Martial artillery - one of the three oldest military branches - throughout its existence knew examples of the creation of unique weapons. Huge, powerful, unprecedented, they were announced as a weapon of victory and almost always remained out of work. Most likely, they were conceived as an indicator of the military might of a power, a demonstration of the genius of engineering.
Giant caliber
There are several lists on which the first place in the list of "The World's Largest Cannon" is occupied by different guns. The monster machine unsurpassed to this day of the largest caliber (914 mm, which is 36 inches) is the American experimental mortar (a gun with a short barrel for mounted shooting) called Little David. This amazing miracle weapon never left the Aberdeen Proving Ground. Very soon, due to lack of demand, it became a museum exhibit.
“A very timid old woman. And I can’t believe that a cannon! ”
Following this monster, the Russian Tsar Cannon is listed (a photo of this peculiar symbol of Russia is attached). Its caliber is 890 mm, or 35 inches.
This bombardment, cast from bronze by the Russian master Andrei Chokhov in 1586, is a monument of foundry and artillery art. It was made at the Cannon Yard in honor of Tsar Fedor Ivanovich and, obviously, to intimidate enemies who would have to take flight after hearing about the size and capabilities of the gun. By research in 1980, Serpukhov specialists were able to establish that one shell from the gun was nevertheless fired. But this beauty is literally and figuratively a symbol of the greatness of Russian weapons. One of the most striking sights of
Moscow, Tsar Cannon (photos indicate the always crowding of people at the carriage), along with the Tsar Bell from childhood, in the minds of Russians are associated with the greatness and invincibility of Russia. This Russian shotgun, as it was called in the old days, has a mass equal to 39.31 tons and a length of 5.34 meters. The gun is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. You can add that the sketches were drawn by A.P. Bryullov, professor of architecture and elder brother of the legendary Karl Bryullov, drawings were made by engineer de Witte.
Applied once
Third on this list is the monster car, named after the wife of the chief designer, “Dora”. This is indeed the largest gun in the world in size and weight. Under the guidance of Professor Erich Müller, in 1930, a peculiar miracle of artillery art was created at the factory of the Krupp concern in personal order of Adolf Hitler. This weapon, enormous, costly and, in principle, useless, was used only once during the assault of Sevastopol in 1942, when the city opposed the most powerful army in the world for 250 days. It, despite its awesome appearance, did not demonstrate any advantages. And the legendary defense of Sevastopol was included in all textbooks.
And "Dore" is too tough
The
artillery of the coastal battery No. 30 named after Maxim Gorky, according to the Germans themselves, allowed to delay the capture of the city for six months. This fort, as the Germans called the battery, was recognized by them as "a true masterpiece of engineering." Never in the entire history of the war did the fascist invaders use artillery in such numbers. To break the unprecedented resistance of the Russians, the German Dora gun was brought here. The monster gun, developed by the Krupp concern plant, was made by personal order of Adolf Hitler specifically to destroy the highly fortified Maginot line. She was not involved there. She was taken to the Crimea to participate in the operation, code-named "Fiery tornado during the" Sturgeon Fishing ".
Amazing parameters
The 807-mm gun was a miracle of artillery art. The unique superheavy whopper moving on rails, the largest gun in the world, did not find its worthy and widespread use, because its advantages became disadvantages.
One shell weighed 7,100 kilograms. In this case, the barrel length reached 32 meters. Firing range - 25 kilometers, "beyond the horizon", which determined the rarity of hitting the target. Just once, “Dora” caused more or less tangible damage - destroyed the ammunition depot. At the same time, to service the monster, which had a total length of 50 meters and a height with a lowered barrel of 11 meters, and with a raised one, 35, besides the calculation of 4139 soldiers, civilian employees, officers and a gun commander, the colonel’s rank required transport and security battalions, a commandant’s office, and camouflage company, bakery and field post office.
Intimidating and useless
Artillery history did not know such parameters that made it bulky, manoeuvrable, unprotected, surprisingly costly and completely ineffective.
This "heavy duty" gun was mounted on a special platform moving along rails 6 meters distant from each other. Dora did not play any significant role in the capture of Sevastopol. Nevertheless, it was moved to Leningrad in order to suppress the heroic city. But here she did not find application. Adolf Hitler had plans to destroy the British naval base in Gibraltar, but they also fell away due to the inability to deliver the giant. At the end of the war at that time, the really largest gun in the world was blown up by the Germans in Bavaria, 36 kilometers from the city of Auerbach.
We can add that the clumsy Dora had a twin brother, “Fat Gustav”, constructed in 1930. Towards the end of the war, parts were also made for the third ingloriously dead monster.