Karl-Gerät
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''Karl-Gerät'' (040/041) ( in German), also known as ''Mörser Karl'', was a World War II German self-propelled siege mortar (''Mörser'') designed and built by
Rheinmetall Rheinmetall AG () is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was promoted to the DAX, Germany's leading stock market index, in March 2023. It is the largest German and fifth largest Europe ...
. Its heaviest munition was a diameter,
shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...
; the range for its lightest shell of was just over . Each gun had to be accompanied by a crane, a two-piece heavy transport set of railcars, and several modified tanks to carry shells. Seven guns were built, six of which saw combat between 1941 and 1945. It was used in attacking the
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
fortresses of
Brest-Litovsk Brest, formerly Brest-Litovsk and Brest-on-the-Bug, is a city in south-western Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the Polish town of Terespol, where the Bug and Mukhavets rivers meet, making it a border town. It serves as the admini ...
and
Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...
, bombarded Polish resistance fighters in the
Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...
, participated in the
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
, and was used to try to destroy the
Ludendorff Bridge The Ludendorff Bridge, also known as the Bridge at Remagen, was a bridge across the river Rhine in Germany which was captured by United States Army forces in early March 1945 during the Battle of Remagen, in the closing weeks of World War I ...
during the
Battle of Remagen The Battle of Remagen was an 18-day battle during the Allied invasion of Germany in World War II. It lasted from the 7th to the 25th of March 1945 when American forces unexpectedly captured the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine intact. They wer ...
. One Karl-Gerät has survived; the remainder were scrapped after the war.


Development

In March 1936 Rheinmetall made a proposal for a super-heavy
howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...
to attack the
Maginot Line The Maginot Line (; ), named after the Minister of War (France), French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by French Third Republic, France in the 1930s to deter invas ...
. Their initial concept was for a weapon that would be transported by several tracked vehicles and assembled on site, but the lengthy preparation time drove them to change it to a self-propelled weapon in January 1937. Extensive driving trials took place in 1938 and 1939 using the first
Neubaufahrzeug The German ("new construction vehicle"—a cover name), abbreviated as PzKpfw Nb.Fz, series of tank prototypes were a first attempt to create a medium tank for the Wehrmacht after Adolf Hitler had come to power. Multi-turreted, heavy and slow, ...
tank prototype and a scale model to investigate the extremely high ground pressure and steering of such an enormous vehicle. Firing trials took place in June 1939. The full-scale driving trials were held at Unterlüss in May 1940. General Karl Becker of the Artillery was involved in the development, from whom the huge weapon gained its nickname. In total, seven ''Karl-Gerät'' howitzers were manufactured. The first six had the nicknames "Adam" (later "Baldur"), "Eva" (later "Wotan"), "Thor", "Odin", "Loki", and "Ziu"; the seventh, the research and test weapon (Versuchs-Gerät), had no name. Delivery of the six production vehicles took place from November 1940 to August 1941.Jentz, p. 17 In February 1941, discussions commenced concerning increasing the range of the weapon, and in May 1942, ''Gerät 041'' barrels were ordered for the six vehicles. At a conference with
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
in March 1943 it was stated that the first ''Gerät 041'' would be delivered by June 1943, and the third by mid-August. Only three of the ''Gerät 041'' barrels were actually completed for mounting on Karl-Gerät Nr. I, IV and V, although any vehicle could be converted to use the smaller weapon. Twenty-two
Panzer IV The IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, is a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161. The Panzer IV was the most numer ...
Ausf. D, E and F chassis were modified, with a superstructure capable of carrying four shells that replaced the turret, and outfitted with a crane as ''Munitionsschlepper für Karl-Gerät'' ammunition transporters/loaders. Two or three of these ''Munitionsschlepper'' were assigned to each weapon.


Variants

* ''Gerät 040'': original model, with a shorter (L/7) calibre barrel; * ''Gerät 041'': later model, with a long (L/11.55) calibre barrel.


Description

The 124-ton vehicle was propelled by a Daimler-Benz MB 503A 12-cylinder liquid-cooled gasoline engine or a Daimler-Benz MB 507C 12-cylinder liquid-cooled
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...
, but this was mainly used for aiming (the mount had only 4 degrees of traverse on each side), as the engines provided a top speed of only . For longer distances the ''Karl-Gerät'' was disassembled using a special mobile crane into seven loads. The chassis was loaded onto a six-axle Culemeyer-Strassenroller lowboy trailer. The other parts of the gun were lighter and used four-axle trailers. If the trailer with the chassis on board had to cross a bridge that couldn't carry their combined weight the chassis had to be off-loaded and driven across under its own power.


Long-range transport and preparation procedures

The weapon was moved long distances via rail on a variant of a
Schnabel car A Schnabel car or Schnabel wagon is a specialized type of railroad freight car. It is designed to carry heavy and oversized loads in such a way that the load makes up part of the car. The load is suspended between the two ends of the cars by li ...
; the whole chassis was hung between two huge pedestal-mounted swiveling arms fixed to five-axle
bogies A bogie ( ) (or truck in North American English) comprises two or more wheelsets (two wheels on an axle), in a frame, attached under a vehicle by a pivot. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transport. A bogie may remain normally ...
.Jentz, p. 8 When it reached its destination, the weapon was detached from railcars' supporting arms and driven to its intended firing location. The chassis of the ordnance was then lowered to the ground by "raising" the continuous track units' roadwheels by rotating their torsion-bar-sprung suspension arms to drop the chassis close to the ground to distribute the recoil forces more evenly in preparation for firing - the roadwheels for each trackset were also similarly "raised" to allow the tracks to clear the rails while being transported by rail, between the pair of Schnabel railcars. The ''Karl-Gerät'' proved to have no problems moving over normal soil, but under no circumstances was it allowed to make turns on soft soil lest it throw a track. The chassis had to be backed into position to fire, which expedited movement to a new position, but the land to be used for the ordnance's firing position had to be precisely leveled and the approach route prepared ahead of time to fill in soft spots and any ditches, etc. The mortar could only be loaded at zero elevation, so it had to be re-aimed between shots.Jentz, p. 8


Automotive features

The various ''Karl-Geräte'' used two different types of transmissions, engines and suspension system in a bewildering set of combinations. The table below outlines how each vehicle was outfitted. After May 1944 the gasoline engines were replaced by diesels. Little information is available for No. VII, the experimental model, and the data below must be regarded as unconfirmed.Jentz, p. 17


Ammunition

The original heavy concrete-piercing shells (''schwere Betongranate'') made a crater up to wide and deep. More range was desired and the light concrete-piercing shell (''leichte Betongranate) 040'' was introduced in 1942. Firing trials for the shells were not completed until the end of 1944 and they were not used in combat before then. The original 600 mm heavy shell had no designation other than the name. The ''Gerät'' number was added for the newer shells.


Combat history


1941

On 3 January 1941 ''Heavy Battery (schwere Batterie) 833'' was created at the Bergen training ground and ordered to be combat ready by 15 February 1941. On 2 April 1941 it was expanded into ''Heavy Artillery Battalion (schwere Artillerie Bataillon) 833''. The original ''Batterie 833'' was redesignated as the first battery of the new battalion and a new second battery was formed, each battery having two howitzers, with orders to be combat ready by 1 May 1941 in preparation for
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...
. Initially a single battery was to be deployed against the Soviet fortress at
Brest-Litovsk Brest, formerly Brest-Litovsk and Brest-on-the-Bug, is a city in south-western Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the Polish town of Terespol, where the Bug and Mukhavets rivers meet, making it a border town. It serves as the admini ...
, but that was changed by 14 May 1941 when the other battery was ordered to attack the Soviet border fortifications near
Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
. The first battery was assigned to IV Army Corps of 17th Army of
Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...
near
Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
while the second battery was ordered to support the attack by the 4th Army of
Army Group Center Army Group Centre () was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created during the planning of Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of the So ...
against the
Brest Fortress Brest Fortress (; ; ; ), formerly known as Brest-Litovsk Fortress, is a 19th-century fortress in Brest, Belarus. In 1965, the title Hero Fortress was given to the fortress to commemorate the defence of the frontier stronghold during the fi ...
. The batteries were issued 60 and 36 rounds respectively. Little is known of ''First Battery's'' operations except that IV Army Corps reported on 23 June that the battery was no longer needed and was no longer operational due to technical deficiencies. ''Second Battery's'' weapons had some assembly problems, issues with the electrical firing mechanism and non-standard ammunition, not surprising for the ''Karl-Geräts combat debut, but managed to fire 31 of their 36 rounds by 24 June. It was ordered home that day by
Army Group Center Army Group Centre () was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created during the planning of Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of the So ...
where the battalion was ordered to reform with eight Mörser 18 howitzers on 6 August 1941.


1942

In preparation for the attack on Sevastopol scheduled for the early summer ''Heavy Artillery Battalion 833'' was ordered to form a ''Karl-Batterie'' with three weapons on 18 February 1942, two of which were "Thor" and "Odin". Camouflaged firing positions long, wide and deep had to be dug for each howitzer to minimize Soviet counter-fire before they could move into position. On 20 May 1942 the 11th Army reported all three ''Karl-Geräte'' were at the front with a total of 72 heavy and 50 light concrete-piercing shells. LIV Army Corps reported that 19 heavy shells were fired between 2 and 6 June, 54 on 7 June and all 50 light shells between 8 and 13 June. More shells (29 heavy and 50 light) were shipped to the battery before the end of the month. All 50 light shells were fired on 30 June and 25 heavy shells the following day. Many of these shells were fired at the two twin-gun armored turrets of the ''Maxim Gorkii'' coastal defense battery, although shells fired at the turrets had little effect other than to jam one of the turrets and possibly knock out electrical power to the turrets, both of which were repaired without too much trouble. They did rather more damage to the concrete structure supporting the turrets as well as the command center located some away (called the ''Bastion'' by the Germans). On 19 July 1942 the battery was ordered to ship their weapons to
Hillersleben Hillersleben is a village and a former municipality in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. A large proving ground A proving ground is an installation or reservation in which technology such as weapons, military tactics and automobil ...
for refurbishment. One dud shell was recovered by the Soviets and flown to
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
for evaluation. On 7 July 1942 ''Heavy Artillery Battalion 833'' was ordered to form another battery with one or two ''Karl-Geräte''. This was done by 15 August as ''schwere Batterie 628 (Karl)'' with two weapons, although sufficient personnel to man three guns was to be furnished by ''Heavy Artillery Battalion 833''. On 22 July the Army High Command (
Oberkommando des Heeres The (; abbreviated OKH) was the high command of the Army of Nazi Germany. It was founded in 1935 as part of Adolf Hitler's rearmament of Germany. OKH was ''de facto'' the most important unit within the German war planning until the defeat ...
(OKH)) issued an order to send the battery to ''
Army Group North Army Group North () was the name of three separate army groups of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Its rear area operations were organized by the Army Group North Rear Area. The first Army Group North was deployed during the invasion of Pol ...
'' to support its planned offensive, ''Operation George (Unternehmen Georg)'', against
Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
. The order for ''Georg'', dated 22 August, specified ''Battery 628'' with three guns, presumably with two operational guns and one in reserve was to participate. ''Army Group North'' reported the battery's arrival on 1 and 2 September 1942, but the Soviets preempted ''Georg'' with heavy attacks against the German forces besieging Leningrad so the ''Karl-Geräte'' didn't get into action.Jentz, p. 43 On 18 October OKH ordered the 11th Army to transfer the battery as soon as possible to
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, but the 11th Army asked to retain it to use in a new version of ''Georg'' to begin later that month. ''Georg'' was again postponed in late October, and later canceled. A new attack, code-named ''Feuerzauber'' (Fire Magic), was planned in which the battery was to participate, but it too was canceled after the Soviet encirclement of the German forces attacking
Stalingrad Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...
. OKH finally recalled the battery on 4 December 1942 when it was clear that it had no mission.Jentz, p. 43


1943

OKH issued orders to create a Heavy Artillery Battalion (Karl) on 4 May 1943 using the vehicles and equipment of ''Heavy Artillery Battery 628''. This became the first battery of the new battalion while the other battery was raised from scratch on 15 May as was the battalion headquarters. Each battery had two ''Karl-Geräte'' plus one in reserve. 18th Army of Army Group North had plans to use one ''Karl-Gerät'' against the
Oranienbaum Bridgehead The Oranienbaum Bridgehead ( in Russian) was an isolated portion of the Leningrad Oblast in Russia, which was retained under Soviet control during the siege of Leningrad in World War II. It played a significant role in protecting the city. Histo ...
west of Leningrad during the summer of 1943, but the battalion was ordered to return the ''Karl-Geräte'' to Leipzig on 8 August. Just like the 833rd the battalion was ordered to reform with eight Mörser 18 howitzers on 29 August 1943 with effect by 10 September. A ''Unit for Karl-Geräte (Kommando für Karl-Geräte)'' was formed on that same date as caretakers for the weapons. This was redesignated ''Unit for Special-Equipment of Heavy Artillery Battalion (motorized) (Kommando für Sonder-Gerät des schwere Artillerie-Abteilung (mot.)) 628'' on 2 June 1944.Jentz, p. 43


1944

On 13 August 1944 a battery was ordered to be created immediately with one ''Karl-Gerät'' and sent to the 9th Army to help it suppress the
Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...
. The next day the ''Kommando für Sonder-Geräte'' formed the ''Army Artillery Battery (Static) 638 Heeres-Artillerie Batterie (bodenständige)'' with 60 cm ''Karl-Gerät'' Nr. VI "Ziu" since no 54 cm weapon was available and a firing table had not yet been computed. It arrived at the Warsaw West railway station at 07:00 on 17 August 1944; the ammunition train arrived the following morning.Jentz, p. 46 The mortar "Ziu" was set up in the Sowiński Park near the statue of general
Józef Sowiński Józef Sowiński (1777–1831) was a Polish artillery general and a hero of Poland's November 1830 Uprising. Life Józef Longin Sowiński was born on 15 March 1777 in Warsaw. After graduating from the famous Corps of Cadets in Warsaw, he jo ...
in Wola district. The 60 cm caliber mortar shells were designed to destroy bunkers. Often they did not explode when they hit buildings or soft ground in Warsaw. On 18 August 1944 a shell fired from mortar "Ziu" hit the building at Moniuszki 10 street, where the famous Warsaw restaurant "Adria" was located. The shell broke through several stories of the building, roof and floor of the restaurant and finally stopped in the basement, but it did not explode. Sappers of Polish
Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...
disarmed the dud shell and removed the explosive charge. The explosive was used to produce hand grenades (
Filipinka {{Infobox weapon, is_explosive=yes, name=ET wz. 40 , image=Granat Filipinka.jpg , caption=Filipinka in the Museum of the Warsaw Rising , origin=Poland , design_date=1942 , service=1942–1947 , type= Offensive fragmentation hand grenade , filling ...
s) for Polish soldiers. The empty shell was left in the basement. In the mid-1960s during removal of ruins of the restaurant the shell was found. It was moved to the
Polish Army Museum Museum of the Polish Army () is a museum in Warsaw documenting the military history of Poland. Established in 1920 under the Second Polish Republic, it formerly occupied a wing of the building of the Polish National Museum and now occupies a bui ...
in Warsaw. On 30 August 1944, another dud shell from mortar "Ziu" was found in the basement of
Prudential House The Prudential House, officially known now as the Hotel Warszawa, is a historic skyscraper hotel in Warsaw, Poland, located on Warsaw Insurgents Square along Świętokrzyska Street. Built between 1931 and 1933 in the Art Deco style, it served as ...
located at Napoleon Square 9 (Plac Napoleona 9, now Plac Powstańców Warszawy). This shell was also disarmed by sappers of Polish Home Army. After World War II a few more 60 cm dud shells were found in Warsaw. The most recent one was found on 28 August 2012 about below surface of the ground in the neighborhood of Plac Powstańców Warszawy during construction of the second metro line in Warsaw. On 24 August 1944 OKH noted that it had been very successful in combat and ordered another ''Karl-Gerät'' sent to Warsaw. A second battery, numbered 428, was formed two days later by the ''Kommando für Sonder-Geräte'', but it did not arrive at the Warsaw West railway station until 12:57 on 7 September 1944. A third ''Karl-Gerät 040'' was shipped to Warsaw on 10 September and incorporated into ''Battery 428''. "Ziu" needed repairs and was shipped on 22 September back to
Jüterbog Jüterbog () is a historic town in north-eastern Germany, in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg. It is on the Nuthe river at the northern slope of the Fläming hill range, about southwest of Berlin. History The Polabian Slavs, Slavic se ...
. At some point a fourth ''Karl-Gerät'' was shipped to Warsaw as it was reported as operational on 25 September.Jentz, p. 46


Report

A meeting was held on 29 September by the OKH General der Artillerie to discuss the overall status of the ''Karl-Gerät'', its supporting equipment and ammunition: Three days later Battery 638 was ordered to transfer to Budapest and was loaded without any ''Karl-Gerät''. Nr. V was rerouted to Budapest to equip the battery. Battery 428 followed on 10–11 October 1944. Both batteries were ordered back to Warsaw on 19 October, although they didn't arrive until 28 October. On 6 November Battery 638 transferred one ''Karl-Gerät 040'' to 428 and returned to Jüterbog on 10 November to rearm with a ''Gerät 041''. Battery 428 didn't remain near Warsaw much longer and departed for Jüterbog itself on 15 November.Jentz, p. 46 Battery 428 exchanged its guns for Nr. II and VI (both with ''Gerät 040'') and departed for the West on 14 December 1944 to participate in ''Operation Watch on the Rhine'' (Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein), which would be known by Americans as the
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
, but didn't reach the front until 29 December. Battery 628 followed on 20 December after equipping with Nr. IV, the first 54 cm Gerät 041 to be committed to battle.Jentz, p. 50


1945

Little is known of their activities during the battle, but ''Gerät'' Nr. II was damaged en route by a bomb and was back in Jüterbog on 6 January 1945. It was repaired using parts from Karl Nr. I by 3 February. ''Gerät'' Nr. IV was damaged by a number of penetrating hits and arrived in Jüterbog on 31 January. ''Gerät'' Nr. VI was still at the front on 19 January. In the meantime Nr. V was modified to use the 54 cm howitzer and had its engine rebuilt.Jentz, p. 50 ''Battery 628'' was initially ordered to the Vistula Front on 7 March, but this was countermanded on 11 March when it was rerouted towards Remagen, where the Allies had recently captured the
Ludendorff Bridge The Ludendorff Bridge, also known as the Bridge at Remagen, was a bridge across the river Rhine in Germany which was captured by United States Army forces in early March 1945 during the Battle of Remagen, in the closing weeks of World War I ...
. Karl-Batterie 638 arrived on 20 March, but after only 14 rounds that missed all of the bridges and only damaged a handful of random houses, the weapon had to be moved to the rear for repairs. Batterie 428 was also ordered towards Remagen on 11 March, but was rerouted to the
1st Army First Army may refer to: China * New 1st Army, Republic of China * First Field Army, a Chinese Communist Party unit in the Chinese Civil War * 1st Group Army, People's Republic of China Germany * 1st Army (German Empire), a World War I field Army ...
sector instead.Jentz, p. 51 A status report dated 22 March showed ''Geräte'' Nr. I and IV were still at Jüterbog, with Nr. I configured as a 040 and Nr. IV to be completed as a 041. ''Geräte'' Nr. II and V had left for the front on 11 and 10 March respectively. ''Gerät'' Nr. VI was returning to Jüterbog with engine damage. ''Gerät'' Nr. III had been virtually destroyed and only the gun
breech Breech may refer to: * Breech (firearms), the opening at the rear of a gun barrel where the cartridge is inserted in a breech-loading weapon * breech, the lower part of a pulley block * breech, the penetration of a boiler where exhaust gases leave ...
was salvageable. ''Gerät'' Nr. VII needed parts and wasn't going to be made operational anytime soon.Jentz, p. 51 ''Battery 628'' was ordered disbanded on 11 April and its personnel incorporated into ''Battery 428'', although it's unlikely that either unit actually saw action except in local defense.Jentz, p. 51


Fates

In 1945, Nr. II ("Eva") as well as Nr. V ("Loki") were captured by US forces in the period 21 March to 11 April 1945. Nr. VII, the test weapon, was captured by the US Army in Hillersleben and shipped to
Aberdeen Proving Grounds Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at APG. There are 11 major commands among the tenant units, ...
but later scrapped. Nr. VI ("Ziu") was captured by the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
, probably when they overran
Jüterbog Jüterbog () is a historic town in north-eastern Germany, in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg. It is on the Nuthe river at the northern slope of the Fläming hill range, about southwest of Berlin. History The Polabian Slavs, Slavic se ...
on 20 April 1945. This is on display at the
Kubinka tank museum The Kubinka Tank Museum (Центральный музей бронетанкового вооружения и техники - Tsentral'nyy Muzey Bronetankovogo Vooruzheniya I Tekhniki -Central Museum of Armored Arms and Technology) is a larg ...
, although marked as Nr. I ("Adam").Jentz, p. 56 Nr. IV ("Odin") was also captured by the Red Army. The fates of guns Nr. I ("Adam") and Nr. III ("Thor") are unknown.


See also

*
Siege artillery Siege artillery (also siege guns or siege cannons) are heavy guns designed to bombard fortifications, cities, and other fixed targets. They are distinct from field artillery and are a class of siege weapon capable of firing heavy cannonballs or ...
*
List of the largest cannon by caliber This list contains all types of cannon through the ages listed in decreasing caliber size. For the purpose of this list, the development of large-calibre artillery can be divided into three periods, based on the kind of projectiles used, due to t ...


References


Bibliography

* Chamberlain, Peter & Doyle, Hillary: ''Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: The Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled guns and Semi-tracked Vehicles 1939–1945'', Silverdale Books, 2004 * * Taube, Gerhard: ''Die schwersten Steilfeuer–Geschütze 1914 - 1945. Geheimwaffen 'Dicke Berta' und 'Karl, Stuttgart: Motorbuch-Verlag, 1981


External links

*
Gerät 040 and 041 - History

mortar Karl in Kubinka tank museum



Newsreel footage
of ''Thor'' being loaded and firing
YouTube Video of a Karl-Gerät firing and being loaded
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karl-Gerat World War II mortars of Germany Siege artillery 600 mm artillery Rheinmetall World War II self-propelled artillery of Germany Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944