Author Topic: Railway guns (Read 744 times)

Neubob · « **on:** June 18, 2006, 06:14:46 PM »

Something like this

They could be deployed on a circular track (the only way you'd be able to really aim them), and the rate of fire would be abysmal. However, if they could be made to be mobile--IE, move along rails akin to land-based CVs, I could see these being used to pummel strats and perhaps even HQs.

Sounds crazy, I know, but I think that the game, albeit a flight sim, is still lacking in the area of field artillery.

MOIL · « **Reply #1 on:** June 18, 2006, 10:08:00 PM »

Neat idea, however they'd be pummeled by dive bombing Lanc's and B17's once discovered, not to mention the ungodly reload times

Neubob · « **Reply #2 on:** June 18, 2006, 11:02:27 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by MOIL
Neat idea, however they'd be pummeled by dive bombing Lanc's and B17's once discovered, not to mention the ungodly reload times

I envision some sort of ack defending the monsters. The reload times are going to be pretty lame, but, if they make the guns big enough--it would make it worthwhile.

Krusty · « **Reply #3 on:** June 19, 2006, 12:05:45 AM »

Some of the bigger guns could only be fired 1-2 times a day. A DAY. Nobody would use them

Hazard69 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 19, 2006, 12:08:19 AM »

Just curious.....

With reload times like THAT, what did they use them for in Real Life?

Krusty · « **Reply #5 on:** June 19, 2006, 12:14:39 AM »

Because they have SUPER long range. They could be behind enemy lines and shell cities. They were mostly bombardment guns.

The railway guns were basically obsolete after WW1. They were the favorites of a few high military personnel, so they got produced, but saw little real action, were too vulnerable, were hunted down all the time, and had to hide a lot.

Basically, they were a threat, but not much of one.

The biggest guns in WW1 actually had barrels so long they whipped when the round went out. The shell was reported to have reached the outer edges of the atmosphere (stratosphere?? Something way up there) before coming down.

One shell from the largest gun hit Paris and they thought it was a gas explosion. It was only a week later when the second shell hit (1 week reload time!!!!!!!) that they realized they were being shelled.

zorstorer · « **Reply #6 on:** June 19, 2006, 12:14:48 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Hazard69
Just curious.....

With reload times like THAT, what did they use them for in Real Life?

They fired up static defenses....siegfried line that sort of thing.

Germans had a publicity firing up in russia, though I can't remember the name of the town.

Neubob · « **Reply #7 on:** June 19, 2006, 01:51:33 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Krusty

One shell from the largest gun hit Paris and they thought it was a gas explosion. It was only a week later when the second shell hit (1 week reload time!!!!!!!) that they realized they were being shelled.

You speak of the Kaiser Wilhelm Geschutz. It's more famous, however, for its nickname, The Paris Gun. It had a suspension-bridge style buttressing system that kept that long, slender barrel more or less in check during firing. Even still, a barrel's service life was still just 20 rounds. The weapon had a rather prissy look to it--also appropriate given its name and intended target, and accounted for only a couple hundred shells dropped on Paris between march and august of 1918.

red26 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 19, 2006, 01:40:27 PM »

Then why not have some 105 or 155 howizers or some 62mm artiy. Tanks are cool but there needs to be kind of artill, Besides Im kinda fond of artiy I was in the 1/33rd F.A.

Lusche · « **Reply #9 on:** June 19, 2006, 02:06:42 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by zorstorer
They fired up static defenses....siegfried line that sort of thing.

Germans had a publicity firing up in russia, though I can't remember the name of the town.

Maybe you think of this monster:
The largest railway gun ever to see combat was the infamous DORA, which indeed was used in the siege of Sevastopol in 1942. Caliber was 80cm (~31,5 in), barrel length 32m. The whole gun weighed around 1300 metric tons when fully assembled. You can see what a waste of resources such a gun where if you know that gun crew, transport personnel, engineers to lay the double railway tracks and guards totalled severel thousand men! Three trains carried the gun & ammo, additional 3 to 4 trains were carring building material. The gun could fire up to 3 shots per hour, each weighing up to 7.1 metric tons.
Was used just that one time. Two additional guns were completed, but never used.

red26 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 19, 2006, 02:50:07 PM »

god what a big boom !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1:huh

zorstorer · « **Reply #11 on:** June 19, 2006, 06:58:01 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Lusche
Maybe you think of this monster:
The largest railway gun ever to see combat was the infamous DORA, which indeed was used in the siege of Sevastopol in 1942. Caliber was 80cm (~31,5 in), barrel length 32m. The whole gun weighed around 1300 metric tons when fully assembled. You can see what a waste of resources such a gun where if you know that gun crew, transport personnel, engineers to lay the double railway tracks and guards totalled severel thousand men! Three trains carried the gun & ammo, additional 3 to 4 trains were carring building material. The gun could fire up to 3 shots per hour, each weighing up to 7.1 metric tons.
Was used just that one time. Two additional guns were completed, but never used.

Yep that was it, the germans even brought in old ww1 arty to take the old (1850ish) defenses down

I think by most accounts the rail guns worked very good for that one task. Killing static defensive fortifications.