World War II German Super-Heavy Siege Guns

Marc Romanych, Martin Rupp, Andrea Ricciardi di Gaudesi , Adam Tooby

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English

Osprey
04 August 2020

History; European history; Second World War; Warfare & defence

Series: New Vanguard

As the outbreak of World War II approached, Nazi Germany ordered artillery manufacturers Krupp and Rheimetall-Borsig to build several super-heavy siege guns, vital to smash through French and Belgian fortresses that stood in the way of the Blitzkrieg. These 'secret weapons' were much larger than the siege artillery of World War I and included the largest artillery piece of the war, the massive 80cm railway gun 'schwere Gustav' (Heavy Gustav). However, these complex and massive artillery pieces required years to build and test and, as war drew near, the German High Command hastily brought several WWI-era heavy artillery pieces back into service and then purchased, and later confiscated, a large number of Czech Skoda mortars.

The new super siege guns began entering service in time for the invasion of Russia, notably participating in the attack on the fortress of Brest-Litovsk. The highpoint for the siege artillery was the siege of Sevastopol in the summer of 1942, which saw the largest concentration of siege guns in the war. Afterwards, when Germany was on the defensive in the second half of 1943, the utility of the guns was greatly diminished, and they were employed in a piecemeal and sporadic fashion on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. In total, the German Army used some 50 siege guns during World War II, far more than the thirty-five it had during World War I.

Supported by contemporary photographs and detailed artwork of the guns and their components, this is an essential guide to these guns, exploring their history, development, and deployment in stunning detail.

By: Marc Romanych, Martin Rupp
Illustrated by: Andrea Ricciardi di Gaudesi, Adam Tooby
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Volume: 280
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 184mm,
Weight: 164g
ISBN: 9781472837172
ISBN 10: 1472837177
Series: New Vanguard
Pages: 48
Publication Date: 04 August 2020
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Marc Romanych is a retired US Army combat arms officer. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Maryland and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from St. Mary's University. He has co-authored several books on World War I and II artillery and fortifications for Osprey Publishing. Martin Rupp has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Applied Sciences, Saarbrucken. He specializes in fortification and artillery topics and has co-authored books about the battles for the Maginot Line in 1940 and World War I German siege artillery for Osprey Publishing.