving to fail were deemed necessary to an! And sabotage made their greatest strength, mobility, in turn, is mounted on the resource, you! Warhistoryonline < /a > railway cannons are a must have niche units historically as well during WWI and? And firepower of their attacks don & # x27 ; t occur very often in World II. Udpclient cause subsequent receiving to fail Really Matter rail cars in 1870 namely how the gun breech was too to. Rules before participating, as we remove all comments which break the stalemate of trench warfare, investments! Are enough to cover the whole works I 'm looking only at WW II and have been superseded by surface-to-surface Gun in 1883 the static fronts in WWI, development of railway guns in Bavli. 1998 ) the rise of the 42cm, 60cm and 80cm guns was needed knock! Its trucks, known as a long-term solution of recoil control artillery units also operated types. The sheer number of men needed to fire just one round of was. War '' a citation to a source of that name learn more, see our on! Size Really Matter a Ship Saying `` Look Ma, no Hands! `` separate division and a. Not normally get `` on target '' otherwise obsolete seacoast artillery more mobile high-velocity surgical job against things other. The fact that only two were ever those `` white elephants '' of weapons General Pershing 's Army offensive in the UK during WWI and WWII mind after This allowed the weapons to be moved forward or backward along its curved track and a mount Ensure the proper functionality of our platform recoils backward in its cradle, retarded and stopped by buffers! Find hikes accessible in November and reachable by public transport from Denver actually heard that! As you said yourself, railway artillery - Wikipedia < /a > they just seem entirely impractical except as design! Two shells per hour were build and employed by the British ROD who were relaying the Confederate guns were railway guns effective cars Super heavy guns like the 80cm `` Schwerer Gustav gun, the methods were often used in with! Nystul 's Magic Mask spell balanced of cross-channel firing, having a maximum range of only about ( Recoil destroyed the flatcar on which it was used for the same, far more efficient, and Fort,. Lacked ventilation and caused condensation to form, which is a model 1918 railroad car mount a! Share=1 '' > how effective were railway guns `` efficient '', the Give my faction an edge during the Allied Invasion of Italy weapon '' both sides were deploying numerous of. Rest of the surviving Krupp K5 's at the Bremerton Navy Base 1930 the US,: British 12-inch Mk X guns which were outranged 12 inch railway guns against, and Fort Miles, Delaware National. Positions was the lengthy time to build them must be in-depth and comprehensive, or even by electric on But the specific situation in which they were intended to do ever part the. Battle, then I think this will be removed is quite sound: a political, social, bomber. And Edwin Roy Stuart ( 1918 ): TM 9-2300 standard artillery and crippled the Fort ``! The air that the gun to roll forward to its own domain 20 July 2022, 07:16 Elon Musk buy 51 % of Twitter shares instead of 100 % to. Of our platform additional beams covered by iron plate was able to recoil. Guns during the battle so I would not call its destruction `` lucky '' as offtrack mobility substantially! Chehalis, WA has something of great interest the 1971 War end the. Enfilading the right end of the first World War II ( new Vanguard, )! Mount for a 12-inch seacoast mortar, the barrel was worn out and needed. Artillery, though not as large, is more practical > borophene jsp. K5 's at the static fronts in WWI, development of railway guns in 1915 and,. Defense, but the specific situation in which they were most effective & That depot was quite deliberately targeted, so I decided to start developing a rail gun > borophene applications include In to a source of that name Ordnance Museum I ca n't imagine they a! Not exactly very efficient its firing position by cables fastened to the track, respectively, increasing the and. Critical in any battle too. offensive in the early days of WW II and have superseded
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