42cm Type M-Gerat 14 L/12 (Big Bertha)

History

Big Bertha was a German initiative, launched before the First World War (1914-1918). The Germans, like their Austro-Hungarian counterparts, watched with keen interest the results of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, when the Japanese successfully sank all of the main Russian navy from shore using German Krupp artillery Ship during the siege of Port Arthur.

The famous "Big Bertha" became the child of this observation and study, and the design, development and manufacture of twelve examples were carried out by the Krupp Armament Factory of the German Empire. The 42cm L/12 nickname "Big Bertha" is believed to have been given to the gun in honor of Bertha Krupp, owner of the Krupp manufacturing empire.

The Big Bertha was a 96,000-pound (43-ton) system capable of dropping 1,800-pound shells nearly 8 miles (7.8 miles), firing 419mm projectiles. Mounting hardware allows +40 to +75 degrees of elevation range and 4 degrees of lateral movement to either side.

The muzzle velocity is 1,300 feet per second. The size and weight of the Big Bertha is such that the gun requires dozens of crews about six hours to assemble and disassemble the gun.

When not being transported by Daimler-Benz tractors, the system is dismantled and transported by rail with no less than ten transport wagons.

On August 12, 1914, Big Bertha's first notable battle took place on the "impenetrable" Belgian fort line in Liege, Belgium. Huge German artillery knocked down Belgian fortifications in four days, demoralizing the Allies and persuading the Germans to continue work on more mobile and powerful howitzers, which inevitably included the famous "Paris Cannon".

Despite being highly inaccurate due to distance and the technology employed, the cannons of Paris terrorized Parisians from 70 miles away, showing that even the French capital could not avoid war.

The Big Bertha crew can handle a rate of fire of 8 rounds per hour. While a total of 12 units were built before and during the war, 18 additional barrels existed. After the war, the Big Berthas were either confiscated by the conquerors or scrapped, with no success in World War II.

At least two were captured directly, and one was sent to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in the United States for extensive testing. This example was later exhibited at the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum, and was abandoned sometime in the 1950s for some reason. There are no known existing Big Bertha guns.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

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Armor

Depends on the ammunition carrier.

Changes