Largest caliber. The largest caliber gun in the world

Military history has a huge number of memorable facts, which include the creation of weapons, which to this day amaze with the scope of engineering thought and its size. Over the entire existence of artillery, several artillery pieces impressive dimensions. Of these, the most outstanding in size can be noted:

Little David;
Tsar Cannon;
Dora;
Charles;
Big Bertha;
2B2 Oka;
Saint-Chamond;
Rodman;
Capacitor.

Little David

"Little David", made by the Americans at the end of World War II, is an experimental model of a 914 mm mortar. Even in our time, it is the largest cannon in the world, a record holder among large-caliber ones.

Tsar Cannon

The Tsar Cannon, created by master Andrei Chokhov in 1586, is cast in bronze and has a large caliber of 890 mm.

In fact, the cannon never fired, even despite the legends that say it was shot with the ashes of False Dmitry. As a detailed study of the gun shows, it was not completed, and the ignition hole was never drilled. The cannonballs from which the pedestal for the Tsar Cannon is made today were not actually intended to be fired from it. The cannon was supposed to fire “shots”, which were stone cannonballs, total weight of which up to 800 kilograms. That is why its early name sounds like “Russian Shotgun”.

Dora

The brainchild of the German plant "Krupp" of the late thirties of the last century, named after the wife of the chief designer, is called "Dora" and is a super-heavy railway artillery gun from the Second World War. This is the largest cannon of the German army.

Its caliber is 800 mm, and its large-caliber charge was impressive in the destruction after the shot. However, it did not differ in shooting accuracy, and it was not possible to fire many shots, because the costs of its use were not justified.

Charles

During the Second World War, the German heavy self-propelled mortar "Karl" was destined to distinguish itself with its outstanding power, the large caliber of which was its main value, and was 600 mm.

Tsar Cannon (Perm)

The Perm Tsar Cannon, made of cast iron, has a caliber of 508 mm and, unlike its namesake, is still a military weapon.

The manufacture of the cannon dates back to 1868, and the order for it was issued to the Motovilikha Iron Cannon Factory by the Ministry of the Navy.

Big Bertha

The Big Bertha mortar, with a caliber of 420 mm and a firing range of 14 kilometers, is remembered as the largest artillery piece of the First World War.

It is famous for breaking through even two-meter concrete floors, and fifteen thousand fragments from its fragmentation shells could fly up to two kilometers. In total, no more than nine examples were built of the “fort killers,” as the “Big Bertha” was also called. Having a fairly large caliber, the gun was capable of firing with a frequency of one shot every eight minutes, and to soften the recoil, an anchor attached to the frame, which was buried in the ground, was used.

Oka

The Soviet-developed 2B2 “Oka”, with a 420mm caliber, could fire one shot with a range of twenty-five kilometers in five minutes. The active-reactive mine flew twice as far and weighed 670 kg. The shooting was carried out using nuclear charges.

However, as practice has shown, the possibility of long-term operation was complicated by too strong recoil. This was the reason for the refusal to put the gun into mass production, and only one “Oka” remained in the metal version. This is despite the fact that only four copies were produced.

Saint-Chamond

In May 1915, the front saw eight French railway guns from the Schneider-Creusot company.

Their creation was the responsibility of a special commission formed by the French government in 1914, from which large arms concerns received an offer to develop large-caliber guns for railway transporters. Particularly powerful 400 mm cannons, produced by the Saint-Chamon company, took part in hostilities a little later than their predecessors from Schneider-Creusot.

Rodman

In the nineteenth century, new types of weapons began to appear in the form of armored trains and armored ships. To combat them, in 1863, the Rodman Columbiad gun was manufactured, weighing 22.6 tons. The barrel caliber was 381 mm. The name of the gun was taken in honor of an early example of a similar type.

Capacitor

The parade, which took place on Red Square in 1957, is notable for the fact that a self-propelled artillery installation"Condenser" (SAU 2A3).

Its considerable caliber (406 mm) and impressive dimensions made a splash at the parade. Experts from other countries began to suspect that in fact the equipment shown at the parade was purely of a sham nature and was intended to intimidate, but in reality it was real combat installation, which was also shot at the training ground.

IN different times V different countries The designers began to experience an attack of gigantomania. Gigantomania manifested itself in various directions, including artillery. For example, in 1586 in Russia the Tsar Cannon was cast in bronze. Its dimensions were impressive: barrel length - 5340 mm, weight - 39.31 tons, caliber - 890 mm. In 1857, the Robert Mallett mortar was built in Great Britain. Its caliber was 914 millimeters and its weight was 42.67 tons. During World War II, Germany built the Dora, a 1,350-ton monster with a caliber of 807 mm. Other countries also created large-caliber guns, but not so large.

American designers were not noticed in the Second World War in gun giantomania, however, they too turned out to be, as they say, “not without sin.” The Americans created the giant Little David mortar, the caliber of which was 914 mm. “Little David” was the prototype of a heavy siege weapon with which the American military was going to storm the Japanese islands. During World War II, at the Aberdeen Proving Ground for testing the shooting of armor-piercing, concrete-piercing and high-explosive aircraft bombs used large-caliber naval artillery gun barrels, removed from service. The test air bombs were launched using a relatively small powder charge and were launched at distances of several hundred yards. This system was used because during a normal airdrop, much often depended on the crew's ability to strictly comply with the test conditions and weather conditions. Attempts to use the bored barrels of 234 mm British and 305 mm American howitzers for such tests did not meet the growing calibers of aerial bombs.

In this regard, it was decided to design and build a special device that threw aircraft bombs called Bomb Testing Device T1. After construction, this device proved itself quite well and the idea of using it as an artillery weapon arose. During the invasion of Japan, the American army was expected to face heavily defended fortifications—and similar weapons would be ideal for destroying bunker fortifications. In March 1944, the modernization project was set in motion. In October of the same year, the gun received the status of a mortar and the name Little David. After this, test firing of artillery shells began.

The “Little David” mortar had a rifled barrel 7.12 m long (7.79 caliber) with right-hand rifling (rifling steepness 1/30). The length of the barrel, taking into account the vertical guidance mechanism mounted on its breech, was 8530 mm, weight - 40 tons. The firing range of a 1690-kg projectile (mass of explosive - 726.5 kg) was 8680 m. The mass of the full charge was 160 kg (caps of 18 and 62 kg). starting speed projectile - 381 m/s. A box-shaped installation (dimensions 5500x3360x3000 mm) with rotating and lifting mechanisms was buried in the ground. Installation and removal of the artillery unit was carried out using six hydraulic jacks. Vertical pointing angles - +45. +65°, horizontal - 13° in both directions. The hydraulic recoil brake was concentric, there was no knurl, and a pump was used to return the barrel to its original position after each shot. The total weight of the assembled gun was 82.8 tons. Loading - from the muzzle, separate cap. The projectile at zero elevation angle was fed using a crane, after which it advanced a certain distance, after which the barrel rose, and further loading was carried out under the influence of gravity. An igniter primer was inserted into a socket made in the breech of the barrel. The Little David shell crater was 12 meters in diameter and 4 meters deep.

For transportation, specially modified M26 tank tractors were used: one tractor with a two-axle trailer transported the mortar, the other transported the installation. This made the mortar much more mobile than railway guns. The artillery crew's equipment, in addition to tractors, included a bulldozer, a bucket excavator and a crane, which were used to install the mortar at the firing position. It took approximately 12 hours to install the mortar in position. For comparison: the disassembled German 810/813-mm Dora gun was transported on 25 railway platforms, and it took about 3 weeks to bring it into combat readiness.

In March 1944, they began to remake the “device” into military weapon. A high-explosive projectile with ready-made protrusions was being developed. Testing began at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Of course, a projectile weighing 1678 kilograms would have made a noise, but the Little David had all the “diseases” inherent in medieval mortars - it hit inaccurately and not far. In the end, something else was found to frighten the Japanese (Little Boy - atomic bomb, dropped on Hiroshima), but the supermortar never took part in the fighting. After the abandonment of the operation to land Americans on the Japanese islands, they wanted to transfer the mortar to the Coastal Artillery, but poor accuracy of fire prevented its use there.

The project was suspended, and at the end of 1946 it was completely closed.

Currently, the mortar and shell are stored in the museum of the Aberdeen Proving Ground, where they were taken for testing.

Specifications: Country of origin: USA. Testing began in 1944. Caliber - 914 mm. Barrel length - 6700 mm. Weight - 36.3 tons. Range - 8687 meters (9500 yards).

|slideshow-40880 // Most large-caliber gun in the world|

Dora was developed in the late 1930s at the Krupp plant in Essen. the main task super-powerful weapon - the destruction of the forts of the French Maginot Line during the 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 a weapon from stowed position shooting took a week and a half. In addition to the direct calculation 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.

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 because long distance There were only a few hits to the target. 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 the renovation it was planned to use it for 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 hostilities) were artillery largest caliber who took part in the battles. Also these are the biggest self-propelled units ever built. However, these 800 mm guns went down in history as “a completely useless work of art.”

The largest caliber gun in the world December 29th, 2015

After we were surprised looking at it yesterday and some time ago , I wondered, what is the largest caliber gun in the world? And here's what I found about it.

At different times in different countries, designers began to experience an attack of gigantomania. Gigantomania manifested itself in various directions, including artillery. For example, in 1586 in Russia made of bronze. Its dimensions were impressive: barrel length - 5340 mm, weight - 39.31 tons, caliber - 890 mm. In 1857, the Robert Mallett mortar was built in Great Britain. Its caliber was 914 millimeters and its weight was 42.67 tons. During World War II, Germany built the Dora, a 1,350-ton monster with a caliber of 807 mm.

Other countries also created large-caliber guns, but not so large.

During the Second World War, American designers were not noticed in gun giantomania, however, they too turned out to be, as they say, “not without sin.” The Americans created the giant Little David mortar, the caliber of which was 914 mm.

“Little David” was the prototype of a heavy siege weapon with which the American military was going to storm the Japanese islands.

In the United States, during World War II, at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, large-caliber naval artillery gun barrels removed from service were used to test armor-piercing, concrete-piercing, and high-explosive aircraft bombs. The test air bombs were launched using a relatively small powder charge and were launched at distances of several hundred yards. This system was used because during routine airdrops, much depended on the crew's ability to strictly adhere to test conditions and weather conditions. Attempts to use the bored barrels of 234 mm British and 305 mm American howitzers for such tests did not meet the growing calibers of aerial bombs.

In this regard, it was decided to design and build a special device that threw aircraft bombs called Bomb Testing Device T1. After construction, this device proved itself quite well and the idea of using it as an artillery weapon arose. During the invasion of Japan, the American army was expected to encounter heavily defended fortifications - and such a weapon would be ideal for destroying bunker fortifications. In March 1944, the modernization project was set in motion. In October of the same year, the gun received the status of a mortar and the name Little David. After this, test firing of artillery shells began.

The “Little David” mortar had a rifled barrel 7.12 m long (7.79 caliber) with right-hand rifling (rifling steepness 1/30). The length of the barrel, taking into account the vertical guidance mechanism mounted on its breech, was 8530 mm, weight - 40 tons. The firing range of a 1690 kg (explosive mass - 726.5 kg) projectile was 8680 m. The mass of the full charge was 160 kg (caps of 18 and 62 kg). The initial projectile speed is 381 m/s. A box-shaped installation (dimensions 5500x3360x3000 mm) with rotating and lifting mechanisms was buried in the ground. Installation and removal of the artillery unit was carried out using six hydraulic jacks. Vertical guidance angles - +45 .. +65°, horizontal - 13° in both directions. The hydraulic recoil brake was concentric, there was no knurl, and a pump was used to return the barrel to its original position after each shot. The total weight of the assembled gun was 82.8 tons.

Loading - from the muzzle, separate cap. The projectile at zero elevation angle was fed using a crane, after which it advanced a certain distance, after which the barrel rose, and further loading was carried out under the influence of gravity. An igniter primer was inserted into a socket made in the breech of the barrel. The Little David shell crater was 12 meters in diameter and 4 meters deep.

In March 1944, they began converting the “device” into a military weapon. A high-explosive projectile with ready-made protrusions was being developed. Testing began at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Of course, a projectile weighing 1678 kilograms would have made a noise, but the Little David had all the “diseases” inherent in medieval mortars - it hit inaccurately and not far. As a result, something else was found to frighten the Japanese (Little Boy - the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima), but the super-mortar never took part in the fighting. After the abandonment of the operation to land Americans on the Japanese islands, they wanted to transfer the mortar to the Coastal Artillery, but poor accuracy of fire prevented its use there.

The project was suspended, and at the end of 1946 it was completely closed.

Currently, the mortar and shell are stored in the museum of the Aberdeen Proving Ground, where they were taken for testing.

Specifications:
Country of origin: USA.
Testing began in 1944.
Caliber - 914 mm.
Barrel length - 6700 mm.
Weight - 36.3 tons.
Range - 8687 meters (9500 yards).

It is not for nothing that artillery is called the main participant in the war. From the very beginning of its history, it became an important and integral part of any ground forces. Even despite high-tech developments in the field of missile weapons and air aviation, the artillerymen have enough work to do, and this state of affairs will not change in the foreseeable future.

In the army, size mattered and always matters, regardless of the type of troops. Large bombers or massive tanks are not the most maneuverable, and sometimes not as effective tools attack or defense, but do not forget about the psychological effect they have on enemies.

So, we present to your attention a list of the most big guns throughout the history of mankind, which included artillery pieces of different eras and times. All of them have survived to this day in one form or another, and instill fear in museum visitors, and not in enemies on the battlefield.

Ottoman "Basilica".
German "Dora".
Russian Tsar Cannon.
American gun "Little David".
Soviet mortar "Oka".
German "Big Bertha"

Let's look at each participant in more detail.

"Basilica"

Taking pride of place on our list is the Ottoman Basilica cannon. They began casting it at the beginning of the 15th century at the request of the ruler Mehmed II. The work fell on the shoulders of the famous Hungarian master Urban, and a few years later the world's largest cannon in the history of war appeared.

The bronze gun turned out to be colossal in size: the length of the warhead was 12 meters, the barrel diameter was 90 cm, and the weight exceeded the 30-ton mark. For that time, it was a heavy machine, and at least 30 tall bulls were required to move it.

Distinctive features of the gun

The crew of the gun was also impressive: 50 carpenters to make a platform at the shooting site and 200 people to aim at the target. The firing range of the world's largest cannon was about 2 kilometers, which at that time was an unthinkable distance for any weapon.

“Basilica” did not please its commanders for long, because literally after a few days of a difficult siege, the cannon cracked, and after a couple of days it stopped firing altogether. Nevertheless, the weapon served the Ottoman Empire and brought a lot of fear to the enemies, from which they could not recover for a long time.

"Dora"

This very heavy German gun is considered the largest cannon in the world during World War II. It all started in the 30s of the last century, when Krupp engineers began designing this colossus.

A gun with a caliber of 807 mm had to be mounted on a special platform that walked along railway. The maximum range for hitting targets fluctuated around 50 kilometers. German designers managed to produce only two guns, and one of them took part in the siege of Sevastopol.

The total weight of "Dora" fluctuated around 1.3 tons. With about a half-hour delay, the cannon fired one shot. Despite the fact that many military analysts and specialists combat effectiveness, and the practicality of such a monster raised a lot of doubts; the gun really instilled panic and disoriented the enemy troops.

Tsar Cannon

Bronze in the list of the largest artillery guns was given to our national pride - the Tsar Cannon. The weapon saw the light of day in 1586 thanks to the efforts of the weapons designer of those years, Andrei Chokhov.

The dimensions of the gun make an unforgettable impression on tourists: the length is 5.4 meters, the caliber of the combat weapon is 890 mm and the weight of more than 40 tons will frighten any enemy. The largest cannon in the world rightfully received the respectful treatment of the Tsar.

Above appearance the guns also tried. The cannon is decorated with complex and interesting patterns, and several inscriptions can be read along the perimeter. Military experts are confident that the Tsar Cannon opened fire on the enemy only once, despite the fact that this was not confirmed in historical documents. Our gun was included in the famous Guinness Book of Records and became the most visited attraction in the capital, along with the Lenin Mausoleum.

"Little David"

This gun from the United States is a legacy of World War II and is considered the world's largest cannon in terms of caliber diameter. “Little David” was developed as a tool for eliminating particularly powerful enemy structures on the Pacific coast.

But the gun was not destined to leave the training ground where it was successfully tested, so the gun inspired fear and respect only in photographs of the foreign press.

Before firing, the barrel was mounted on a special metal frame, which was buried a quarter into the ground. The cannon fired non-standard cone-shaped projectiles, the weight of which could reach one and a half tons. At the site of the explosion of such ammunition there remained deep depression 4 meters deep and 10-15 meters in circumference.

Mortar "Oka"

In fifth position on the list of the world's largest guns is another domestic development of the Soviet era - the Oka mortar. In the middle of the last century, the USSR already had nuclear weapons, but experienced some problems with delivering it to the target location. Therefore, before Soviet designers set the task of creating a mortar that could fire nuclear warheads.

As a result, they got a kind of monster with a caliber of 420 mm and a weight of almost 60 tons. The mortar's firing range varied within 50 kilometers, which, in principle, was sufficient for mobile tank equipment of those times.

Despite the theoretical success of the enterprise, mass production of Oka was abandoned. The reason for this was the monstrous recoil of the gun, which negated all mobility: for a normal shot it was necessary to properly dig in the mortar and build supports, and this required too much time.

"Big Bertha"

Another weapon of German designers, but already at the beginning of the last century, when the First World War raged World War. The gun was developed at the already mentioned Krupp plant in 1914. The gun received a main combat caliber of 420 mm, and each individual projectile weighed almost one ton. Having a firing range of 14 kilometers, such indicators were quite acceptable.

"Big Bertha" was designed to destroy particularly strong enemy fortifications. Initially, the gun was stationary, but after some time it was modified and made possible to use on a mobile platform. The first option weighed about 50 tons, and the second about 40. To transport the guns, steam tractors were used, which with great difficulty, but coped with their task.

At the landing site of the projectile, a deep depression with a diameter of up to 15 meters was formed, depending on the ammunition chosen. The gun's rate of fire was surprisingly high - one shot in eight minutes. The cannon was a real disaster and a headache for the allies. The machine not only inspired fear, but also demolished even the strongest walls and fortifications.

But despite my lethal force, "Big Bertha" was vulnerable to enemy artillery. The latter was more mobile and quicker of fire. During the assault on the Osowiec fortress, in eastern Poland, the Germans, although they pretty much battered the fort, lost two of their guns. While the Russian soldiers repelled the onslaught with great success, damaging only one standard artillery unit (the naval "Kane").