24 cm Kanone 3
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| 24 cm Kanone 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | 24 cm Kanone 3 |
| Origin | Nazi Germany |
| Type | Siege artillery |
| Service | 1939–1945 |
| Used by | Wehrmacht |
| Wars | World War II |
| Designer | Rheinmetall |
| Manufacturer | Rheinmetall-Borsig |
| Production date | 1939–1943 |
| Number | 49 |
| Weight | 28,300 kg (travel) |
| Part length | 8.36 m (35 calibres) |
| Crew | 16–20 |
| Caliber | 238 mm |
| Velocity | 885 m/s (AP) |
| Range | 37,000 m (HE) |
24 cm Kanone 3
The 24 cm Kanone 3 was a heavy German siege gun fielded by the Wehrmacht during World War II. Developed by Rheinmetall and produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig, it combined long range with heavy shell weight to engage fortifications, infrastructure, and naval targets. Employed on multiple fronts, the weapon influenced German siege doctrine and coastal defense planning from 1939 to 1945.
Design and development
Design work began in the late 1930s under the auspices of the Reich Ministry of War and technical direction by Rheinmetall engineers experienced from projects such as the 17 cm Kanone 18 and 21 cm Mörser 18. The aim was to produce a mobile, long-barrelled heavy gun capable of engaging targets at extreme ranges similar to the Paris Gun experience in World War I and the interwar projects pursued by firms like Krupp. Prototypes were tested at proving grounds at Kummersdorf and the Waffenprüfamt (WaPrüf) test facilities before series production. Design debates involved representatives from Heereswaffenamt, field units from Heeresartillerie, and strategic staff attached to the Oberkommando des Heeres, balancing barrel length, carriage complexity, and towing arrangements handled by Borgward and rail transport overseen by Deutsche Reichsbahn planners.
Technical specifications
The gun fired a 238 mm (24 cm) shell from a 8.36 m (35-calibre) monobloc barrel with a horizontal sliding-block breech derived from earlier Rheinmetall designs. The carriage employed a two-trail split carriage with a large firing platform and hydro-pneumatic recoil, influenced by solutions used on the 21 cm Mörser 18 and 15 cm sFH 18, while elevation and traverse mechanisms echoed components standardized by Heereswaffenamt specifications. In travel configuration the system weighed roughly 28,300 kg and was broken into multiple loads for towing by heavy tractors such as the Maultier and tracked prime movers produced by Krupp subcontractors. The firing table allowed elevations up to 60°, enabling maximum ranges reported near 37,000 m with high-explosive shells and muzzle velocities reaching approximately 885 m/s with armor-piercing rounds. Crew sizes typically ranged from 16 to 20 men drawn from Artillerie-Regiment formations.
Operational history
First battery deliveries entered service with long-range artillery regiments attached to Army Groups during the invasion of France and subsequent campaigns on the Eastern Front. Units equipped with the gun participated in the siege operations around fortified positions such as those encountered in the Siege of Sevastopol and coastal bombardments during operations in the Baltic Sea theatre. Logistical demands, vulnerability during emplacement, and the emergence of air interdiction from formations like the Royal Air Force and the Red Army Air Force limited mass deployment. The weapon was also allocated to coastal defense units under the supervision of the Kriegsmarine for defending ports along the French Atlantic Coast and the Norwegian shoreline from Allied naval forces, where it supported batteries alongside captured and indigenous guns.
Ammunition and firing characteristics
Ammunition types included high-explosive (HE), concrete-piercing (CP), and armor-piercing (AP) rounds manufactured to Heereswaffenamt drawing specifications and produced in factories such as Fried. Krupp AG and subsidiaries. HE shells weighed in excess of 140 kg and used Timmermann or BDZ-initiated fuzes developed by agencies tied to Heereswaffenamt research laboratories. The CP rounds were optimized for breaching reinforced concrete bunkers encountered in fortifications constructed under programs like the Atlantic Wall; these rounds combined delayed-action fuzes with nose caps and bourrelets.
Firing tables issued to batteries accounted for meteorological inputs provided by attached Meteorological Service detachments and employed ballistic charts prepared by Heeresartillerie staffs. The gun’s high muzzle velocity and long barrel produced a relatively flat trajectory at medium ranges and steep plunging fire at maximum ranges, useful against deep internals of fortresses or deck armor of larger warships. Rate of fire in practice was limited by ammunition handling to one round every 2–3 minutes under combat conditions.
Deployment and variants
Approximately 49 pieces were built, and batteries were organized into heavy artillery battalions attached to corps and army-level formations, often operated alongside systems like the 21 cm Mörser 18 and 17 cm Kanone 18. Transport required breakdown into wagon loads compatible with Deutsche Reichsbahn flatcars or heavy prime movers for road movement, with emplacement taking several hours using cranes and winches from manufacturers such as Massey-Ferguson subcontractors. Variants included experimental mounting trials on coastal carriages for fixed emplacements and proposals for mounting on railway platforms akin to the railway guns operated by units of the Heer; however, most remained towed field models. Field modifications by units in places like Crimea and Norway adapted shielding and camouflage schemes influenced by lessons from Operation Barbarossa and coastal defense doctrines.
Surviving examples and legacy
Surviving components and display pieces exist in museum collections and open-air exhibits in countries that witnessed their use, including preserved barrels and carriages in military museums associated with Bundeswehr heritage exhibitions and regional museums in France and Norway. The gun’s operational record influenced postwar artillery thinking at institutions such as the United States Army Field Artillery School and the Royal Artillery by underscoring the trade-offs between range, mobility, and logistical footprint. Lessons from its deployment informed Cold War-era designs and coastal defense strategies studied by NATO planners and historical researchers at archives like the Bundesarchiv.
Category:World War II artillery of Germany Category:Siege guns