"Gustav" and "Dora": Colossal superguns that could lead the Third Reich to victory. Fat Gustav - Hitler's biggest gun Mega guns of the Second World War

In 1936, Adolf Hitler was faced with the problem of breaking the French Maginot Line, a 400-kilometer defensive line consisting of fortified bunkers, defensive structures, machine gun nests and artillery emplacements. It was decided to build a weapon of such power that it would be able to destroy the long-term fortifications of the line. The factories of Friedrich Krupp A.G produced two monstrous guns: the Big Dora and the Tolstoy Gustav. "Gustav" (Schwerer Gustav) weighed as much as 1344 tons and could only move by rail, and it took three whole days to prepare for firing. This thing took part in hostilities only once and was captured by the Allies near Sevastopol.

The Fat Gustav gun weighed 1,344 tons and some parts had to be dismantled to move it along the railroad tracks. The gun was the height of a four-story building, had a width of 6 meters and a length of 42 meters. The maintenance of the Fat Gustav gun was carried out by a team of 500 people under the command of a high-ranking army official. The team needed almost three days to prepare the gun for firing.

The diameter of the Fat Gustav cannon projectile was 800 mm. To push the projectile out of the barrel, a charge of smokeless powder weighing 1360 kilograms was used. There were two types of ammunition for the gun:
a high-explosive projectile weighing 4800 kilograms, filled with a powerful explosive, and an all-metal projectile weighing 7500 kilograms for destroying concrete.

The speed of the projectiles fired from the barrel of the Fat Gustav cannon was 800 meters per second.

The elevation angle of the Fat Gustav gun barrel is 48 degrees, thanks to which it can hit a target with a high-explosive projectile at a distance of 45 kilometers. The projectile, designed to destroy concrete, could hit a target at a distance of 37 kilometers. Having exploded, the high-explosive shell of the Fat Gustav cannon left a crater 10 meters deep, and a concrete-piercing shell could pierce about 80 meters of reinforced concrete structures.

They finished building it by the end of 1940 and the first test shots were fired at the beginning of 1941 at the Rugenwalde training ground. On this occasion, Hitler and Albert Speer, Reich Minister of Arms and Munitions, arrived on a visit.

The installation of the gun began in early May and by June 5 the gun was ready to fire. It fired 300 shells into Sevastopol (at a rate of about 14 per day) and fired another 30 times during the suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, after which the gun fell into the hands of the Allies, who sold it for scrap.

Not easy to charge

Projectile and charge in a case of an 800 mm cannon

The construction of "Fat Gustav" was often described as a waste of time and money, which was partly true, although the defenders of Sevastopol may have had a different opinion. On the other hand, if it had not been possible to bypass the Maginot Line and it had been possible to shoot at Gibraltar, then the gun could have played an important role in the war. But there are too many "woulds" here.

During the siege of Sevastopol, cannon shots were guided by data from a reconnaissance aircraft. The first defeat from the cannon was a group of coastal guns, destroyed by a total of 8 salvos. 6 salvos were fired at Fort Stalin with the same effect. 7 shots were fired at the Molotov fort and 9 at the Northern Bay, where a successful hit from a heavy shell penetrated the fort deep into the ammunition depots, which destroyed it entirely.

Neither powerful weapons nor a well-trained army helped the Nazis. History has put everything in its place.

"Dora" was built to break through the Maginot Line. An order for a gun that could penetrate a 1-meter-thick armor plate and a 7-meter-thick layer of reinforced concrete with a maximum firing range of 35–45 kilometers was received by the Krupp plant in 1936. Three guns were built according to this project. The first of them was “Dora”, the second (also with a caliber of 80 cm) was tested at the German training ground in Rügenwald (now Darlowo, Poland) and was called “Heavy Gustav” (Schwerer Gustav), but was not used anywhere. The third gun of this type with a barrel caliber of 52 cm and a length of 48 meters, called the “Long Gustav”, was not completed at all; it was destroyed by allied aviation.

The position for “Dora” in the Crimea was chosen by General Zuckerort, commander of a formation of heavy guns, while flying an airplane around the outskirts of Bakhchisarai. The cannon was supposed to be hidden in the mountain, for which a special cut was made in it. Since the position of the gun barrel changed only vertically, to change the direction of fire horizontally, the Dora moved along a sharply curved arc of the railway track. Engineering preparation of the area was carried out by 1.5 thousand workers and a thousand sappers for four weeks.

An entire marshalling station was built at the site where the gun was deployed. In 43 cars of the first train, service personnel, kitchen and camouflage equipment arrived. An assembly crane and auxiliary equipment were brought in 16 cars of the second train. In 17 carriages of the third, parts of the gun itself and the workshop were delivered. The fourth train of 20 cars transported a 400-ton, 32-meter barrel and loading mechanisms. In 10 cars of the fifth train, in which an artificial climate was maintained (15°C), shells and powder charges were placed. The Dora was served and guarded by 4,370 officers and soldiers. The gun was assembled in 54 hours and was ready for firing by the beginning of June.

How to distinguish between pictures taken in Rügenwald and near Sevastopol

Most of the photographs of the Dora cannon were taken at a position in the Bakhchisarai area.

NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCES

EXAMPLES OF MIXING

On the morning of June 5, 1942, two diesel-electric locomotives with a power of 1050 horsepower each rolled out this colossus with a total weight of 1350 tons into a crescent-shaped combat position and installed it with centimeter precision.

The first shot consisted of a projectile weighing 7088 kilograms, two powder charges of 465 kilograms each and a cartridge case weighing 920 kilograms.

The Dora super-heavy railway-mounted artillery gun was developed in the late 1930s by the German company Krupp. This weapon was intended to destroy fortifications on the borders of Germany with Belgium and France (Maginot Line). In 1942, "Dora" was used to storm Sevastopol, and in 1944 to suppress the uprising in Warsaw.

The development of German artillery after World War I was limited by the Treaty of Versailles. According to the provisions of this treaty, Germany was prohibited from having any anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, as well as guns whose caliber exceeded 150 mm. Thus, the creation of large-caliber and powerful artillery was a matter of honor and prestige, the leaders of Nazi Germany believed.

Based on this, in 1936, when Hitler visited one of the Krupp factories, he categorically demanded that the company’s management design a super-powerful weapon that would be capable of destroying the French Maginot Line and Belgian border forts, for example, Eben-Emal. According to the requirements of the Wehrmacht, a cannon shell must be capable of penetrating 7 m thick concrete, 1 m thick armor, 30 m hard ground, and the maximum range of the gun should be 25-45 km. and have a vertical guidance angle of +65 degrees.

The group of designers of the Krupp concern, which began creating a new super-powerful gun according to the proposed tactical and technical requirements, was headed by Professor E. Muller, who had extensive experience in this matter. The development of the project was completed in 1937, and in the same year the Krupp concern was given an order for the production of a new 800mm caliber gun. Construction of the first gun was completed in 1941. The gun, in honor of E. Muller’s wife, was given the name “Dora”. The second gun, which was named “Fat Gustav” in honor of the management of the company Gustav von Bohlen and Halbach Krupp, was built in mid-1941. In addition, a third 520 mm caliber gun was designed. and a trunk length of 48 meters. It was called "Long Gustav". But this weapon was not completed.

In 1941, 120 km. west of Berlin, at the Rügenwalde-Hillersleben training ground, guns were tested. Adolf Hitler himself, his comrade-in-arms Albert Speer, as well as other high army officials were present at the tests. Hitler was pleased with the test results.

Although the guns did not have some mechanisms, they met the requirements that were specified in the technical specifications. All tests were completed by the end of the 42nd year. The gun was delivered to the troops. By this time, the company's factories had produced over 100 800 mm caliber shells.

Some design features of the gun.

The locking of the barrel bolt, as well as the delivery of projectiles, were carried out by hydraulic mechanisms. The gun was equipped with two lifts: for cartridges and for shells. The first part of the barrel was with a conical thread, the second with a cylindrical thread.
The gun was mounted on a 40-axle conveyor, which was located on a double railway track. The distance between the tracks was 6 meters. In addition, another railway track was laid on the sides of the gun for installation cranes. The total weight of the gun was 1350 tons. To fire, the gun needed an area up to 5 km long. The time spent preparing the gun for firing consisted of choosing a position (could reach 6 weeks) and assembling the gun itself (about 3 days).

Transportation of implements and maintenance personnel.

The gun was transported by rail. Thus, “Dora” was delivered to Sevastopol by 5 trains in 106 cars:
1st train: service (672nd artillery division, about 500 people), 43 cars;
2nd train, auxiliary equipment and erection crane, 16 cars;
3rd train: cannon parts and workshop, 17 cars;
4th train: loading mechanisms and barrel, 20 cars;
5th train: ammunition, 10 cars.

Combat use.

In World War II, Dora took part only twice.
The first time the gun was used was to capture Sevastopol in 1942. During this campaign, only one case was recorded of a successful hit by a Dora shell, which caused an explosion of an ammunition depot located at a depth of 27 meters. The remaining Dora shots penetrated the ground to a depth of 12 meters. After the explosion of the shell, a drop-shaped shape with a diameter of about 3 meters was formed in the ground, which did not cause much harm to the defenders of the city. In Sevastopol, the gun fired 48 shells.

After Sevastopol, "Dora" was sent to Leningrad, and from there to Essen for repairs.
The second time Dora was used was in 1944 to suppress the Warsaw Uprising. In total, the gun fired more than 30 shells into Warsaw.

The end of Dora and Gustav.

On April 22, 1945, the advanced units of the Allied army were 36 km away. from the city of Auerbach (Bavaria) they discovered the remains of the Dora and Gustav guns blown up by the Germans. Subsequently, everything that was left of these giants of the 2nd World War was sent for melting down.

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In 1935, the Heereswaffenamt (HWA) turned to Krupp for an expert assessment of the possibilities of creating an artillery piece capable of destroying the largest fortifications of the Maginot Line. Krupna's designers carried out design calculations and compiled a report with ballistic data on three guns of 70.80 and 100 centimeters calibers suitable for these purposes.

The report was noted, but no further action was taken until Hitler asked Krupp the same question during a tour of his factory in March 1936. Having received a copy of the year-old report, Hitler inquired whether the project of constructing such huge guns was practically feasible, and received assurances that although the task would be difficult, it was by no means impossible. Sensing Hitler's weakness for striking weapons, Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, head of the Krupp consortium, ordered detailed calculations for the 80 cm gun.

As he expected, the order for the manufacture of such a gun was received in 1937, and work on its implementation began under the leadership of Doctor of Technical Sciences Erich Müller. The entire program was carried out in the strictest secrecy, thanks to which Allied intelligence was not even aware of the work on the creation of a new German superweapon.

Despite the utmost efforts of the most qualified specialists, the implementation of the project progressed slowly. And this was not surprising, given that the technical characteristics of the gun had to meet the highest requirements - its concrete-piercing projectile had to penetrate a meter layer of armor, seven meters of reinforced concrete and thirty meters of compacted earth. Such indicators could only be demonstrated by a truly massive weapon, and its very size caused endless problems - it was clear that it could only move by rail, and it would have to be disassembled in order to be placed on a platform moving along a standard-width track. The barrel and breech assembly had to be designed in such a way that it could be disassembled into four independent components for transportation. The task of creating such a unit capable of withstanding the monstrous pressure generated by each shot was far from easy, so the barrel was ready for test firing from an improvised platform only at the beginning of 1941.

The ammunition was no less impressive a sight than the gun itself - one high-explosive fragmentation projectile weighing 4800 kg, containing 400 kg of explosive, created a crater, the average diameter and depth of which was 12 meters. The concrete-piercing projectile weighing 7100 kg contained an explosive charge weighing 200 kg. The accelerating charges were also impressive - the total weight of the charge used to fire each concrete-piercing projectile was 2100 kg, while the charge for each high-explosive fragmentation projectile weighed 2240 kg.

As soon as the test firing was completed, work began on manufacturing the platform, and the assembled gun was delivered to the artillery range near Rugenwalde, where it was demonstrated to Hitler at the beginning of 1942. This happened almost two years later than planned, and Hitler became increasingly impatient and irritated by what seemed to him endless delays, but was deeply impressed by both the stunning spectacle of the firing gun and the results of test firing on “hard” targets, which were fully consistent with those stated in the document. specifications characteristics. Without doubting the prospects of receiving lucrative contracts in the future, Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach officially announced to Hitler that his company was donating this weapon, now named “Gustav Herat” in his honor, as a gift to the Reich. There is some disagreement as to exactly how many of these guns were actually produced - according to many sources, a second similar gun, called the "Dora", was also created. However, it seems more likely that the German gunsmiths called “Gustav” among themselves “Dora,” thereby creating the impression that there were two such guns.

The search for suitable targets for this weapon also presented some difficulties - at various points it was supposed to be used both on the Maginot Line and against the fortifications of Gibraltar, but these plans were not destined to come true due to the unexpected fiasco in France and General Franco’s refusal to violate the neutrality of Spain. This naturally solved the problem, since the only possible targets remained on the territory of the Soviet Union, and Sevastopol was chosen first among them, since it became clear that only with the help of the most severe artillery fire could the city’s defensive fortifications be overcome without colossal losses in manpower.

“Gustav” was hastily disassembled and sent on a long journey to Crimea in a train of 28 special cars, which, in addition to the gun itself, contained an assembly crane and two diesel locomotives for maneuvering at the location. At the beginning of March 1942, the train reached the Perekop isthmus, where the gun remained until the beginning of April. From the railway connecting Simferopol and Sevastopol, a special branch was laid to Bakhchisarai, located 16 km north of the target, at the end of which four semicircular railway tracks were equipped for horizontal guidance of the Gustav. External tracks were also laid for the 112-ton gantry crane, with which the Gustav was to be assembled, and, in addition, a small marshalling station was built for storing auxiliary equipment. In order to shelter the gun from attacks by Soviet aviation and return artillery fire, a ditch 8 meters deep was dug, and at a distance of several kilometers a fictitious firing position with a mock-up gun was equipped. Finally, two light anti-aircraft batteries were brought up to provide close-in air defense for the entire complex.

Despite all of Krupp's technical genius in the design of the gun's components, assembling it was far from an easy task, especially the stage when the second half of the 102-ton gun barrel, swinging under the boom of a gantry crane, had to be combined with the first half and attached to it . The entire assembly process took three weeks and required the combined efforts of 1,720 men working under the direction of a major general, but on August 5 the Gustav was ready to open fire. Its maximum rate of fire was approximately four rounds per hour, since due to the size and weight of the ammunition, the gun could not be loaded faster even with the use of technology. In addition, each salvo required a wide variety of information, such as muzzle velocity, flight time, powder mass and temperature, powder chamber pressure, firing range, atmospheric conditions, powder chamber wear, and barrel rifling.

Battery 701……21 CMK12V - 1 - 1 in 1941, 2 in 1943-1944. Artillery Regiment 655, August 1944

Battery 688……28 cm K5 - 2

Battery 689……28 cm Schwere Bruno L-42 - 2

Battery 711……37 cm MIS - 2 - Captured gun (not a unit since 1941)

Battery 697……28 cm K5 - 2 - Speed ​​measurement unit

Battery 713……28 cm K5 - 2

Batteries 765 and 617……28 cm K5 - 2 - Velocity Measurement Unit

Calculation 100……28 cm K5 - 2 - Division of study and replenishment

Battery 694……28 cm Kurze Bruno - 2 - 1941, was not a connection in 1943-1944.

Battery 695……28 cm Kurze Bruno - 2 - 1 in 1941 +32 cm in 1943-1944. Artillery Regiment 679, August 1944

Battery 721……28 cm Kurze Bruno - 2 - 1 in 1940, 2 in 1943-1944. Artillery Regiment 780, merged with Regiment 640 in August 1944.

Battery 692 ...... 27.4 cm 592 - 3 - Artillery Regiment 640, merged with Regiment 780 in August 1944.

Battery 722……24 cm T. Bruno - 4 - Coastal artillery

Battery 674……24 cm T. Bruno - 2 - Artillery Regiment 780, merged with Regiment 640 in August 1944

Battery 664……24 cm Kurze T. Bruno - 2 - Artillery Regiment 780, merged with Regiment 640 in August 1944

Battery 749……28 cm K5 - 2 - Artillery Regiment 640, merged with Regiment 780 in August 1944.

Battery 725……28 cm K5 + 28 cm N. Bruno - 2 + 2 - Artillery Regiment 646, N. Bruno withdrew in August 1944.

Battery 698 ...... 38 cm Siegfried - 2 - 1 in 1944, when 1 Siegfried transferred to the 679 regiment; Artillery Regiment 640, merged with Regiment 780 in August 1944.

During the siege, the Gustav fired 48 shots at various targets, in particular:

June 5: Coastal defense batteries were fired at from a distance of 25 km by fire, which was corrected by the Gustav's own gunner. The targets were destroyed with eight shots. Then Fort Stalin came under fire and was destroyed by six concrete-piercing shells.

June 6: The first target of the day was Fort Molotov, which was destroyed by seven shells. After this, “Gustav” began to fire at an object that was, perhaps, the most fortified military structure in Sevastopol, White Rock. It was an artillery ammunition depot located 30 meters below Severnaya Bay and protected by at least a 10-meter layer of reinforced concrete. Nine shells were fired at the target, and the last of them provoked an impressively powerful explosion of ammunition, as a result of which the object was completely destroyed.

June 17: Gustav fired its last five shells of the siege at Fort Maxim Gorky I, a well-defended firing position equipped with two twin 305mm guns.

After the capitulation of Sevastopol on July 4, the Gustav was sent to Germany to have its worn barrel restored. In the future, the gun was supposed to be used in the battles for Stalingrad and Leningrad, but it is likely that the Gustav no longer participated in hostilities, although, according to unconfirmed information, it fired several shots in 1944 during the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising.

Krupp proposed some modifications to the basic design, including the construction of a 52 cm gun on the standard Gustav platform. Such a gun would be capable of firing 1,420-kilogram shells at a distance of up to 110 km. As alternative ammunition, 52/38 cm container projectiles with a maximum firing range of 150 km or 52/38 cm rocket-accelerated projectiles capable of covering a distance of 190 km were offered. However, it was clear that the implementation of any of these projects would require several years of hard work, so it was decided to limit ourselves to half measures and equip the standard 80-centimeter barrel with a smooth internal nozzle and thereby increase the firing range when using Peenemünde swept-fin missiles. For this purpose, two types of projectiles were proposed: 80/35 cm with a maximum flight range of 140 km and 80/30.5 cm, capable of covering 160 km. However, all these proposals remained on paper, although work began on a prototype of the 52-centimeter gun, which was never completed due to serious damage caused by British aircraft bombing attacks on Essen.

Specifications

Length: 47.3 m

Barrel length: 32.48 m (L/40.6)

Caliber: 800 mm

Elevation angle: 65 degrees

Horizontal aiming angle: none

Projectile weight: 4.8 t (high-explosive fragmentation) and 7.1 t (armor-piercing)

Firing range: 47 km (high-explosive fragmentation) and 38 km (armor-piercing)

There are several conflicting versions regarding the fate of the Gustav, but the most likely one is that it was dismantled towards the end of 1944. The Gustav was never a practical weapon, as it was incredibly expensive - the cost of its production, including additional equipment, was about seven million Reichsmarks. With this money it was possible to build at least 21 Tiger IIs, costing 321,500 Reichsmarks each!

In addition, this weapon also absorbed enormous amounts of human resources - many of the 1,720 people involved in its maintenance were highly qualified specialists, especially the 20 scientists and engineers who calculated the required data to fire each shot.

The Germans gave the female name “Dora” to the most gigantic gun of the Second World War. This 80 centimeter caliber artillery system 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. The main task of the super-powerful weapon is to destroy the forts of the French Maginot Line during a 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 to fire at coastal batteries heroically defending the city. Preparing the gun from the traveling position for firing 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, an anti-aircraft battalion, as well as its own military police and a field bakery were involved.

The German gun, the height of a four-story building and 42 meters long, fired concrete-piercing and high-explosive shells up to 14 times a day. 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 due to the large distance to the target, only a few hits were obtained. 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 the hostilities) were the largest caliber artillery that took part in the battles. They are also the largest 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 “miracle weapon” projects. For example, .