[Military Sub-Plane] By Friedrich Lau
During World War I and World War II, the Germans developed many super heavy artillery, such as the Paris Cannon, the Dora Train Gun, etc., including the Karl Mortar Gun, the protagonist of this article, which has a caliber of 60 cm and can fire super heavy shells weighing up to 2170 kg, with a diameter of 60 cm. Depending on the amount of charge, the maximum range varies from 3-4 km.
▲ Karl 60cm caliber breech loading mortar gun developed by Rheinmetall
During the war, the Germans produced a total of 6 Karl mortar guns and 1 prototype experimental vehicle, and participated in various large and small battles including the capture of the Brest Fortress and the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising on the Eastern Front. In addition, karl mortars took part in the Battle of the Salient on the Western Front, launching heavy shelling of the Ludendorf Bridge, which the Allies were trying to capture. At present, one carl mortar cannon still exists in the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia.
▲ A Karl mortar gun that enters the firing position
In March 1936, the German military gun manufacturer Rheinmetall proposed the construction of a super-heavy artillery to counter the long Maginot Line built by France. Initially, the company planned to develop a gun that could be transported by tracked vehicles and assembled after reaching the target position, but this idea had to be rejected in January 1937 due to lengthy preparations, which directly led to the emergence of Karl's self-propelled mortar. Soon after the production of the first Karl Mortar gun, the Germans soon conducted driving tests between 1938 and 1939, followed by shooting tests in 1939, and successfully conducted full-process maneuvering experiments in 1940. The gun was developed by Carl. Named after General Baker. Fearing that they would not be able to keep up with the course of the war, six Karl mortar guns were successfully delivered from November 1940 to 1942 at the urging of General Baker.
▲ The No. 6 gun "Tyre" being fired
Each cannon has a nickname with Norse mythology overtones: Cannon No. 1: "Adam", later known as "Badr" (God of Light), Cannon No. 2: "Eve", later known as "Wotan" (Odin, King of the Gods), Cannon No. 3: "Thor" (Thor), Cannon 4: "Odin", Cannon 5: "Loki" (God of Lies), Cannon 6: "Tyre" (God of Courage)
Culemeyer-Strassenroller trailer
Although the Power of the Karl Mortar Gun was enormous, its weight was 124 tons, its top speed was 6.2 miles per hour, its movement was slow, and its range was short, which made the logistical support and transportation of the gun the key to its combat effectiveness. In addition to short-distance movements such as moving artillery positions, the gun must be disassembled into 7 pieces for transport during long-distance maneuvers. Carr's chassis will be transported by a dedicated Cultmeyer-Strassenroller 6-axle trailer, while the remaining 6 lighter parts will be transported by a 4-axle trailer. When encountering a bridge with insufficient load-bearing strength, the chassis will be unloaded from the trailer and driven by itself. In addition, Karl mortars can also be transported by rail.
▲ Karl Mortar cannon transported by rail
Combat experience
I. 1941
On 1 May 1941, two artillery groups with 2 Karl mortar guns each were formed, the 1st and 2nd Companies of the German 833rd Heavy Artillery Battalion. Of these, the No. 1 and No. 2 guns were subordinate to the 1st Company, and the No. 3 and No. 4 guns were subordinated to the 2nd Company, and began to prepare for the Barbarossa program. Subsequently, 1 Company with 60 shells was assigned to Army Group South of army group 17, the main direction of attack was Lviv, Ukraine, and 2 companies with 36 shells was deployed to the 4th Army group of Army Group Center, mainly attacking the Fortress of Brest. Subsequently, in actual combat, the No. 1 gun of the 1st Company failed to enter the firing position due to mechanical failure, and the No. 2 gun fired only a few shells before the intended target was conquered by its own troops. The 2 guns of the 2 companies successfully entered the firing position and launched a fierce attack on the Brest fortress, firing a total of 31 shells, causing great damage and shock to the Red Army soldiers in the fortress.
▲ No. 3 gun "Thor" during the attack on the Brest Fortress
II. 1942
On 18 February 1942, after eight months of repairs, the 833rd Heavy Artillery Battalion again drew manpower to form the 11th Army with two Karl mortar guns of Odin and Thor into army group South, preparing to launch an attack on Sevastopol. On 20 May 1942, 2 mortar guns, as well as 72 heavy concrete destruction shells and 50 light shells, were assembled and ready, with the main targets being the batteries and forts north of Sevastopol, including the Maxim Gorky Battery, the hardest to gnaw. Subsequently, during the german artillery preparations from 2 June to 6 June, the 2 mortars fired a total of 19 heavy shells at the target. On the 7th, as the formal German ground offensive began, the two mortar guns roared again, firing a total of 54 heavy shells that day, and firing all the remaining 50 light shells in the battle from June 8 to 13.
▲ The No. 3 gun "Thor" fired fiercely at Sevastopol
Subsequently, the battery guns that had run out of ammunition withdrew from the battle and did not return to the battlefield until the arrival of 29 heavy shells and 50 light shells at the end of June. On 30 June, two guns fired all 50 light shells, and on 1 July, after 25 heavy shells were fired, the Germans announced the occupation of Sevastopol on the same day. Judging from the ruins after the war, Karl's fierce firepower played an indispensable role in the capture of Sevastopol. Later, on 19 July 1942, the mortars that had fought were returned to hilles-Lessen by artillery for rest. Subsequently, as the offensive intensified, and since the mortar guns were no longer needed for offensive tasks, the German High Command withdrew the Karl mortars from the front line on December 4, 1942, and by the summer of 1944, these heavy weapons had no chance to appear.
▲ The 305mm twin turret of the Gorky Battery collapsed after being bombarded by Karl Mortar
Three. In 1944
On 13 August 1944, with the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, the No. 6 gun "Tyre" was dispatched along with the 638th Artillery Company to suppress the uprising. At 7 o'clock on August 17, 1944, the gun arrived at Warsaw West Station, and at 8:25 a.m. the next day, the matching ammunition was also delivered. So from the 18th, "Tyre" began to continue to shell the insurgents in the city. After that, the Germans again transferred 3 Karl mortar guns into battle.
On August 24, 1944, the Prudential Building in Warsaw was hit by a shell fired by Karl Mortar, but the shell was a dud and had already caused great damage by impact alone
▲ Karl Mortar gun fighting in Poland in 1944
▲ A dud fired by mortars during the Warsaw Uprising
Four. In 1945
In the last months before the fall of the Germans, there were few records of the Karl Mortar, including the incidents recorded: on January 6, 1945, the No. 2 gun was damaged by an air raid on its way back to Teburg, and on February 3, it was repaired with the help of parts of the No. 1 gun. Subsequently, the No. 4 gun also returned to Terborg on 31 January, with multiple damages all over its body. Gun No. 6 was still on the front line until 19 January. During this period, the No. 5 gun was modified to a 54 cm caliber and the engine was modified.
Aerial photo of the Ludendorf Bridge on March 15, 1945
Subsequently, on 7 March 1945, the 638th Artillery Company was ordered to march to the front line of the Vistula River, but this order was cancelled on 11 March and immediately reassigned to the Remagen area of the Western Front, where, according to the German High Command, on 20 March 1945, karl mortars fired a total of 14 shells during the battle for the bridge.
▲ The No. 6 gun "Tyre" displayed in Kubinka
Between March 21 and April 11, 1945, the U.S. captured Guns 2 and 4. Experimental Version 7 was subsequently captured by the U.S. Military at Hillesleben and transported to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, where it was later scrapped. On April 20, 1945, after the Soviet capture of Terbog, the No. 6 gun was captured by the Red Army and is currently on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum, but was mistakenly marked as the No. 1 gun. In addition, Gun No. 4 was also captured by the Soviets, while Guns No. 1 and No. 3 are unknown, but it is very likely that they were also captured by the Soviets. In the end, the German heavy siege weapon ushered in the end of the moment.