As part of my research for the Osprey book "42cm 'Big Bertha' and German Siege Artillery of World War I," I took quite few photos of the 42cm M-Gerät Builders Model at Les Invalides. Roger Todd ask if I would post them here, so here is the first group - general views of the howitzer.
Taking photos of the model was a challenge. First, the security guards were not very sympathetic, and second, the model is placed in a dark corner, making it hard to get photos of the left side.
I apologize for the eclectic nature of the photos and the variable quality. The photos were taken on two different visits to the museum and my ability to get close shots and use a flash depended on the museum staff member present in the gallery - some were more helpful or understanding than others!
Four photos of the howitzer's left side. These photos were hard to take because the model is placed close to a wall and the museum personnel were not amused with my gymnastic attempts to get between the model and the wall!
These are the last of the photos. I hope they are of use to someone on this forum.
It appears that the sliding wedge breech block is absent from this model. From the photo taken down the barrel you can see that the breech block should be in the open position but when viewed from the side of the breech ring there is no breech block protruding to the side. I think the breech block on a 42cm moves from left to right. Even from the left side it looks like the detail of the block is omitted. There is only a flat surface, as if the detail of the breech block were never completed. There are two photos on the Landships article on the 42cm that show some limited detail of the breech block in the breech ring. These two photos are both of the barrel mounted on the barrel wagon. I have attached them here for easier comparison. There are also photos from an earlier post from the Landships forum, showing the 42cm that had been at Aberdeen, MD. In these photos you can see something of the breech block.
R/
Ralph Lovett
-- Edited by Ralph Lovett on Saturday 22nd of February 2014 10:06:17 AM
The breech block appears to have been missing for many years - see below an old photo of the model at the museum (note that it still had the complete spade in those days).
It should also be noted that the barrel on the model appears to represent the barrel-type of the first two prototypes, whereas the barrels of the Aberdeen specimens were from production guns. The prototype barrels are distinguished by having a smooth two-stage taper from the cradle to the muzzle, whereas the production barrels had an extra reinforcing ring added which creates a 'step' effect. Also, the breech ring of the production barrels was beefier and more square in shape, the prototypes' being more rounded, as on the model (this is particularly evident in photos in Justrow's book of a prototype gun being assembled).
