How necessary was the Schwere Gustav to fall of Sevastapol?

[stg 44]

How critical was the monster German rail artillery gun the Schwere Gustav to the fall of Sevatapol? Was it necessary at all? If so wouldn't that justify its cost?

[pintere]

From what I've heard, the Schwere Gustav did destroy a munitions dump at some stage during the battle. That being said, this was pretty much it's only major achievement during the whole war. It was an utter waste of resources in the long run.

[Cult Icon]

I think it just added to the other siege weapons at Sevastapol. Was it worth the cost? Who knows until a cost accountant with strange interests figures it out.

The most important thing there was the tactical airpower.

[thaddeus_c]

would have had more effect at Leningrad? if they could have struck at the Soviet fleet bottled up there?

[ML59]

I'm quite convinced it was a complete waste of money and trained personnel. I guess that for its cost it would have been possible to equip and maintain a full squadron of medium bomber, far more flexible and effective. A weapon belonging to the old theories of late XIX, early XX centuries, not the era of air power and mechanized warfare.

[stg 44]

Or ~29 Tiger I's in terms of Marks.

[thaddeus_c]

could also have built 7 - 8 of the smaller K-5 guns ("Anzio Annie") http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krupp_K5

[The 51st Division]

While the Schwere Gustav was indeed a monster that should've never existed, so was the thousand-year-old fortress city of Sevastopol. Around Sevastopol there were 30 permanent fortification systems. The "Maxim-Gorky I" twin-305mm battery had 300mm armour for its surface turret, and 4000mm concrete canopy for each of the three underground layers. Just how are you going to destroy this beast the era of pre-bunker-busters? The answer was simple: with another beast.

Gustav--and other superheavy artillery pieces used at Sevastopol--did perform extremely well. On June 6, Gustav blew up the main ammunition magazine under Severnaya Bay, with an 800cm AP shell right through 30 metres of water and 10000mm of concrete canopy. It is said that the explosion was so great that it caused a mini-tsunami, and sunk a Russian ship anchored in the Bay.

And then was the epic artillery battle between "Maxim-Gorky I"'s twin-305mm and two German 610mm Karl, 420mm Gamma, two 355mm Haubitze M1s,and the entire Fliegerkorps VIII. Which ended with a barrage of 355mm howitzers and 280mm incendiary rockets completely ruining the Russian battery.

Yes indeed, Sevastopol was a successful example. But take note: it was a once-in-more-than-one-lifetime battle, how many other forts with 4000mm armour can you find in the world? So does one single example of Sevastopol prove that superheavy railgun is effective weapon? Obviously not.

[stg 44]

While the Schwere Gustav was indeed a monster that should've never existed, so was the thousand-year-old fortress city of Sevastopol. Around Sevastopol there were 30 permanent fortification systems. The "Maxim-Gorky I" twin-305mm battery had 300mm armour for its surface turret, and 4000mm concrete canopy for each of the three underground layers. Just how are you going to destroy this beast the era of pre-bunker-busters? The answer was simple: with another beast.

Gustav--and other superheavy artillery pieces used at Sevastopol--did perform extremely well. On June 6, Gustav blew up the main ammunition magazine under Severnaya Bay, with an 800cm AP shell right through 30 metres of water and 10000mm of concrete canopy. It is said that the explosion was so great that it caused a mini-tsunami, and sunk a Russian ship anchored in the Bay.

And then was the epic artillery battle between "Maxim-Gorky I"'s twin-305mm and two German 610mm Karl, 420mm Gamma, two 355mm Haubitze M1s,and the entire Fliegerkorps VIII. Which ended with a barrage of 355mm howitzers and 280mm incendiary rockets completely ruining the Russian battery.

Yes indeed, Sevastopol was a successful example. But take note: it was a once-in-more-than-one-lifetime battle, how many other forts with 4000mm armour can you find in the world? So does one single example of Sevastopol prove that superheavy railgun is effective weapon? Obviously not.

What about the Panther rocket enhanced bunker buster, used in 1942 against Malta?
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/pcrsintro.htm

[SpicyJuan]

While the Schwere Gustav was indeed a monster that should've never existed, so was the thousand-year-old fortress city of Sevastopol. Around Sevastopol there were 30 permanent fortification systems. The "Maxim-Gorky I" twin-305mm battery had 300mm armour for its surface turret, and 4000mm concrete canopy for each of the three underground layers. Just how are you going to destroy this beast the era of pre-bunker-busters? The answer was simple: with another beast.

Gustav--and other superheavy artillery pieces used at Sevastopol--did perform extremely well. On June 6, Gustav blew up the main ammunition magazine under Severnaya Bay, with an 800cm AP shell right through 30 metres of water and 10000mm of concrete canopy. It is said that the explosion was so great that it caused a mini-tsunami, and sunk a Russian ship anchored in the Bay.

And then was the epic artillery battle between "Maxim-Gorky I"'s twin-305mm and two German 610mm Karl, 420mm Gamma, two 355mm Haubitze M1s,and the entire Fliegerkorps VIII. Which ended with a barrage of 355mm howitzers and 280mm incendiary rockets completely ruining the Russian battery.

Yes indeed, Sevastopol was a successful example. But take note: it was a once-in-more-than-one-lifetime battle, how many other forts with 4000mm armour can you find in the world? So does one single example of Sevastopol prove that superheavy railgun is effective weapon? Obviously not.

What about the Panther rocket enhanced bunker buster, used in 1942 against Malta?
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/pcrsintro.htm

Perhaps, I think it was probably the most cost-effective weapon to take out the heaviest fortifications at the time, but Sevestapol is the exception.

As for the Dora and Gustav: Although it is easy to sit back with perfect 20/20 hindsight, and is in fashion these days to criticize everything Axis, one must keep in mind that the entire purpose of the Dora was to take out some of the world's heaviest fortifications of the time-the Maginot Line. With France taken earlier than expected (both guns weren't completed in time), one might rightly question the purpose of completing the giants, but the problem was that the German's simply invested too many recources to abandon the nearly completed weapons. In any case, nobody can deny the true engineering feat that were the Krupp guns Gustav and Dora.

[James A Pratt III]

I have read in Black Cross Red Star 2 that Maxim Gorky I Russian/Soviet Coastal battery No 30 was blown up by it crew after running out of ammunition not knocked out by Stg 77.