Dora Railway gun question

[zero_88]

Here's some pictures of the deployment.

Let's not forget that the railway standard for Germany, which is in all Europe and USA is the Standard Gauge 1435mm, this standard was also applied in WW2 for Germany, Russians had their standard railway gauge of 1525mm. That means it was wider and Germans needed either to construct new railway or to convert Russian wagons to the German standard. (Which they did both). The last two pictures are with the "Dora" gun just read the Deutsche Reichbahn serial 510 469 P.

[zero_88]

More deployment.

[zero_88]

I forgot something, before the deployment the guns had to be tested wright?, so every time a new gun was complete they were send to Darlowo Proving Grounds.

Here are some pictures where they tested the penetrating power of the AP and HE shells.

[zero_88]

The building of the Gustav consisted mainly in raising the huge gantry Ardelt cranes.

What I want to sublime is that the construction of the Gustav was done in secret, the area and the course of the gun was well chosen, well determined to actually have the forts in the range field of the gun, which was superior to any Russian artillery. The gun had air cover support from the Luftwaffe, with FLAK, with walls surrounding the perimeter even the road of the special railway was both lateral covered by tall poles with barbed wire (a mesh) for neither by the artillery nor being detected by soviet aviation.

[zero_88]

More of Gustav construction.

[zero_88]

More of Gustav construction.

[zero_88]

More of Gustav construction.

[zero_88]

More of Gustav construction.

[zero_88]

More of Gustav construction.

[zero_88]

More of Gustav construction.

[zero_88]

More of Gustav construction.

[zero_88]

Last pictures of Gustav construction.

[zero_88]

Now after completion let me say something about the route of the double special railway track.

The gun needed curves in the special part of the rail for firing on the spot. Because the gun couldn't turn left or right.

The route was serpentine a very long distance, for accurately hit all the Forts but not to get in range of the enemy weapons.

Here's the picture shows the forts emplacement.

Now Gustav didn't gone alone in the war in Sevastopol, there where also 2 Karl-Gerat of 600mm cal. One was "Thor" and the other one was "Odin" Also Krupp K-5E were, I have a picture with one at Sevastopol, and lots of 21cm Morser 18 and 17cm Kanone 18.

In the first picture you can actually see the walls barricade of the starting point of the special track. And after that hill,
Kaboom!

[zero_88]

The special railway track obviously needed reinforcement, so the Germans made a system of welded metal squares on the far left of the rail and the middle left of both of the rail to consolidate and maintain the gauge.

Why was the reinforcement placed in the left side of the track is because being inner-curved it was more exposed to tension then the outer part and was the risk of derail, or break the rail.

[zero_88]

Special Railway