Short marine cannon 12 L / 16 (gamma device)

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Short marine cannon 12 L / 16 (gamma device)


General Information
Military designation: 42 cm gamma mortar
Manufacturer country: German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire
Developer / Manufacturer: Croup , food
Development year: from 1906
Production time: 1912 to 1918
Number of pieces: ~ 10
Technical specifications
Pipe length: 6.723 m
Caliber :

42 cm

Caliber length : L / 16
Cadence : 0.1 rounds / min
Elevation range: + 43 ° to +75 degrees
Side straightening area: 46 °

The short marine cannon 12 L / 16 ( gamma device ) was a heavy 42 cm mortar that was used by the German army in World War I and the Wehrmacht in World War II . This 42 cm mortar, like the other 42 cm mortars of the German Army, was called Dicke Bertha both in Germany and by the Allies .

history

In 1912 five specimens were introduced into the German army under the designation of the short marine cannon 12 L / 16 . Their task was to destroy Belgian and French forts using fortress-breaking ammunition. The 150-ton guns were transported to the scene of action by rail on ten freight wagons . A concrete foundation was required, the hardening time of which was one week, plus several days were required for assembly until the mortar was ready to fire. These mortars and five post-made mortars were used during the First World War. There were 18 replacement pipes available. According to the Peace Treaty of Versailles , the guns had to be destroyed or handed over to the Allies after the end of the First World War . A gun was retrofitted from individual parts at Krupp. Initially used for shot attempts in 1936/37, it was reintegrated into the army in 1939 and used in World War II . The first use was on June 7, 1942 during the siege of the Sevastopol fortress . In September 1944, the gun was used in the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising . The whereabouts of the gun is unknown. During the Second World War, concrete grenades weighing 1003 kilograms were fired. The life of a tube was approximately 1000 shots.

Due to the low mobility and the time-consuming assembly, the Prussian War Ministry ordered a 42 cm mortar in wheel mount from Krupp , the short naval cannon 14 ("M-device") - known as Big Bertha .

literature

  • Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939-1945. 2nd edition, special edition, Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02481-0 .

Web links

Commons : 42cm Gamma Mortar  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Herbert Jäger: German Artillery of World War One, "The Crowood Press, ISBN 1-86126-403-8
  2. Franz Kosar: The heavy guns of the world. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-613-02204-4 , p. 65
  3. Rudolf Lusar: giant guns and heavy Brummer then and now, JF Lehmann Verlag, Munich, ISBN 3-469-00363-7
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