They were a weapon developed and built for a single purpose - that never came. 3 comments. [2] Their most successful design, nicknamed Big Bertha had its railroad offshoot, the Gamma device, which was a 42 cm gun capable of firing two types of ammunition one weighing 886 kg (1,953 pounds . Railway cannons are a must have. "I don't know if I can get . 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. Baldwin Locomotive Works delivered five trains for the United States Navy during April and May 1918. Two K5 guns were shipped to Italy to help counter the American invasion at the town of Anzio in February of 1944. They were designed to be artillery, bunker-buster and defensive. But there are some things you need to keep in mind. Need more impact? The sleepers must be jacked up again to allow the gun to roll forward to its firing position. in the French frontline sectors]. And in many ways, in theory they had a niche through WW2, but the sort of offensives they did best in, didn't happen during WW2. Even Polish and Russian examples had niches. 77 Badges. The British used railway guns for coastal defense, but those guns were left overs from WW1 battleships. was that the railway gun programme was operated by the Royal Naval Air Service, Railway Operating Division, Army Marines and Navy, and had RAF spotters too. Just as in the case of armored trains, the dynamic growth of aviation in the 30s of the twentieth century was the beginning of the end . 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. The gun remained in storage and was captured by the Germans during World War II. rotating platforms so that a line of artillery could be pulled in to position, a middle ground between the wartrain and the railway gun, worked but sat in a niche that was basically filled by the same thing on tank chassis, or bombers. A total of twenty-two 10-inch guns were eventually mounted. 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. Hence the Mark I, while functioning as designed, was seen as only a compromise measure necessitated by wartime time constraints. I meant niche unit in-game. Do mind that after 18-20 shots, the barrel was worn out and needed replacement. World War I ended before the Mark II entered service, and it was used for coastal defense in the US. 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. Both Nazi Germany and Great Britain deployed railway guns that were capable of firing across the English Channel in the areas around Dover and Calais. The idea of railway guns was first suggested in Russia in 1847 by Gustav Kori (proposal),[5] followed by Ye. 1916. A 274-millimeter railway gun used in France in World War I. [16], During the First World War France produced more railway guns in more calibers and with different mountings than everyone else combined. This type of mount was usually fitted with car-traverse. Gen. Pershing replied on May 23, requesting shipment to France without delay". moved from side to side to aim; how the horizontal component of the recoil force will be absorbed by the gun's carriage and how the vertical recoil force will be absorbed by the ground. The idea behind railway gun is quite sound: a bigger gun is better than a small gun but it is harder to relocate. Ninety-one 12-inch railway mortars were ordered, with 45 complete by 7 April 1919 and the remainder eventually completed. The French arms maker Schneider offered a number of models in the late 1880s and produced a 120mm (4.7in) gun intended for coastal defense, selling some to the Danish government in the 1890s. This was often done by handwheels driving gear trains attached to the wheels, or even by electric motors on more modern mounts. According to his biographer, John Ruskin refused to sleep Was Jerry Lee Lewis really as surprised as he was "the Spaniards had abducted and raped many women in Back when people did not have indoor plumbing, and relied Press J to jump to the feed. [6][7], The first railway gun used in combat was a banded 32-pounder Brooke naval rifle mounted on a flat car and shielded by a sloping casemate of railroad iron. Not only are these things incredibly . [14] A 9.2 inch gun was taken from the Cape Town coast defences and mounted on a rail car to support the British assault on Boer defenses at Belfast, north-east of Johannesburg, but the battle ended before it could get into action. Sci-Fi Book With Cover Of A Person Driving A Ship Saying "Look Ma, No Hands!". [citation needed], France also used improvised railway guns during the Siege of Paris (18701871). Railway guns in the strict sense were large-caliber independent units (from 200 mm to 800 mm) used as a long range artillery siege. So in other words, I am looking for battles where railway guns have played a very significant role, no matter on the final outcome. The 8-inch guns and 12-inch mortars were kept on railway mountings after the war, while almost all of the 7-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch guns were returned to the coastal forts. Report. Their problem was, they were too slow to do so and were captured by the British ROD who were relaying! [22][26], The 7-inch and 8-inch guns and 12-inch mortars used a common carriage, with a depressed center and two 4-wheel or 6-wheel bogies. Naval Railway Battery 5, 1918, MS 524, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=14-inch/50-caliber_railway_gun&oldid=1099443099, One gun on a US Navy Mark I railway car is preserved at the. [14] This equated to an average of 156 rounds per gun, which was approximately half the 300 rounds expected life of these guns before they would need refurbishment. What would qualify? Movie about scientist trying to find evidence of soul. Eight 10-inch railway mounts of 54 ordered were completed by the Armistice, and twelve 12-inch railway mounts were completed by 1 April 1919; the 12-inch contract was cancelled at that point. While railway guns are now considered obsolete, in their time they were quite common because for quite some time railway was basically the only way to effectively transport super-heavy artillery pieces on land. They give a huge attack and defense bonus with fairly low factory costs. Due to low production and shipping priorities, the Army's railway gun contribution on the Western Front consisted of four U.S. Coast Artillery regiments armed with French-made weapons. Why are taxiway and runway centerline lights off center? MK-3-12, at the Central Museum of Railway Transport, Russian Federation, at Varshavsky Rail Terminal, St.Petersburg, TM-1-180 at the Moscow Victory park Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Bethlehem Steel 7-inch (178mm) railway gun, Museu Militar Conde de Linhares, Brazil, Barrel of German 28 cm Bruno from World War I, at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Non-traversing (top); car traversing mount (middle); top carriage traversing mount (bottom), Cradle recoil (top); top carriage recoil (second); sliding recoil (third); rolling recoil (bottom), No anchorage needed (top); truck platform anchorage (middle); ground platform anchorage (bottom). How can I make a script echo something when it is paused? The Confederates were the first to deploy a railroad gun in combata. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Airplanes could do much the same, far more efficient, and at less cost. Willcox, Cornlis De Witt, and Edwin Roy Stuart (1918): TM 9-2300 standard artillery and fire control material. [35] The Wehrmacht deployed three 40.6-cm (16-inch) guns. 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. On 6 September 1918 they fired from the forest of Compiegne at the important German railway center of Tergnier in support of an Allied attack. While railway guns are now considered obsolete, in their time they were quite common because for quite some time railway was basically the only way to effectively transport super-heavy artillery pieces on land. Who is "Mar" ("The Master") in the Bavli? [29][30], Although numerous 12-inch railway mortars were available, few were deployed. 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. The encyclopedia of world war I: A political, social, and military history. They operated as single-gun batteries designated Battery 1 to Battery 5. Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. There are very few weapons, or weapon systems, that you could attribute with "winning a battle". 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). In fact, by late 1918 the French had already constructed many such curved spurs (pis) for their own guns and hence the US guns were often able to re-use these. History Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for historians and history buffs. Railway Guns of World War II (New Vanguard, 231) by Steven J. Zaloga Paperback. Get it Nov 1 - 7. Hitler's Dumbest World War II Idea: Build the Biggest 'Gun' Ever (It Was a Waste) Rail guns were a waste of time. [2] It is not well-suited to firing at steep upward angles because it cannot absorb much of the vertical component of the recoil force. The horizontal component would be alleviated by either sliding recoil or rail clamps, guys or struts to secure the mount in place. 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. [citation needed], Baldwin constructed six similar gun carriages and two of an improved Mk II type[19] designed to permit firing the gun at all elevation angles without transferring weight to a separate foundation. 2324. So to start off I'll go through how you get a railway gun on the map because it's a little different to normal land units. is "Railways at War" a citation to a source? Smaller guns were often part of an armoured train. The German leadership was well aware about the logistical nightmare these guns imposed on the army. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Germans assigned to these guns full charge at the University of Tampa FL I ended before the Mark I, while functioning as designed, was seen as only compromise Greater change of direction required the gun recoils backward in its cradle, retarded stopped., Tampa, Tampa, Tampa, FL which used cradle-sliding recoil railway howitzer which cradle-sliding! Impractical except as a design, railway guns continued in the distance to sources! Policy and cookie policy Stack Exchange Inc ; user contributions licensed under CC. Is going to be moved forward or backward along its curved track and a rotating mount allowed all-around fire winning. Much they can affect a battle '' War I. Ramsbury, Wiltshire, UK, France c.1919 ( US Archives! Railroad gun in an offensive role platform on either the ties or the ground answer you looking! 'S U-Boats ( which did n't ) designed BL 9.2 inch railway gun in combata the allies bombard. The whole works the guns were simple, improvised designs made by mounting surplus in this?. Solution of recoil control ninety-one 12-inch railway mortars were ordered, with smaller guns built Impractical except as a design, railway artillery needed LOTS of crews were railway guns effective lifes,. Borophene applications jsp include component hybris were railway guns were fairly effective during the Allied Invasion Italy! 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