Chapter 638 The Legend of the Giant Cannon

There are many weapons built in the long history of human war, but there are very few that can be called super weapons. As the largest caliber artillery system put into actual combat in the history of mankind, the "Gustav" 800mm The train gun is one of the most famous ones.

The Gustav train gun, which was designed in 1934, was originally used to target France's Maginot Line. At the beginning of the design, it was established that it could penetrate a 7-meter-thick concrete wall or 1,000 mm armored steel with one shot. The target requirements were met, and the final winning bidder to take over the design and manufacturing of this city-defense weapon was the famous German "King of Heavy Artillery" Krupp.

The design plan for this type of giant gun was initially shelved after it was submitted to the German Army Headquarters. However, like his good CP father Comrade Stalin, Hitler, a fanatical believer in large-caliber guns, personally put the plan on the agenda.

The head of state said he was happy, and when the people below heard it, they naturally thought about the position under their buttocks and tried to find ways to please the head of state.

Judging from the final result, the roar of the 800mm from the Hilles Leben test range on September 10, 1941 indeed made Hitler smile and feel extremely satisfied.

According to Krupp's practice, the No. 1 "Gustav" of the 800mm giant train gun system was given away for free and was given to the German Wehrmacht for use free of charge.

It is Krupp's practice to give the first gun of any order received by the company to the Wehrmacht for free. Although the cost of the 800mm cannon is far higher than any of the company's weapons and is an astronomical figure, the company's young boss Everred ·Kluber finally made the decision to continue to implement the tradition of "free gifts".

Hitler, who was overjoyed, had already made a request when he was watching the Gustav test. This kind of super anti-city treasure that made him passionate was not just one, but two more to have a card.

Now that the head of state has spoken, the flatterers below are willing to do whatever they can to help. After all, as long as the head of state is happy, how much money is spent and whether it is a waste of resources are nothing to those who are anxious to move their butts. Woolen cloth?

After naming the first heavy artillery piece after his father, Alfred Krupp, the small boss of Krupp Company, named the second machine after his wife "Dora".

This time, Alfred Kluber asked the Wehrmacht for a one-time manufacturing cost of up to 7 million Reichsmarks for the second machine "Dora", which is equivalent to 29.4 million U.S. dollars, enough to build 28 Tigers, which are famous for their worth. tank.

After the first two Gustavs were built, the unnamed Gustav No. 3 had a more tragic fate.

This specialized version of the No. 3 aircraft with 82 times the caliber and 520 mm for bombarding London, England from Calais, France, had a maximum range of 190 kilometers when using specially designed full-caliber rocket extended-range shells. It was a well-deserved black technology at the time. Doomsday weapons.

I don't know where they got the information that the Germans were building this kind of Noble Phantasm in London. The British bullies were shocked. Without saying a word, they immediately mobilized a Lancaster bomber formation and razed the No. 3 aircraft manufacturing factory in Essen. The unfinished No. 3 aircraft lying in the factory was blown up by a heavy aerial bomb into a pile of twisted and hot scrap metal.

The unfinished No. 3 machine was destroyed in an air raid and became the swan song of the Gustav 800mm giant train gun. The No. 1 machine "Gustav" and No. 2 machine "Dora" that had been built and delivered became the only remaining ones. of fruitful results.

These two unique super weapons in human history went to the front line at almost the same time in 1942.

Gustav No. 1, which had just reduced Sevastopol to ruins, is currently being transferred to Leningrad. After firing 48 rounds to smooth out the rifling of the barrel, it has been replaced with a brand new spare barrel. , the Germans plan to use this super weapon to make the holy city of Leningrad, which would rather die than surrender, bow to the muzzle of the 800mm cannon.

On the other hand, the protracted protracted battle in Stalingrad made the Germans gradually realize that conquering the city might encounter the same troublesome conditions as the siege of Leningrad last year.

The Germans, who had already suffered a loss, could not repeat the same mistake. The German army, intending to make a final decision, directly dragged the brand-new No. 2 Dora to the Stalingrad front battlefield to prepare for deployment. The situation where we have absolute air supremacy and have surrounded the city from the land is the perfect time for this cumbersome anti-city Noble Phantasm to show off.

It is not easy to assemble this super cannon with a total combat weight of 1,350 tons.

In the next few days, Carl and Martin, who were sent to help out, became free servants to serve the second Miss Dora.

The weight of a component ranging from a few tons to dozens of tons is simply beyond human power. In order to assemble the Dora that was dismantled into 25 trains, special lifting gantry crane equipment must be built on site.

The 250-man artillery crew that accompanied Dora to the front line, combined with a battalion of more than 800 infantrymen who came to support the attack, built a 20-meter-high double-door gantry crane on the spot to assemble Dora.

After a total of 54 working hours, Dora was finally assembled, showing off its majestic and domineering figure. However, on the other side, the 2,500 artificial soldiers who laid special double-track rails for Miss Dora were still busy.

Once the huge 1,350-ton Miss Dora is assembled, someone will need to clear the way no matter where it goes.

The special dedicated double rails need to be laid according to the actual terrain surveying and mapping work on site according to the deployment situation. At the same time, the design of the turning rails for adjusting the left and right firing range of the artillery must be taken into account. The entire project of laying the rails is no less difficult than one. Major infrastructure projects.

The 2,500-person railway support team includes coolie engineers, terrain surveying and mapping experts, railway engineers, mechanics and many other positions who perform their duties and work together.

In addition, there are 2 anti-aircraft artillery battalions specially assigned to protect Miss Dora from air raids. In addition, other essential subordinate units such as the logistics support unit and the cooking unit that cook for thousands of people are surrounded by many The total number of special servants who pull the second lady around has exceeded 3,500.

Originally they just wanted to come over and join in the fun, but they never wanted to be treated as coolies for free. Carl and Martin regretted it and complained endlessly.

After helping to assemble Miss Dora, I was immediately called over to help lay the railway.

Carr and Martin, who were wielding hoes and shovels in their hands to dig the railway embankment, were so exhausted that they stinked to death. It is easy to imagine how expensive it was to do this kind of earthwork to repair the earth under the poisonous August sun.

Whenever Carl and Martin, who were so tired that they dropped their tools and sat down at the construction site, took out their water bottles, drank water and smoked a cigarette to take a break, Miss Dora's majestic figure always made them The fellow sufferers felt the value of their work and grinned at the same time.

"Look, Karl, how beautiful she is! Just like a lover, isn't she?"