WesWorld

OOB Railroad Artillery Battery:

A battery usually consisted of two guns with one as reserve.

The transport train consisted of a locomotive, the gun, an ammunition wagon (with finished grenades), two grenades-Waggons (each with 113 pcs), an equipment trolley (with small tools and supplies), two cargo wagons, an armored car for the defense of the gun with hand weapons,a kitchen car, a car with supply, a fire switchboard car, a flat car with 20mm AA-Guns for anti-aircraft and three passenger cars for the crew and other personnel.
A small diesel-powered locomotive, to bring the gun and the ammunition wagon in position, was also part of the transport train.

In another train was, if required, a turntable transported. This gave the gun a greater lateral direction. This train consisted of a locomotive and four wagons, each carrying a turntable part, a wagon with rails, a crane wagon, a wagon with fixing material for the rails, three additional ammunition wagons, a supply and tool wagon, an Anti-Aircraft wagon and nine flat cars for motor vehicles, in order to support the battery.

Info:
The 15cm railroad gun was on a well base flatcar with four out-riggers, mounted on two six-wheel bogies. In action the out riggers were swung out and jacks took the recoil stress, further jacks locked the spring suspension, four more bore on the surface of the rails, and screw clamps gripped beneath the rails to provide additional security.

The gun mounting revolved on a ball race in the truck well and carried a working platform for the detachment. The gun itself was the 15cm C/30 naval gun.

The 15cm railroad gun was a very efficient design, but 15cm was really too small a calibre to be worth the trouble of a railway mounting. Eight were issued in 1937 and a further 10 in 1938, but with that the design was dropped in favour of heavier weapon.


Specification:

Calibre: 149.3mm (5.88")
Length of Gun: 5960 mm (19.55 ft)
Length of bore: 5571 mm (18.28 ft)
Rifling: 44 grooves, right hand increasing twist, 1/45 to 1/25.5
Breech Mechanism: vertical sliding block, percussion fired
Caliber: 40
Barrel weight: 5800 kg
Elevation: + 10° to + 45°
Axle: 2 x 3
Weight in action: 74 tons
Maximum Range: 22,5 km

Number built: 18


[size=1]Sketch of the gun[/size]


[size=1]Battery in firing position during a maneuver[/size]

Info:
This weapon was produced with the intention of replacing the 15cm railroad gun by a heavier weapon, though in fact no more than six were built and issued in 1938. Although the 17cm railroad gun was an improvement over the 15cm, so far as shell weight and range were concerned, it was still too little gun for too much mounting - and finally convinced the army that if railway guns were to be built at all they might as well be big ones.

The mounting was the same as that of the 15cm gun, a well base flatcar on two six-wheel bogies with the gun pivot mounted. The mounting only required slight modification to make it suitable for the gun selected; this, the 17cm L/40 naval and coastal gun, was an elderly design but one that was readily available.

Specification:

Calibre: 173mm (6.81")
Length of Gun: 6900 mm (22.64 ft)
Length of bore: 4992 mm (16.38 ft)
Rifling: Right hand increasing twist, 1/50 to 1/30
Breech Mechanism: horizontal sliding block, percussion fired
Caliber: 40
Barrel weight: 6930 kg
Elevation: + 10° to + 45°
Axle: 2 x 3
Weight in action: 80 tons
Maximum Range: 13,4 km

Number built: 6


[size=1]Sketch of the gun[/size]


[size=1]Gun in transporting conditions[/size]

Info:
The more modern 20.3cm railroad gun with and L/60 barrel, was built from 1936, and should be used as naval guns. It was planed to replace with 21cm K38 barrels, as 20.3cm was a non-standard bore size in the Army. The recoil system was beneath the barrel near the breach.

Because of the increased weight, an extra axle was added to each railroad truck, and an ammunition crane was fitted due to the heavier ammunition. The maximum elevation was 47° and the gun could be used on a turntable, giving 360° traverse.

Specification:

Calibre: 203mm (7.99")
Length of Gun: 12150 mm (39.86 ft)
Length of bore: 11587 mm (39.02 ft)
Rifling: 64 grooves, right hand increasing twist, 1/50 to 1/30
Caliber: 60
Barrel weight: 20700 kg
Elevation: + 10° to + 47°
Axle: 2 x 4
Weight in action: 87 tons
Maximum Range: 13,7 km

Number built: 8



[size=1]Sketch of the gun[/size]


[size=1]Gun camouflaged and in firing position[/size]

Info:
This is a license production of the japanese railroad gun.

Specification:

Calibre: 240mm (7.99")
Length of Gun: 12823 mm (39.86 ft)
Length of bore: -
Rifling: -
Caliber: -
Barrel weight: - kg
Elevation: + 10° to + 50°
Axle: 2 x 6
Weight in action: 136 tons
Maximum Range: 50,12 km

Number built: 6



[size=1]Sketch of the gun[/size]

Info:
This is a license production of the japanese railroad gun. It's the biggest gun in chinese arsenal.

Specification:

Calibre: 460mm
Length of Gun: 20700 mm (64.40 ft)
Length of bore: -
Rifling: -
Traverse: -
Caliber: -
Barrel weight: -
Elevation: + 0° to + 45°
Length over buffers: -
Weight in action: 95 tons
Maximum Range: 41,8 km

Number built: 2


[size=1]Gun in maneuver[/size]

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