Big Bertha Question?

[Paul Hederer]

Many thanks for posting that fascinating piece, Paul. Is it your own translation? I was especially interested in Becker's account of his fruitless bombardment of the tower at Nieuport, as it was used as an observation position by the RN Siege Guns. "The main observing stations were at Nieuport and Ramscapelle. The one at Nieuport started as a fine square building with stone steps inside it. It was gradually demolished, Lieutenant Shoppee moving down as it was reduced in height until the stone steps were ruined. Then a rocket and line enabled a ladder to be pulled up, and the post continued to be used right up to the end of the War." (Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon, 'Dover Patrol 1915-1917'). So the 15 cm battery (Aachen?) may have truncated the tower, but it was never completely demolished.

Re Dr Ferdinand Porsche's Motor-Mörser, I hope it didn't have a tendency to flick out its rear end on fast corners, like some of his later creations ...

Mick

Hello Mick,

No, the article was translated and presented thus in "Field Artillery," magazine.

Ah yes, the Porsche trailing throttle turn, I know it well from my (somewhat) wild youth.

Paul

[Gunner Bailey]

That would be great. I am a history teacher and I am very interested in the world wars, but have no where close to the knowledge that people on this forum possess. I am fascinated by the sheer amount of detail presented on this site. Thanks!

Here's one I took on the 7th October. This museum is nearer Boulogne than Calais (unless there's another one).

Gunner Bailey

[ian turner]

If I remember well, the preserved Calais gun had an interesting journey to its location. It was not workable to send it by rail and had to be taken by road. I think it was located in the south of France, where the French military had stored it after WW2.

From a magazine article I read some years ago - may have been 'After the Battle'.

Ian

PS - was the name for the long range guns 'Lange Max'? (Long Max) - maybe our German pals can inform more?

Ian

[bob lembke]

Was the name for the long range guns 'Lange Max'? (Long Max) - maybe our German pals can inform more?

Ian

Others know this stuff better, but I do believe that there were three 38 cm battleship guns on rail carraiges at Verdun, and that they were called Lange Max. They were even used to shell some French airfields close to the front to help achieve the extreme air superiority that the Germans tried to establish in the opening days of the battle.

Bob Lembke

[Borden Battery]

Here is an interesting video on the subject. Borden Battery

Big Bertha - Russian detective - First World War - YouTube Video

Heavy howitzer "Big Bertha" in action. This episode from the Russian historical detective miniseries."The Fall of the Empire" (Gibel imperii) (2005) (mini) Directed by Vladimir Khotinenko. This movie about fight of Military Counterintelligence of Russian empire against the German espionage during the First World War. [CEF Study Group - Oct 2010]

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=yo-qAkjeH6U&feature=related

[Regulus 1]

Hi,

In fact the 38 cm guns were called Max after Max von Baden. In public the nickname Langer or Long Max is used, something that seems to date from the Interbellum and the museums of the batteries Pommern and Deutschland at the Belgian coast.

The 38 cm guns were originally constructed for the ships of the Bayern class, but only the baden and Bayern were completed, and Bayern and Wurttemberg weren't finished by the end of the war. See also : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayern_class_battleship

38 cm S.K. L./45 B.Ger. 55° elevation, made by Krupp.

Weight : 77.63 ton. (S.K. stands for Schnellfeuerkanone, L. for Länge)

Length approx. 17.13 meter.

Elevation 45 or 55°

Concerning the projectiles, you had :

38 cm Sprenggranate L/4,1 m.Bdz. (Mit Bodenzunder)155 cm, 750 kg approx 34.2 km

38 cm Sprenggranate L/5,4 (Haube)208 cm, 743 kg, 38.7 km

38 cm Sprenggranate L/4,1 m.Bdz.u.Kz. (mit Haube) 155 cm, 400 kg, 47.5 km, for the variant L/4,4 55 km, the variant L/3,6 42 km and the shrapnel version 20.6 km

The first gun constructed of the 38 cm calbier was the als 38 cm SKL/45C/1913 in early 1914 ! I mention this because very often it is said that the 38 cm guns did not yet exist in 1914...

One of the first placed at the Western Front was at Zillisheim, others would follow at Klerken Predikboom, Pommern at Koekelare, Deutschland at Bredene, Warphemont, Hampont, Semide, Coucy le Chateau, Saint Hilaire le petit, Santes, Sancourt, Suignes,...

A number were railwayguns, known as 38 cm S.K. K/45 Max E. und B. Gerüst. E und B stands for Eisenbahn und Bettung.

They were found at Saint-André, Meurchin, Goeulzin, Ferme Scru, Bapaume, Laventie, Pontfaverger, and in the wood of le Chatelet.

The Paris gun or Wilhelm Geschutz, was a 38 cm with another barrel in it of approx 21 cm. In March 1918 there was 24 - 26 cm version. They were used at Crepy, Mont de Joie, Corbie and Bruyère.

We talk about 24-26 cm guns because the caliber became a little bigger after every shot ! On top of the 38 cm barrel came the system Francotte, which made the total length of the piece approx 30 meters !

The idea for this gun came from Fritz Rausenberger who was the chief ingeneer for the artillery department at Krupp's. he seems to have received help from an ingeneer in Vienna, a certain Mr. Eberhard.

Weight of one grenade approx 125 kg.

There existed also a special 35.5 gun which could be found at Quéant, Sancourt and Maugré.

Dicke Bertha, named after a Krupp daughter, was a 42 cm mortar gun, officially known as the 42 cm M-Gerät i.R.L.

Concerning railway guns you also had the 28 cm Schwere Bruno, a number of them were used in the coastal batteries in Belgium.

Just some thoughts on the matter...

Best from Johan

[ph0ebus]

For more on Long Max, and Big Bertha, go here:

Long Max Thread on GWF

Photo to boot.

-Daniel