Landships II

Jon, excellent site, thanks - I've seen that page before, but they appear to have updated it since I last looked as there are new images!

As far as I know (and I don't have much material), there were three basic types of firing platform (two of which were very similar, being used in coastal emplacements and on firing ranges; and the other, which is the fully-traversable rail-transported version):

First, the coastal type, which was used on firing ranges as well, as seen here:

http://www.landships.freeservers.com/jpegs/parisgun/Paris_Gun_-_assembly_on_test_range_5.jpeg

And in a coastal installation (note that at the rear, the wheels which engage with the training arc are immediately beneath the main body, due to the 'step' in the concrete emplacement; whereas on the firing range mounting, above, the wheels are on extended 'legs', so that they are level with the bottom of the pintle at the front):

http://html2.free.fr/canons/max/planmaxbeton.gif

Here is much the same platform, but on a metal base, which was presumably devised to be much quicker to set up than a concrete emplacement (note that the wheels are level with the bottom of the pintle, exactly as on the firing range versions):

http://html2.free.fr/canons/max/platmax.gif

These all, I suspect, correspond to your Type 2, Static Firing Platform. I say this, because I think that the image I've attached (scanned from Bull's book), which shows a hooded platform, I assume is your Type 3, Armoured Static Platform.

Then the 'classic' Lange Max/Paris Kanonen platform, the fully-traversable carriage which was transported by rail:

http://html2.free.fr/canons/max/longmax.jpg

http://www.activeboard.com/download.spark?ID=5859&forumID=63528&abKey=3146888af219adcc82d5297d4622c9b9 Fantastic photo, Jon, I've never seen it before, where is it from?

And, of course, the Paris Gun:

http://www.activeboard.com/download.spark?ID=5861&forumID=63528&abKey=3146888af219adcc82d5297d4622c9b9

http://www.landships.freeservers.com/jpegs/parisgun/Paris_Gun_-_model.jpeg

These correspond to your Types 4 and 5. The carriages are much the same, the only difference being that some were mounted in concrete, and some on metal platforms, probably similar to that mentioned above.

This leaves your Type 1, Special Test Firing Platform. It's clearly this one, a quite simple carriage used only on firing ranges (see, too, the other two photos at the top of the French page):

http://html2.free.fr/canons/max/planexpe.jpg

I've never seen any photos of one of these monsters being set up, apart from this:

https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a172/GrandLunar/Artillery/Paris_Gun_onsite_installation_1.jpg

Herbert Jaeger, who reproduces that photo in his book, speculates that this was taken in Germany as there is no attempt at concealment - normally, they were assembled in forests with leafy netting slung over the trees (I would imagine photography would have been tricky under such conditions). Perhaps it was a training exercise.

The turntable had rails in the 'slot' between the raised sections, as can be seen here (and on the attachment, a scan of a photocopy I made years ago from Col. Miller's book):

http://html2.free.fr/canons/max/maxchat.jpg

The turntable would have been laid at the end of the railway line, and then extra track laid beyond, to enable the gun-train to drive over the turntable, causing the gun-carriage to straddle it. Here one can see the train clearly:

http://html2.free.fr/canons/max/maxtrain.gif

The gun carriage would have then been jacked up and the turntable rotated 90 degrees beneath it, the carriage would then have been lowered onto it and bolted in place (here you can actually see the rails on the turntable between the raised sections upon which the carriage is bolted):

http://html2.free.fr/canons/max/maxgoue.jpg

The outer rail tracks seen in the Miller plan carried a crane which straddles the whole assembly (see the photo above in the first link). The model at Koblenz also depicts a version of the crane (bottom of the page; for some reason I get a 'remote linking forbidden' warning if  try to post a direct link to the image):

http://www.landships.freeservers.com/parisgun_history.htm

I don't think there would have been any need for temporary bridges on the turntable as the rail-track is integral to it; the jacks would have been built into the connecting sections that join the pairs of railway bogies on the gun-train. It actually seems to me to have been a very simple and extraordinarily well thought out process (typical German efficiency! ).

That book of yours sounds incredible, you can count yourself very lucky to own it!

Oh, and as for telling apart the concrete and metal bases, I don't know. I should imagine one would need very clear photos from good angles. I'll guess, though, based on the photos from the French site, as follows:

This one (http://html2.free.fr/canons/max/maxgoue.jpg) appears to be on a concrete base. That's certainly what the caption says. Note how around the turntable there's a flat expanse, quite devoid of features, going out for several yards. I believe that's the concrete bedding.

Now this (http://html2.free.fr/canons/max/maxchat.jpg) appears to be on a metal base. Note how the chap in the foreground is standing atop what looks like the wide brim of a cylinder of some kind, which is not present in the other mounting. I suspect this to be some kind of metal cylinder which was buried in the earth to form the bedding. Beyond it the ground just seems to be dirt, it's quite uneven.

These last comments, however, are pure conjecture, and I'm happy to be proven wrong!

Thankcommander,

 

At the "Lange Max" in Koekelare, a new museum will open soon.

Follow us at www.langemaxmuseum.be and www.facebook.com/langemaxmuseum !

Hi WST

The Batterie Deutschland drawing is from Gerald Bull and Charles Murphy's book on the Paris Guns, Paris Kanonen – the Paris Guns (Wilhelmgeschutze) and Project HARP.

 

Navweaps has two sets of data for the 38cm SK L/45 barrel

 

British publication "The German Defenses on the Coast of Belgium" gives the following:

Norman Friedman in "Naval Weapons of World War One": gives:

• Â	At start	At muzzle
  Grooves	(100) 0.150 in (3.80 mm) D x 3.05 in (7.74 mm) W	0.226 in (5.74 mm) W
  Lands	0.165 in (4.20 mm)	0.244 in (6.20 mm)

•  

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_15-45_skc13.php

Regards,

Charlie

-- Edited by CharlieC on Sunday 7th of June 2020 09:12:13 AM