Gerät 040/041 self-propelled gun "Karl"-Mörser
The company Rheinmetall developed a mortar with a calibre of 60cm as breech loader. The barrel had a length of 5108mm (L/8.44). The high explosive round filled with 348kg explosives had a weight of 2180kg and a length of 2511mm. With the propelling charge of 32kg there was a V0 of 220m/s and a firing range of 4300m. The concrete round with 280kg explosives had a weight of 1700kg and a length of 1991mm. The propelling charge of 36kg gave a V0 of 285m/s to the round and a range of 6700m. If you're interested in more info or photos, please read the following mentioned books.
Literatur:
To get a better firing range, there was a new barrel developed with a calibre of 54cm and a length of 6240mm (L11.5). A 1580kg heavy and 2810mm long round should achieve a V0 of 380m/s with a propelling charge of 57kg and could be fired up to 10000m. There was also a high explosive round developed which carried 460kg explosives with a total weight of 1250kg. In June 1943 the first barrels were delivered. Photos show that at least 3 "Karl" were fitted with the 54cm barrels, which were Thor, Ziu and another vehicle. If they got into action at the front or if they were only tested on a testing ground is unknown to me.
The 60cm barrels on self propelled gun were called "Karl"-Gerät. The first was delivered in November 1940 and got the name Adam. The next three vehicles were delivered until May 1941 and got the names Eva, Thor and Odin. These four vehicles were sent to russia with the 833. schwere Artillerie Abteilung (heavy artillery detachment) on 22.June 1941. Adam and Eva were positioned near to Brest-Litovsk, where Adam fired 16 rounds! Eva's first shot got stuck in the barrel and the whole vehicle had to be sent back to Germany. Thor and Odin were positioned near Lemberg, and Odin was disabled because of a broken track. Thor fired four rounds.
In June 1942 Thor and Odin were stationed in front of Sevastopol and fired there 197 grenades. The photo from there shows one of the vehicles while firing.
In the meantime there were two more vehicles delivered until end of August 1941 with the names Loki and Ziu. Ziu was brought into action with the battery 638 and in August 1944 against the rebels in Warsaw. There is a videoclip of this action which you can view by clicking here.
One vehicle was on its way to bombard Paris and was blown up by its crew when the transport train was hit severly from allied bombers. Loki was lost in Hungary, Odin was disabled because of a barrel burst and two more vehicles were caught by US-troops. A reserve Karl-Gerät with the name Fenrir (son of Loki) was used for tests with the 54cm barrels and was found after end of the war in Hillersleben on a testing range.
The rounds for the "Karl"-Geräte was carried by ammunition carier which were based on Panzer IV chassis and could carry 2 shots. The length of a "Karl"-Gerät was 11150mm, a width of 3160mm and a height of 4780mm. With a weight of about 120 tons and 50cm wide tracks there was a ground pressure of 1.72kp/cm2. A 12 cylinder Daimler-Benz motor with a piston displacement of 44,5 litres gave 580 PS, which results a speed of about 10km/h. 1200 litres fuel were carried. The elevation was from 0° to +70°, the traverse from -4° to +4°. A special railroad transporter was developed for transprting "Karl" over longer distances. On this transporter "Karl" was set between two wagons with 5 axles each.
The photo shows the prototype of "Karl" with eight roadwheels, later production vehicles had eleven roadwheels.
- Spezial-Panzerfahrzeuge des deutschen Heeres, Spielberger, 1993, Motorbuch
- Waffen und Geheimwaffen des deutschen Heeres 1933-1945, Hahn, Bernard & Graefe Verlag, 1998
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