Big Bertha. 42cm gun

[Seagull Two Zero]

 I am toying with the idea of using Big Bertha on rail mounting as an objective to be captured.

But if it was deployed - using BKC rules, what rating would it have as an artillery piece ?

[Ithoriel]

Well, it takes 24 hours to emplace before it can fire. Average rate of fire is c. 8 rounds an hour. Maximum ever achieved was 19 rounds an hour by a single gun.

They can only be deployed where there is rail access.

Guns were normally deployed in pairs. 

They had a disturbing propensity to self destruct and to attract counter-battery fire leading to only 1 of the 10 built in 1916 surviving the war.

Shells are somewhere between an Iowa class main gun shell and those from Yamato/ Musashi.

So roughly equivalent to a slow firing WW2 super battleship.

Also, for WW2 I'd be looking at the  Mörser "Karl", das Gerät 040 (60cm) or Gerät 041 (54cm) rather than a Big Bertha. Of course, if you are doing a WW1 game forget I mentioned it!

[pierre the shy]

If you want a purpose built large calibre WW1 rail gun Pendraken do make this:

https://www.pendraken.co.uk/world-war-i-british-14-railway-gun-bp56

OK its British but the Germans had broadly similar looking dedicated rail guns in WW1 and WW2.


 

[Seagull Two Zero]

Well, it takes 24 hours to emplace before it can fire. Average rate of fire is c. 8 rounds an hour. Maximum ever achieved was 19 rounds an hour by a single gun.

They can only be deployed where there is rail access.

Guns were normally deployed in pairs.

They had a disturbing propensity to self destruct and to attract counter-battery fire leading to only 1 of the 10 built in 1916 surviving the war.

Shells are somewhere between an Iowa class main gun shell and those from Yamato/ Musashi.

So roughly equivalent to a slow firing WW2 super battleship.

Also, for WW2 I'd be looking at the  Mörser "Karl", das Gerät 040 (60cm) or Gerät 041 (54cm) rather than a Big Bertha. Of course, if you are doing a WW1 game forget I mentioned it!

Many thanks for this.  The wargame is inspired by Livesey's Great battles of WW1 (1989), pp 182-183,
On 8 August 1918, Australian 1st Cavalry probed around Harbonniers towards the Old Amiens Defence Line. The lead squadrons came on a train drawing a large railway gun attempting to steam away from Proyart.
Air support arrived in the form of Sopwith Camel from 201 Squadron which attacked the train with a 25lb bomb.
The gun was captured by the Aussies and 'almost certainly the one put on show in Paris'
As we get to 1918 we experience warfare getting to 'the green fields beyond' and scope for some interesting games.

I saw the the gun as an objective, and as I game in 6mm, identified Irregular HA 2 (Big Bertha's) M-Gerat carriage married to the barrel of HA 3 (Naval Gun)  representing the 30.5cm (12" inch) Sh L/50 as depicted in the illustration.
Like any weapon on the table, I posed the question as to what it could do - I totally agree with the assessment that it would be equal to a slow firing battle ship in off shore support. 
If deployed, it would not be on table- more likely in the back garden.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Only problem I can see using it on table is it's real life minimum range. Tbale will probably be too small to acomodate this.

[Seagull Two Zero]

IF we assume for intended wargame that it is the L/40 28cm gun known as Bruno - captured by Australians on 8 August - it never has to fire a shot. I am presuming the Germans were evacuating the gun to a rear area where its 22k range could be used to full advantage. Capturing the gun becomes the objective for the Allied Horse.

And like the majority of wargamers, I look forward to building and painting it. to scratch building the carriage to accommodate it.  It was curiosity that prompted my question which Ithoriel correctly answered.

Unlike the Big Bertha the L/40 is a gun as opposed to a howitzer. The latter depending on plunging trajectory of a very heavy shell. The weakness of the 1914 Belgian forts were their construction of unreinforced concrete as opposed to say the WW2 defences of the Atlantic Wall.

I have a 1/600 Airfix Iron Duke converted with waterline which I use off shore for bombardment. But that takes us into 3mm wargaming. I must confess I entered that scale because of the Magister Miltrum firesale !

[Raider4]

Only problem I can see using it on table is it's real life minimum range. Tbale will probably be too small to acomodate this.

Direct fire mode... 

[sultanbev]

Direct fire mode... 

The 28cm has a minimum depression of zero degrees, so given it's height it would have a minimum direct fire range of ~1000m (so 50cm in BKC) against most ground targets. Against other large targets such as other trains, houses, KV-2 that wouldn't be the case of course, but firing a 626lb HE round with nose fuse in my rules gives a lethal blast radius of 150m, so you might not want to be firing at too close a target....

[Ithoriel]

The 28cm has a minimum depression of zero degrees, so given it's height it would have a minimum direct fire range of ~1000m (so 50cm in BKC) against most ground targets. Against other large targets such as other trains, houses, KV-2 that wouldn't be the case of course, but firing a 626lb HE round with nose fuse in my rules gives a lethal blast radius of 150m, so you might not want to be firing at too close a target....

Given there seem to have been a number of spontaneous and unintended "Bang!" incidents without the weapon having to fire to cause them that latter thought is wise advice.

However, if I remember correctly (and I may not) they were broken down into 7 parts when moving.

Also, "Well, it takes 24 hours to emplace before it can fire."

So you may not need a gun model just half a dozen blokes with exceedingly big suitcases! 

[Big Insect]

I have recently generate a set of stats (& associated scenario info) for BKCIV for the  Mörser "Karl", das Gerät 040 (60cm) or Gerät 041 (54cm) rail mounted guns.
Of which there is a very good 1:144 scale plastic kit model available.
I am away currently from my desk, but will find & post this info towards the end of the week.
Cheers
Mark