Large gun barrels in a Krupp factory – Essen, April 1945

[Manuferey]

Here are several pictures of large gun barrels in a destroyed Krupp factory in Essen, Germany in April 1945.

I think that the first picture shows the barrel of a 32 cm Kanone (E) 651 (f) railway gun (ex-320 mm à glissement Mle 1870-84). The presence of such barrel in Germany is intriguing. Were the Germans trying to reline the French barrels after the French factories had been lost to the Allies in 1944? Do we have other reports of German factories doing work on barrels of captured French railway guns?

I don’t recognize the barrels on the other pictures but they look pretty big. Are they barrels for railway guns or naval guns?









Emmanuel

[jbb20p7]

Hello,

I don't know ... but very impressives pictures

Bye
Jb

[jopaerya]

Hello Emmanuel

Thanks for sharing these great picture's .

Regards Jos

[Carl Schwamberger]

Were any of these naval guns?

[jopaerya]

From the same factory , picture is from Ebay .

Regards Jos

[ALVF]

Hello,

For the photographs posted by Emmanuel:
-1: yes, it is a 320 mm modèle 70-84. Germans used 9 of these old guns in ALVF "affût à glissement" in 1944-45. Probably a repair of a gun or modification to "chambre agrandie" of an original gun. In 1940, nearly all the french ALVF guns were send in the Ruhr in the vicinity of Krupp Works. Several guns were scrapped, others taken in service and other classed as "reserve guns". In 1945, many french ALVF guns returned in France. It is a list of all these guns send in Germany in 1940 (and returned guns in France in 1945) in french archivs.

-2: left: it is a "380 mm modèle 1936 C/1935" french navy gun for "Jean Bart" class battleships. This gun and others in Krupp and Hannover works returned in France in 1945-1946 years and the 380 mm guns were refurbished and finished as "reserve" guns for battleships "Richelieu" and "Jean Bart". The numbers of these guns are in french archivs.
A note: The "Richelieu" had in 1940 "380 mm modèle 1935 C/1935" guns, the four guns of "Jean Bart" in building in 1940 are "380 mm modèle 1936 C/1935" guns and the other guns in building are also of this model.
The differences between the two models are minor and the rifling is the same for the two models "C/1935" means "Chemise modèle 1935".
Yours sincerely,
Guy François.

[Valtoro]

Indeed interesting pictures, thanks for sharing them. Does it exist reports from allied side about heavy gun equipment (heavier than 21 cm) discovered in the ruins of the Krupp factories after the war?