The largest guns in the history of mankind. Weapon of the century
It is not for nothing that artillery is called the main participant in the war. From the very beginning of its history, it has become an important and integral part of any ground forces. Even despite high-tech developments in the field missile weapons And air aviation, the artillerymen have enough work to do, and this state of affairs will not change in the foreseeable future.
In the army, size mattered and always matters, regardless of the type of troops. Large bombers or massive tanks are not the most maneuverable, and sometimes not the most effective tools of attack or defense, but do not forget about the psychological effect they have on their enemies.
So, we present to your attention a list of the largest guns in the history of mankind, which includes artillery pieces different eras and times. All of them have survived to this day in one form or another, and instill fear in museum visitors, and not in enemies on the battlefield.
- Ottoman "Basilica".
- German "Dora".
- Russian Tsar Cannon.
- American gun "Little David".
- Soviet mortar "Oka".
- German "Big Bertha"
Let's look at each participant in more detail.
"Basilica"
Taking pride of place on our list is the Ottoman Basilica cannon. They began casting it at the beginning of the 15th century at the request of the ruler Mehmed II. The work fell on the shoulders of the famous Hungarian master Urban, and a few years later the world's largest cannon in the history of war appeared.
The bronze gun turned out to be colossal in size: the length of the warhead was 12 meters, the barrel diameter was 90 cm, and the weight exceeded the 30-ton mark. For that time, it was a heavy machine, and at least 30 tall bulls were required to move it.
Distinctive features of the gun
The crew of the gun was also impressive: 50 carpenters to make a platform at the shooting site and 200 people to aim at the target. The firing range of the world's largest cannon was about 2 kilometers, which at that time was an unthinkable distance for any weapon.
“Basilica” did not please its commanders for long, because literally after a few days of a difficult siege, the cannon cracked, and after a couple of days it stopped firing altogether. Nevertheless, the weapon served the Ottoman Empire and brought a lot of fear to the enemies, from which they could not recover for a long time.
"Dora"
It's very hard German gun considered the most big gun in the world of World War II. It all started in the 30s of the last century, when Krupp engineers began designing this colossus.
A gun with a caliber of 807 mm had to be mounted on a special platform that walked along railway. The maximum range for hitting targets fluctuated around 50 kilometers. German designers managed to produce only two guns, and one of them took part in the siege of Sevastopol.
The total weight of "Dora" fluctuated around 1.3 tons. With about a half-hour delay, the cannon fired one shot. Despite the fact that many military analysts and specialists combat effectiveness, and the practicality of such a monster raised a lot of doubts; the gun really instilled panic and disoriented the enemy troops.
Tsar Cannon
Bronze in the list of the largest artillery guns was given to our national pride - the Tsar Cannon. The weapon saw the light of day in 1586 thanks to the efforts of the weapons designer of those years, Andrei Chokhov.
The dimensions of the gun are unforgettable experience for tourists: length 5.4 meters, caliber military weapon 890 mm and a weight of more than 40 tons will frighten any enemy. The largest cannon in the world rightfully received the respectful treatment of the Tsar.
Over appearance the guns also tried. The cannon is decorated with complex and interesting patterns, and several inscriptions can be read along the perimeter. Military experts are confident that the Tsar Cannon opened fire on the enemy only once, despite the fact that this was not confirmed in historical documents. Our gun was included in the famous Guinness Book of Records and became the most visited attraction in the capital, along with the Lenin Mausoleum.
"Little David"
This gun from the United States is a legacy of World War II and is considered the world's largest cannon in terms of caliber diameter. “Little David” was developed as a tool for eliminating particularly powerful enemy structures on the Pacific coast.
But the gun was not destined to leave the training ground where it was successfully tested, so the gun inspired fear and respect only in photographs of the foreign press.
Before firing, the barrel was mounted on a special metal frame, which was buried a quarter into the ground. The cannon fired non-standard cone-shaped projectiles, the weight of which could reach one and a half tons. At the site of the explosion of such ammunition there remained deep depression 4 meters deep and 10-15 meters in circumference.
Mortar "Oka"
In fifth position on the list of the world's largest guns is another domestic development of the Soviet era - the Oka mortar. In the middle of the last century, the USSR already had nuclear weapons, but experienced some problems with delivering it to the target location. Therefore, Soviet designers were given the task of creating a mortar that could fire nuclear warheads.
As a result, they got a kind of monster with a caliber of 420 mm and a weight of almost 60 tons. The mortar's firing range varied within 50 kilometers, which, in principle, was enough for a mobile tank equipment those times.
Despite the theoretical success of the enterprise, from mass production The Okies refused. The reason for this was the monstrous recoil of the gun, which negated all mobility: for a normal shot it was necessary to properly dig in the mortar and build supports, and this required too much time.
"Big Bertha"
Another weapon of German designers, but already at the beginning of the last century, when the First World War raged world war. The gun was developed at the already mentioned Krupp plant in 1914. The gun received a main combat caliber of 420 mm, and each individual projectile weighed almost one ton. Having a firing range of 14 kilometers, such indicators were quite acceptable.
"Big Bertha" was designed to destroy particularly strong enemy fortifications. Initially the gun was stationary, but after some time it was modified and made possible use on a mobile platform. The first option weighed about 50 tons, and the second about 40. To transport the gun, steam tractors were used, which with great difficulty, but they coped with their task.
At the landing site of the projectile, a deep depression with a diameter of up to 15 meters was formed, depending on the ammunition chosen. The gun's rate of fire was surprisingly high - one shot in eight minutes. The cannon was a real disaster and a headache for the allies. The machine not only inspired fear, but also demolished even the strongest walls and fortifications.
But despite my lethal force, "Big Bertha" was vulnerable to enemy artillery. The latter was more mobile and quicker of fire. During the assault on the Osowiec fortress, in eastern Poland, the Germans, although they pretty much battered the fort, lost two of their guns. While Russian soldiers great success repelled the onslaught, damaging only one standard artillery unit (the naval "Kane").
The Germans gave the female name “Dora” to the most giant cannon World War II. This artillery system with a caliber of 80 centimeters, it was so huge that it could only be moved by rail. She traveled half of Europe and left an ambiguous opinion about herself.
Dora was developed in the late 1930s at the Krupp plant in Essen. Main task super-powerful weapon - the destruction of the forts of the French Maginot Line during the siege. At that time these were the strongest fortifications that existed in the world.
"Dora" could fire projectiles weighing 7 tons at a distance of up to 47 kilometers. When fully assembled, Dora weighed about 1,350 tons. The Germans developed this powerful weapon as they prepared for the Battle of France. But when fighting began in 1940, the biggest gun of World War II was not yet ready. In any case, Blitzkrieg tactics allowed the Germans to capture Belgium and France in just 40 days, bypassing the Maginot Line defenses. This forced the French to surrender with minimal resistance and the fortifications did not have to be stormed.
"Dora" was deployed later, during the war in the East, in the Soviet Union. It was used during the siege of Sevastopol for shelling coastal batteries who heroically defended the city. Preparing a weapon from stowed position shooting took a week and a half. In addition to the immediate crew of 500 people, a security battalion, a transport battalion, two trains for the supply of ammunition, anti-aircraft division, as well as its own military police and field bakery.
The German gun, the height of a four-story building and 42 meters long, fired up to 14 times a day with concrete-piercing and high explosive shells. To push out the largest projectile in the world, a charge of 2 tons of explosives was needed.
It is believed that in June 1942, "Dora" fired 48 shots at Sevastopol. But because long distance There were only a few hits to the target. In addition, if the heavy ingots did not hit the concrete armor, they would go 20-30 meters into the ground, where their explosion would not cause much damage. The supergun showed completely different results than the Germans, who poured a lot of money into this ambitious miracle weapon, had hoped for.
When the barrel expired, the gun was taken to the rear. After repairs, it was planned to use it under besieged Leningrad, but this was prevented by the liberation of the city by our troops. Then the supergun was taken through Poland to Bavaria, where in April 1945 it was blown up so that it would not become a trophy for the Americans.
In the XIX-XX centuries. there were only two weapons with a large caliber (90 cm for both): the British Mallet mortar and the American Little David. But "Dora" and the same type "Gustav" (which did not take part in hostilities) were artillery largest caliber who took part in the battles. Also these are the biggest self-propelled units ever built. However, these 800 mm guns went down in history as “a completely useless work of art.”
The Third Reich developed many interesting and unusual projects"miracle weapons". For example, .
The most big guns in history - from the “Basilica” of a Hungarian engineer with the coolest surname Urban (or is it that name?) to Krupp’s “Dora” with a barrel length of 32.5 m!
1. "Basilica"
It's also an Ottoman cannon. It was cast in 1453 by the Hungarian engineer Urban to order Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II. In that memorable year the Turks laid siege to the capital Byzantine Empire Constantinople and still could not get inside the impregnable city.
For three months Urban patiently cast his creation in bronze and finally presented the resulting monster to the Sultan. A 32-ton giant with a length of 10 m and a trunk diameter of 90 cm could launch a 550-kilogram cannonball approximately 2 km.
To transport the Basilica from place to place, 60 oxen were harnessed to it. In general, 700 people had to service the sultan cannon, including 50 carpenters and 200 workers who made special wooden walkways for moving and installing the gun. Just recharging with a new core took a whole hour!
The life of the Basilica was short but bright. On the second day of firing at Constantinople, the barrel cracked. But the job was already done. By this time, the cannon had managed to make a well-aimed shot and punch a hole in the protective wall. The Turks entered the capital of Byzantium.
After another month and a half, the cannon fired its last shot and finally broke apart. (In the picture you see the Dardanelles cannon, an analogue of the “Basilica”, cast in 1464.) Its creator was already dead by this time. Historians disagree on how he died. According to one version, Urban was killed by a fragment of an exploded siege cannon(smaller, but again cast by him). According to another version, after the end of the siege, Sultan Mehmed executed the master, having learned that Urban had offered his help to the Byzantines. Current international situation tells us to lean toward the second version, which once again proves the treacherous nature of the Turks.
2. Tsar Cannon
Well, where would we be without her! Every resident of Russia over the age of seven has a rough idea of what this thing is. Therefore, we will limit ourselves to only the briefest information.
The Tsar Cannon was cast in bronze by cannon and bell maker Andrei Chokhov in 1586. Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, the third son of Ivan the Terrible, was then sitting on the throne.
The length of the gun is 5.34 m, the diameter of the barrel is 120 cm, the weight is 39 tons. We are all accustomed to seeing this cannon lying on a beautiful carriage decorated with ornaments, with cannonballs resting next to it. However, the carriage and cannonballs were manufactured only in 1835. Moreover, the Tsar Cannon cannot and could not fire such cannonballs.
Until the current nickname was assigned to the gun, it was called the “Russian Shotgun.” And this is closer to the truth, since the cannon was supposed to fire buckshot (“shot” - stone cannonballs with a total weight of up to 800 kg). She should have, but she never shot.
Although, according to legend, the cannon did fire one salvo, shooting out the ashes of False Dmitry, but this does not correspond to the facts. When the Tsar Cannon was sent for restoration in the eighties, the experts who studied it came to the conclusion that the weapon was never completed. There was no pilot hole in the cannon, which no one had bothered to drill for five centuries.
However, this did not stop the cannon from showing off in the heart of the capital and demonstrating the power of Russian weapons to overseas ambassadors with its impressive appearance.
3. "Big Bertha"
The legendary mortar, produced in 1914 at the factories of the ancient Krupp foundry dynasty, received its nickname in honor of Bertha Krupp, who was at that time the sole owner of the concern. Judging by the surviving photographs, Bertha was indeed quite a large woman.
The 420-mm mortar could fire one shot every 8 minutes and send a 900-kilogram projectile 14 km. The landmine exploded, leaving behind a crater with a diameter of 10 m and a depth of 4 m. The flying fragments killed at a distance of up to 2 km. The walls of the French and Belgian garrisons were not prepared for this. Allied forces who fought on Western Front, dubbed Bertha the “fort killer.” It took the Germans no more than two days to capture the next fortress.
In total, twelve Berthas were produced during the First World War; to date, not a single one has survived. Those that did not explode themselves were destroyed during the fighting. The mortar that lasted the longest was captured at the end of the war. American army and was exhibited until 1944 in the military museum of Aberdeen (Maryland), until it was sent for melting down.
4. Parisian gun
On March 21, 1918, an explosion occurred in Paris. Behind him is another, a third, a fourth. Explosions occurred at fifteen-minute intervals, and in just one day there were 21 of them... The Parisians were in panic. The sky above the city remained deserted: no enemy planes, no zeppelins.
By the evening, after studying the fragments, it became clear that these were not aerial bombs, but artillery shells. Have the Germans really reached the very walls of Paris, or even settled somewhere inside the city?
Only a few days later, the French aviator Didier Dora, flying over, discovered the place from which they were shooting at Paris. The gun was hidden 120 kilometers from the city. The Kaiser Wilhelm Trumpet, an ultra-long-range weapon, another product of the Krupp concern, was firing at Paris.
The barrel of the 210 mm gun had a length of 28 m (plus a 6-meter extension). The colossal weapon, weighing 256 tons, was placed on a special railway platform. The firing range of a 120-kilogram projectile was 130 km, and the trajectory height reached 45 km. It was precisely because the projectile moved in the stratosphere and experienced less air resistance that a unique range was achieved. The projectile reached the target in three minutes.
The gun, noticed by the big-eyed pilot, was hiding in the forest. Around it there were several batteries of small-caliber guns, which created a background noise that made it difficult to establish the exact location of the Kaiser Trumpet.
For all its external horror, the weapon was rather stupid. The 138-ton barrel was bending from own weight and needed support with additional cables. And once every three days the barrel had to be completely changed, since it could not withstand more than 65 shots, the volleys wore it down too quickly. Therefore, for each new barrel there was a special set of numbered shells - each next one was a little thicker (that is, a little larger in caliber) than the previous one. All this affected the accuracy of shooting.
In total, about 360 shots were fired across Paris. In this case, 250 people were killed. Most Parisians (60) died when they hit (accidentally, of course) the Church of Saint-Gervais during a service. And although there were not many dead, all of Paris was frightened and depressed by the power of German weapons.
When the situation at the front changed, the cannon was immediately evacuated back to Germany and destroyed so that its secret would not get to the Entente troops.
5. "Dora"
And again the Germans, and again the Krupp company. In 1936, Adolf Hitler strongly recommended that the concern build a cannon that would be capable of destroying the French Maginot Line (a system of 39 defensive fortifications, 75 bunkers and other dugouts, built on the border with Germany). A year later, the Fuhrer's special order was completed and approved. The project was immediately put into production. And in 1941, the supergun saw the light of day.
"Dora", which received its name in honor of the wife of the chief designer, was capable of penetrating armor 1 m thick, 7 m thick of concrete and 30 m of ordinary hard ground. The range of the gun was estimated at 35-45 km.
“Dora” is terrifying even today with its size: barrel length - 32.5 m, weight - 400 tons, height - 11.6 m, each shell weighed 7088 kg. The gun was located on two railway conveyors, and total weight the entire system reached 1350 tons.
“Dora,” of course, was terrifying, but then it turned out that there was nowhere to really use it. The Maginot Line had already been taken a year ago and the Belgian forts had fallen. It was not even possible to transport a cannon to strengthen Gibraltar: the railway bridges in Spain would not have supported its weight. But in February 1942, it was decided to deliver the Dora to the Crimea and begin shelling Sevastopol.
The operation, fortunately, turned out to be nothing. Despite the monstrous efforts of the fascist army, the effect was practically zero. More than 4,000 people were employed in servicing Dora. There was even a special kilometer-long railway line built for the gun. Complex camouflage and position protection was carried out with the help of fighters, a smoke masking division, two infantry companies and special teams of the field gendarmerie.
Model "Dora"
Between June 5 and June 26, 53 shells were fired at Sevastopol. Only five hit the target, and even those did not achieve the desired effect. The operation was curtailed, and Dora was sent to Leningrad. But during the entire war she never fired a single shot.
In April 1945, in the forest near the city of Auerbach American troops discovered the wreckage of the Dora. The gun was destroyed by the Germans themselves so that it would not fall to the advancing Red Army.
Today we will tell you about the largest in the world, which was created during the Second World War - we will talk about a unique super-heavy railway artillery gun German army called "Dora".
If you are familiar with history, you probably remember that after the First World War the development German artillery it was almost impossible - the reason for this Treaty of Versailles, according to which Germany was prohibited from having a gun whose caliber exceeded 150 mm. Nazi leaders felt it was time to create a new large-caliber weapons, which would eclipse all existing ones in the world - this would also help raise the prestige of Germany in the eyes of other states.
During his next visit to the Krupp plant in 1936, Hitler, at a meeting with management, demanded the creation of a new super-powerful weapon that could easily destroy French and Belgian border posts. Its maximum range was supposed to reach about 45 kilometers, and the projectile itself could penetrate a 30-meter layer of soil, 7 m of concrete or 1 m of armor. The project was completed in 1937 and at the same time an order was placed for its production at the Krupp plant. In 1941, the first gun was built, which it was decided to call “Dora” - in honor of the wife of the chief designer’s wife. A few months later, a second gun was created (it was significantly smaller than the first), the name of which was given in honor of the director of the plant - “ Fat Gustav" In total, Germany spent more than 10 million Reichsmarks to create weapons, some of which were used to create a third weapon. It, however, was never completed.
Some characteristics of the Dora: length - 47.3 m, width - 7.1 m, height - 11.6 m, barrel length - 32.5 m, weight - 1350 tons. In order to prepare the weapon for battle, about 250 people and 2,500 additional personnel were used, who did this in 54 hours. The weight of one projectile is 4.8 tons (high-explosive) or 7 tons (concrete-piercing), caliber is 807 mm. Number of shots - no more than 14 per day, maximum speed projectile - 720 m/s (concrete-piercing) or 820 m/s (high-explosive), sighting range- up to 48 kilometers depending on the projectile.
In order to deliver the Dora to one place or another, several locomotives were used (for example, it was brought to Sevastopol on five trains in 106 cars). Moreover, all the necessary personnel barely fit in 43 cars. It's interesting that in usual time Only a couple of thousand people were enough to service the Dora, but during the war this figure at least doubled.
One of the most famous uses of the Dora is near Sevastopol. The Germans transported the gun to Crimea. Was chosen there firing position near the village of Duvankoy. Assembling the gun and preparing it for firing took the staff about 6 weeks. She fired her first shell (concrete-piercing) on June 5 at the northern part of Sevastopol. Unfortunately for the Germans, the attack did not have the effect that the Nazis expected - for the entire time, only one successful hit was recorded, which resulted in the explosion of one of the ammunition depots. In this case, the damage from the weapon could be colossal, but only if the projectile hit the target exactly, which did not happen. But in order to identify an exact target, it was necessary to keep the Dora almost near the city itself, which the Germans could not afford. In total, the shelling lasted 13 days, during which 53 shells were fired. Then the gun was dismantled and transported to Leningrad.
In 1945, American troops, while passing through the forests located near the city of Auerbach, came across the remains of a huge metal structure that was damaged by an explosion. A little further they found two trunks of incredible size. After interviewing the prisoners of war, it turned out that these were the remains of “Dora” and “Gustav”. After the investigation was completed, the remains of the guns were sent for melting down.
In one of the specialties I received, I am an artilleryman, commander of a platoon of self-propelled howitzer guns 2S3M “Akatsiya”, so the topic of artillery is close to me.
Surely many of you do not know the differences between a cannon, self-propelled gun, howitzer and mortar, so first I will tell you a little.
So,
Gun – artillery piece, shooting at flat trajectory. It is distinguished by a large barrel elongation against mortars and howitzers (40-80 calibers) and a smaller barrel elevation angle.
Howitzer- an artillery gun that fires mounted trajectory, i.e. from closed firing positions. The conditional boundary between a howitzer and a cannon barrel is considered to be its length of 40 calibers.
Mortar- artillery gun with short barrel(less than 15 calibers) for mounted shooting. Designed to destroy enemy equipment and manpower hidden behind walls and trenches by firing along an overhead trajectory.
self-propelled guns– self-propelled artillery installation, without reference to the type of weapon, can be equipped different types artillery system - cannon (SU-100), or howitzer (ISU-152).
Video to present the power of the 2S3M “Akatsiya”, of course, it is not the 2S19 “MSTA”, but is still capable of firing tactical nuclear charges.
1 Mortar Little David (Little David) 914 mm
Experimental American mortar from the end of World War II. Despite a much more modest appearance than, for example, the Schwerer Gustav or Karl, it still holds the record for the most large caliber(914 mm or 36 inches) among all modern artillery
2 Tsar Cannon 890 mm
Medieval artillery gun (bombard), cast in bronze in 1586 by Russian master Andrei Chokhov at the Cannon Yard. The length of the gun is 5.34 m, the outer diameter of the barrel is 120 cm, the diameter of the patterned belt at the muzzle is 134 cm, the caliber is 890 mm, the weight is 39.31 tons (2400 pounds).
3 Dora gun 800 mm
Super-heavy railway artillery gun. Developed by Krupp (Germany) in the late 1930s. It was intended to destroy the fortifications of the Maginot Line and fortifications on the border of Germany and Belgium. The gun is named after the wife of the chief designer.
4 Mortar Karl 600 mm
German heavy self-propelled mortar period of the Second World War. One of the most powerful self-propelled guns of its period. They were used to storm fortresses and heavily fortified enemy positions.
The world's largest cast iron cannon, which is also a military weapon, the 20-inch Perm Tsar Cannon was manufactured in 1868 by order of the Naval Ministry at the Motovilikha Cast Iron Cannon Factory. It is not clear why the largest one is inferior in caliber to the Moscow 508 versus 890, and the barrel length is also 4.9 versus 5.34.
6 Mortar Big Bertha 420 mm
German 420 mm mortar. The mortar was intended to destroy particularly strong fortifications. The Bertha's rate of fire was 1 shot per 8 minutes, and the flight range of the 900-kg projectile was 14 km. All three types of shells used had enormous destructive power for that time.
7 Mortar launcher 2B2 Oka 420 mm
Soviet self-propelled 420 mm mortar unit. Rate of fire - 1 shot per 5 minutes. Firing range - 25 km, active-reactive mine - 50 km. Mine weight - 670 kg. Designed for firing nuclear charges. During testing, it was established that the monstrous recoil does not allow long-term operation of such a weapon. After which serial production was abandoned. There is only one “Oka” left in the metal out of four released.
8 Railway GunSaint-Chamond 400 mm
In October 1914 French government formed a special commission responsible for the creation railway types weapons, which, in turn, turned to the largest arms concerns with a proposal to develop large-caliber guns on railway transporters. Design and construction work It took very little time, and already in May 1915, eight railway guns from the Schneider-Creuzot company appeared at the front, and a few months later the especially powerful 400-mm howitzers from the Saint-Chamon company received their baptism of fire.
9 Rodman Columbiad 381mm
Manufactured in 1863, it had a barrel with a caliber of 381 mm, and its weight reached 22.6 tons. Civil war in the United States contributed to the emergence of new types of weapons - armored ships and armored trains, and the creation of means to combat them - smooth-bore Columbiad guns, named after one of the first guns of this type.
10 Self-propelled gun 2A3 Capacitor 406 mm
Soviet self-propelled 406 mm gun SM-54 (2A3) for firing nuclear weapons"Capacitor". In 1957, the 2AZ self-propelled gun was paraded on Red Square and created a sensation among domestic citizens and foreign journalists. Some foreign experts have suggested that the cars shown at the parade are simply props, designed for a frightening effect. However, this was a real artillery system, fired at the training ground.