Anyone would say that Adolf Hitler had a complex that he longed to compensate… From the moment his panzers crossed the Polish border in 1939, the ‘Führer‘ He dreamed of German industry forging a long list of superweapons that would make their enemies tremble on the battlefield. And that, without counting his unhealthy obsession with new technologies and constant evolution. “Every new invention depreciates the old material and, in war, the best soldier is the one with the most modern technical means,” he once stated, during one of his interminable after-dinner chats at the personal residence of he.
There are no fingers in hand to enumerate the examples. The bloodiest followed one another after the defeat in the Soviet Union and the Russian advances from Stalingrad. From then on, Hitler opted for large-caliber self-propelled artillery designs – cheaper and more effective than tanks and ideal for the coming defense – and colossal tanks such as the Tiger II. Although it would be unfair to say that he waited until the knee in the east to unleash his weapons madness. And it is that, before he had already devised the famous Tiger I –the black beasts of the Shermans in the IIGM– and started the creation of the V1 rockets.
Colossal idea
Of all the cannons of World War II, there was one that has gone down in history for its spectacular nature and its devastating capacity: the ‘Cannon Gustav device de 80 cm.’. Its outline began in 1935. At that time, four years after the war broke out, Hitler proposed to Krupp to design a weapon that could destroy the defensive positions installed by the French on the famous Maginot Line. The conditions were very specific: he had to launch a projectile capable of penetrating a meter of armor, seven meters of reinforced concrete or thirty meters of compacted earth.
It has been spread that the Nazi leader commissioned it thinking about the invasion of the country, but the reality is that what was taking away his sleep was that the artillery located by the Gauls on the border would shoot with impunity against the Rhineland.
The factory staff got to work and submitted a report proposing to forge a piece of rail artillery with a caliber of between 70 and 100 centimeters. The ‘Führer’, excited, met with Krupp in March 1936 to ask if the design was viable. Gustav, old fox, replied that it was plausible, although not simple. The dictator needed little more. The industrialist then advanced seven million marks so that the project, classified as top secret, began to walk a long road that ended in the summer of 1940. Almost four years in which the company had to solve difficulties such as the block of the cannon It could be divided into four parts to be transported in a simpler way or for the chamber to withstand the extremely high pressures caused after each shot.
The result, dubbed the Krupp boss, was shocking. The cannon, whose muzzle stretched nearly three feet wide, weighed 1,465 tons, stood 40 feet tall, and could fire at a maximum range of 29 miles. Something similar happened with the projectiles: they reached 5,000 kilograms and were loaded with up to 400 of explosive. In addition, the first tests, carried out in Hillersleben and chaired by Adolf Hitler and by the Minister of Armaments, Albert Speer, they called for optimism. In them, the hierarchs saw with astonishment that it generated craters 10 meters wide and as many deep. However, ‘Gustav’ did not arrive in time for the invasion of France. In exchange, the ‘Führer’ proposed using it against Gibraltar’s defenses, but the refusal of Francisco Franco to ally with Nazi Germany prevented its release.
Error fatal
In any case, it cannot be said that the cannon was expensive, as Krupp decided to give it to the Reich as a gift to demonstrate his commitment to the war effort. This is attested by a letter sent by Gustav himself on July 24, 1942: «Mein ‘Führer’, the great weapon that has been manufactured with his guidelines has proven its effectiveness. […] It is an honor for me and my wife to present it to you and we ask you as a favor that the Krupp factory refrain from charging for this first product. Thank you for the trust placed in our work and in us.”
What he did not explain is that that artillery piece was a real nuisance. The data speaks for itself: it needed 1,500 men to be operational, it had to be accompanied by anti-aircraft defenses to prevent enemy planes from destroying it, and it could barely fire two shots an hour.
After the start of ‘Operation Barbarossa’, the invasion of Russia, ‘Gustav’ was transferred to Sebastopol, one of the most annoying stumbling blocks for the Third Reich. When this city surrendered he had fired 48 shells and, although Hitler tried to prove otherwise, only one in five had hit the target. As if that were not enough, at the end he had to be sent back to Germany for a tune-up.
Ready, both he and his twin, ‘Dora‘, were transferred to Army Group North to participate in the siege of Leningrad. Positions were dug for them, but they were not used because of an enemy counterattack. Thereafter there is some controversy about his whereabouts. Marc Romanych and Martin Rupp (authors of ‘World War II. German super-heavy siege guns’) are in favor of the fact that the first one was destroyed and found by the allies near the city. In turn, they are convinced that his brother was damaged by Soviet planes and had to be taken to Auerswalde, where he was stored and forgotten. But there are countless theories. One of them is that of David Porter, who maintains that historians have made a serious mistake and that ‘Dora’ was an affectionate nickname that German soldiers gave the only ‘Kanone Gustav Gerät 80 cm.’ built.
the skoda revolution
Krupp wasn’t the only company building superweapons for the Germans. Among the most recognized companies on Adolf Hitler’s list of suppliers was also Skoda. Although out of obligation, more than out of interest. Their turbulent relationship began when Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939. The factories were then subjected to the designs of the ruthless Teutonic Reich and hundreds of tanks and cannons came out of its factories. In the long run, his work was key to decongesting the overwhelmed industry of the Axis. Even the ‘Führer’ himself, skeptical of the Czechs, admitted his worth: «Although they lack the gift for invention […] They are hard-working and diligent.” He did not forget to point out, however, that “at the origins of Skoda there are Austrians and Germans.”
Skoda was not new to the design and construction of military hardware. Their specialties included light tanks, but also self-propelled mortars that had demonstrated their capabilities in the most outstanding battles of the First World War. One of the largest with which they supplied the Third Reich was the ’42 cm Autohaubitze M.17′, the technical name of a long-standing howitzer perfected since its first version was launched in 1917.
It is possible that it did not have the dimensions of ‘Gustav’, but it is also true that it was one of the largest in the entire contest. Initially designed to destroy naval targets and later converted into a mobile artillery piece, it weighed one hundred tons and could fire at a distance of more than 14 kilometers. A small giant who promised to cause panic among his enemies.
Like the railway guns, the Skoda mortars were assigned to the German Eleventh Army. Your destiny: Sebastopol, the largest Soviet fortress in the east. And, like ‘Gustav’, his performance was very discreet. Although she fired nearly two hundred shells, they failed to destroy any of the Russians’ permanent fortifications. After the fall of the city, and more out of the conviction of the commanders than because of the usefulness they had shown, they were sent to the front of Leningrad. Logic dictated that its destructive power could break the resistance, but its arrival was the bucket. The lack of precision and the continuous Soviet attacks meant that they were used as mere support artillery. Another big fiasco.
The self-propelled mortars known by the name ‘Karl’ fared no better. The guns, in their two versions (the ‘Mörser Gerät 040’ and the ‘Mörser Gerät 041’), are today among the largest artillery pieces of the entire Second World War. But, once again, his five meters of height were of no use. In Sevastopol they fired on the best protected position, the shore battery of Fort Maxim Gorkii, without causing any serious damage to its operators. In 1942 several units were sent to Leningrad, but they could not even be armed. The difficulties at the time of locating them and the Soviet counterattacks meant that they could not even approach the city. Something similar happened in Stalingrad.