Experimental 41 cm howitzer
| Experimental 41 cm howitzer | |
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | 試製 四十 一 糎 榴 弾 砲 |
| Manufacturer country: |
 Japan
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| Start of production: | 1926 |
| Number of pieces: | 1 |
| Weapon Category: | howitzer |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 13,445 m |
| Caliber : |
410 mm |
| Weight ready for use: | 318000 kg |
| Elevation range: | -5 ° to + 75 ° angular degrees |
| Side straightening area: | 360 ° |
| Furnishing | |
| Closure Type : | Screw lock |
| Ammunition supply: | individually |
The 41 cm experimental howitzer ( Japanese 試製 四十 一 糎 榴 弾 砲 , Shisei shijūichi-senchi ryūdanhō ) was a howitzer that was used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Soviet operation August Storm in 1945. It was the heaviest gun ever used by the Imperial Japanese Army.
history
In the mid-1920s, the army's request to purchase heavy artillery for coastal defense was met. In 1926, a 41-cm howitzer was introduced alongside the Type 90 240 mm railway gun . The howitzer was intended for coastal protection and the first model was christened the 41 cm Experimental Howitzer . The heavy caliber became superfluous in the course of global disarmament after the First World War and the further development of the howitzer was not pursued further. The howitzer was not used for the next eleven years and was not reactivated until 1937. The late 1930s, the gun was in the Manchuria to the fortress Koto (Ch. Hutou , Hulin moved) to the Japanese defense in case of a Soviet strengthen attack. The Japanese army had eight fortresses built along the border with the Soviet Union, of which the Kotō fortress on the Ussuri River was the strongest. Large-scale fortifications, similar to the Maginot Line , were guarded by the 4th Border Guard Unit. The 1,400-strong crew had two batteries of field guns and howitzers, the Type 90 railway gun and the experimental 41 cm howitzer. Because of the heavy weight of the howitzer, a special protected position was built. A hemispherical bunker protected the howitzer from heavy fire.
When the Soviets attacked the Japanese positions around the Kotō Fortress in August 1945 in Operation Auguststurm , the experimental 41 cm howitzer fired over 100 shells within a week and destroyed a railway bridge on the Trans-Siberian Railway . After taking the fortress, the Soviet troops blew up the gun bunker. The howitzer tube was brought to the Soviet Union as spoils of war .
technology
The experimental 41-cm howitzer weighed 318 tons and fired shells weighing 1,000 kilograms. In the open fire position it had a 360 ° lateral directional range. When used in the Kotō fortress, the side area was limited to about 45 ° due to the bunker position in which the howitzer was located. She could smear a defined area with fire through two openings in front of her position. In order to move the howitzer from one opening to the other, the gun, which was on a turntable, was withdrawn. Then the turntable could be rotated and after successful alignment the howitzer was pushed into the new firing position.
Technical specifications
- Caliber: 410 mm
- Gun length: 13.445 m
- Elevation range: −5 ° to + 75 °
- Side straightening area:
- Open fire position: 360 °
- Bunker position: approx. 45 °
- Gun weight: 318 t
- Bullet weight: 1000 kg
- Muzzle velocity V 0 = 580 m / s
- Maximum range: 20 km
- Number produced: 1
Web links
- Experimental 41cm Howitzer. Taki's homepage, accessed January 6, 2015 .
- IJA Artillery History. Taki's homepage, accessed January 6, 2015 .
- Heavy fortress artillery. Toraatama Fortress Japan Research Center, accessed December 22, 2014 . , Japanese
- Soviet pictures of the howitzer's position. photo-war.com, accessed January 6, 2015 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Experimental 41cm Howitzer. Taki's homepage, accessed January 6, 2015 .
- ↑ Illustrated illustration of the howitzer bunkering. Toraatama Fortress Japan Research Center, accessed January 7, 2015 .
