| Krupp K5 | |
|---|---|
 Krupp K5 "Leopold" in the United States Army Ordnance Museum | |
| Type | Railway Gun |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1940 |
| Used by | Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Krupp |
| No. built | 25 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 218 t (215 long tons; 240 short tons) Cannon: 95 t (93 long tons; 105 short tons) |
| Length | Travel: 27 m (89 ft) Combat: 26 m (85 ft) |
| Barrel length | 25.539 m (83 ft 9 in) L/76.1 |
| Shell weight | 243 kg (536 lb) |
| Caliber | 283 mm (11.1 in) |
| Elevation | +50° |
| Traverse | 1° |
| Rate of fire | 15 rounds per hour |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,120 m/s (3,675 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 64 km (40 mi) |
| Maximum firing range | 151 km (94 mi) (Arrow shell) |
TheKrupp K5 was a heavyrailway gun used byNazi Germany throughoutWorld War II.
Krupp's K5 series were consistent in mounting a 21.5-metre-long (71 ft)gun barrel in a fixed mounting with only vertical elevation of the weapon. This gondola was then mounted on a pair of 12-wheelbogies designed to be operated on commercial and militaryrails built to German standards. This mounting permitted only two degrees of horizontal traverse. The carriage had to be aligned on the rails first, with only minimal fine leveling capable once halted. Hence the gun could only fire at targets tangential to an existing railway track.
To track targets needing greater traverse either a curved length of railway was used with the gun shunted backwards or forwards to aim; a cross-track was laid with the front bogie turned perpendicular to the rest of the gun and moved up and down the cross-track to train the weapon; or for 360 degree traverse, the "Vögele Turntable" could be constructed, consisting of a raised rail section (the "firing bed") carrying the gun, running on a circular track with a central jack to raise the gun during traverse and to take some of the enormous weight.
The main barrel of the K5 is 283 mm (11.1 in) incalibre, and isrifled with twelve 7 mm (0.28 in) grooves. These were originally 10 mm (0.39 in) deep, but were made shallower to rectify cracking problems.
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The K5 was the result of a crash program launched in the 1930s to develop a force of railway guns to support theWehrmacht by 1939. K5 development began in 1934 with first testing following in 1936 atDarlowo (German:Schießplatz Rügenwalde-Bad) in the formerFarther Pomerania at the South coast of theBaltic Sea. Initial tests were done with a 150 mm barrel under the designationK5M.
Production led to eight guns being in service for theInvasion of France, although problems were encountered with barrel splitting and rectified with changes to the rifling. The guns were then reliable until the end of the war, under the designationK5 Tiefzug 7 mm. Three were installed on theEnglish Channel coast and were intended totarget British shipping in the Channel, but proved unsuccessful.
Two K5 guns, namedRobert andLeopold by German crews, were shipped to Italy to help counter theAllied landing at the town of Anzio in February 1944. The Allied soldiers stuck on the beach nicknamed the two German guns "Anzio Annie" and "Anzio Express" due to the express train-like sound the shells generated. On 18 May 1944 the guns fired off their remaining ammunition and then escaped along the coastal railroad into the rail yard inCivitavecchia, in preparation for evacuation. This proved impossible and the guns were destroyed by their crews.[1][2]
Towards the end of the war, longer-rangerocket-assisted projectiles were successfully fired from theK5Vz.
A final experiment was to bore out two of the weapons to 310 mm (12.2 in) smoothbore to allow firing of the Peenemünder Pfeilgeschosse arrow shells. These were designatedK5 Glatt.[3]
Other proposals to modify or create new models of the K5 never saw production, including one that could leave the railway with modifiedTiger II tank chassis replacing the two railroad bogies. This project ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Two types of high-explosive projectile were used with the K5. The28cm G35 weighed 255 kilograms (562 lb) and contained a charge of 30.5 kilograms (67 lb) of TNT. The28cm Gr.39 m. Hbgr. Z. was slightly heavier, weighing 265 kilograms (584 lb) and containing around 44.5 kilograms (98 lb) of TNT. These projectiles were pre-rifled with angled splines along their midsection which were aligned with the guns rifling before firing.[4]
The rocket-assisted projectile was known as the28cm R. GR.4351. This carried 14 kilograms (31 lb) of explosive and was boosted by around 20 kilograms (40 lb) ofdouble-base powder rocket propellant. The total weight was 248 kilograms (547 lb).[5] 19 seconds after firing the rocket motor was ignited and the projectile was accelerated through the stratosphere. When the rocket burnt out, the center section containing the rocket motor fell away and the projectile continued on its course. The maximum range for this projectile was 86 km (53 mi), but, due to the weight of the rocket motor, the projectile carried less explosives.[4]
The guns were discovered on a railroad siding in the town ofCivitavecchia, on 7 June 1944, shortly after the allies hadliberated Rome.[6]Robert had been partially destroyed by the gun crew before they surrendered andLeopold was also damaged, but not as badly.
Today, K5(E) is preserved at theUnited States Army Ordnance Museum in Fort Gregg-Adams (Petersburg, Virginia).Leopold was shipped to the United StatesAberdeen Proving Ground, (Aberdeen,Maryland) where it underwent tests and evaluations. In early 2011 it was moved toFort Gregg-Adams, Virginia as a result of the 2005Base Relocation and Closure (BRAC) Act.
A second surviving gun can be seen at theBatterie Todt museum, nearAudinghen in northern France.[7]
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