The biggest guns. The largest guns in the history of mankind

In one of the specialties I received, I am an artilleryman, commander of a platoon of 2S3M “Akatsiya” self-propelled howitzer guns, so the topic of artillery is close to me.

Surely many of you do not know the differences between a cannon, self-propelled gun, howitzer and mortar, so first I will tell you a little.
So,
A gun- an artillery gun that fires along a flat trajectory. It is distinguished by a large barrel elongation against mortars and howitzers (40-80 calibers) and a smaller barrel elevation angle.

Howitzer– an artillery gun that fires along a hinged trajectory, i.e. from closed firing positions. The conditional boundary between a howitzer and a cannon barrel is considered to be its length of 40 calibers.

Mortar– an artillery gun with a short barrel (less than 15 calibers) for mounted shooting. Designed to destroy enemy equipment and manpower hidden behind walls and trenches by firing along an overhead trajectory.

self-propelled guns– self-propelled artillery installation, without reference to the type of weapon, can be equipped different types artillery system - cannon (SU-100), or howitzer (ISU-152).
Video to introduce the power of the 2S3M Akatsiya, of course, it is not the 2S19 MSTA, but it is still capable of firing tactical nuclear warheads.

1 Mortar Little David (Little David) 914 mm

Experimental American mortar from the end of World War II. Despite a much more modest appearance than, for example, the Schwerer Gustav or Karl, it still holds the record for the most large caliber(914 mm or 36 inches) among all modern artillery

2 Tsar Cannon 890 mm

Medieval artillery gun (bombard), cast in bronze in 1586 by Russian master Andrei Chokhov at the Cannon Yard. The length of the gun is 5.34 m, the outer diameter of the barrel is 120 cm, the diameter of the patterned belt at the muzzle is 134 cm, the caliber is 890 mm, the weight is 39.31 tons (2400 pounds).

3 Dora gun 800 mm

Super-heavy railway artillery gun. Developed by Krupp (Germany) in the late 1930s. It was intended to destroy the fortifications of the Maginot Line and fortifications on the border of Germany and Belgium. The gun is named after the wife of the chief designer.

4 Mortar Karl 600 mm

German heavy self-propelled mortar from the Second World War. One of the most powerful self-propelled guns of its period. They were used to storm fortresses and heavily fortified enemy positions.

The world's largest cast iron cannon, which is also a military weapon, the 20-inch Perm Tsar Cannon was manufactured in 1868 by order of the Naval Ministry at the Motovilikha Cast Iron Cannon Factory. It is not clear why the largest one is inferior in caliber to the Moscow 508 versus 890, and the barrel length is also 4.9 versus 5.34.

6 Mortar Big Bertha 420 mm

German 420 mm mortar. The mortar was intended to destroy particularly strong fortifications. The Bertha's rate of fire was 1 shot per 8 minutes, and the flight range of the 900-kg projectile was 14 km. All three types of shells used had enormous destructive power for that time.

7 Mortar launcher 2B2 Oka 420 mm

Soviet self-propelled 420 mm mortar unit. Rate of fire - 1 shot per 5 minutes. Firing range - 25 km, active-reactive mine - 50 km. Mine weight - 670 kg. Designed for firing nuclear charges. During testing, it was established that the monstrous recoil does not allow long-term operation of such a weapon. After which serial production was abandoned. There is only one “Oka” left in the metal out of four released.

8 Railway GunSaint-Chamond 400 mm

In October 1914, the French government formed a special commission responsible for the creation railway types weapons, which, in turn, turned to the largest arms concerns with a proposal to develop large-caliber guns on railway transporters. Design and construction work took very little time, and already in May 1915, eight railway guns from the Schneider-Creuzot company appeared at the front, and a few months later the especially powerful 400-mm howitzers from the Saint-Chamon company received their baptism of fire.

9 Rodman Columbiad 381mm

Manufactured in 1863, it had a barrel with a caliber of 381 mm, and its weight reached 22.6 tons. Civil War in the United States contributed to the emergence of new types of weapons - armored ships and armored trains, and the creation of means to combat them - smooth-bore Columbiad guns, named after one of the first guns of this type.

10 Self-propelled gun 2A3 Capacitor 406 mm

Soviet self-propelled 406-mm gun SM-54 (2A3) for firing “Kondensator” nuclear ammunition. In 1957, the 2AZ self-propelled gun was paraded on Red Square and created a sensation among domestic citizens and foreign journalists. Some foreign experts have suggested that the cars shown at the parade are simply props, designed for a frightening effect. However, this was a real artillery system, fired at the training ground.

People quickly noticed that the larger the artillery pieces, the more deadly they were. So they began to create these weapons more and more large-caliber and heavier. Well, which of the guns was the largest?

The era of giant bombards

The period from 1360 to 1460 rightly received the name, although unofficially, “the era of giant bombards” - that is, guns made of forged longitudinal iron strips, fastened to each other and reinforced on the outside with transverse, as well as iron hoops, due to why they looked like elongated barrels. Their carriage was a simple wooden box, or even that was not there. Then the trunk was laid on an earthen embankment, and behind it a stone wall was erected for support or pointed logs were driven into the ground. Their calibers were simply monstrous from the very beginning. For example, the Pumhard mortar (Military History Museum, Vienna), made at the beginning of the 15th century, already had a caliber of 890 mm, that is, almost the same as the famous Moscow Tsar Cannon, cast by Andrei Chokhov a century and a half later. Another bombard from the end of the 15th century, with a caliber of 584 mm, was made by casting, and you can see it in the Military Museum in Paris.

The East did not lag behind the Europeans. In particular, the Turks, during the siege of Constantinople in 1453, used a huge weapon made by the foundry maker Urban. The caliber of the gun was 610 mm. This monster was brought to the position by 60 bulls and 100 servants.

By the way, cast guns appeared almost simultaneously with forged ones, but for quite a long time neither one nor the other conceded their positions to each other. For example, back in 1394, a cannon with a caliber of exactly 500 mm was cast in Frankfurt am Main, and it cost the same as a herd of 442 cows, and one shot was estimated at 9 cows, if we continue to count in “live weight” "!

However, most huge gun In the Middle Ages, it was not this bombard or even the creation of Andrei Chokhov, no matter how impressive it may seem, but the weapon of the Indian Raja Gopol from Tanjur. Wanting to perpetuate his memory with some majestic deed, he ordered the casting of a cannon that would have no equal. Manufactured in 1670, the colossus cannon was 7.3 m long, which is two meters more Tsar Cannon, although its caliber was still inferior to the Russian one.

Columbiad guns

The American Civil War between the northern and southern states greatly contributed to the emergence of both new types of weapons - armored ships and armored trains, and the creation of means to combat them. First of all, these were heavy smooth-bore Columbiad guns, named after one of the first guns of this type. One of these guns, Rodman's Columbiad, made in 1863, had a barrel with a caliber of 381 mm, and its weight reached 22.6 tons!

Monstrous guns on water and on land

After the Columbiads, absolutely monstrous guns, both in caliber and in barrel size, appeared at sea.

For example, in 1880, the English battleship Benbow was equipped with guns of 412 mm caliber and weighing 111 tons! Even more impressive guns of this type were cast at the Motovilikha plant in Perm. Having a caliber of 508 mm, the cannon was supposed to shoot (and did shoot!) cannonballs weighing 500 kg! And already during the First World War, 400-mm (France) and 420-mm (Germany) artillery mounts appeared not only on ships, but also in the land theater of operations, and for the Germans these were towed mortars of the “Big Bertha” type, and the French have a gun on a special railway carriage. The weight of the Big Bertha shells reached 810 kg, and the shells of the French gun - 900! It is interesting that in the navy the maximum caliber of naval guns never exceeded 460 mm, while for land guns it turned out that this was not the limit!

Land supercannons

The most “small-caliber” among the monster land guns were the Soviet SM-54 (2AZ) installations - a rifled 406-mm self-propelled gun for firing nuclear ammunition “Kondensator” and a 420-mm self-propelled “atomic” mortar 2B2 “Oka”. The weight of the gun was 64 tons, and the weight of the projectile was 570 kg, with maximum range shooting at 25.6 km!

In 1957, these vehicles were shown at a military parade on Red Square and literally shocked both foreign military attaches and journalists, and our domestic inhabitants. Then they even said and wrote that the cars shown at the parade were nothing more than props, designed for an intimidating effect, but nevertheless they were very real cars, produced, however, in the amount of four copies.

The early German self-propelled mortars "Karl" were larger in caliber. Created on the eve of the Second World War, these installations initially had a caliber of 600 mm, but after the service life of the barrels was exhausted, they were equipped with barrels of smaller diameter - 510 mm. They were used near Sevastopol and Warsaw, but without much success. One captured self-propelled gun "Karl" has survived to this day and is located in the Museum of Armored Vehicles in Kubinka.

The same company "Krupp" that created the self-propelled gun "Karl" also produced the absolutely fantastic supergun "Dora" on a railway with a total weight of 1350 tons, and its caliber was... 800 mm! High explosive projectile to "Dora" weighed 4.8 tons, and a concrete-piercing one - 7.1 tons. With a firing range of 38 to 47 km, such a projectile could penetrate steel armor plates up to 1 m thick, 8 m of reinforced concrete plus a layer of earth up to 32 m thick!

It’s just that transporting “Dora” required as many as four railway tracks, it was moved by two diesel locomotives at once, and served by 1,420 people. In total, the operation of the gun at the position near Sevastopol was ensured by 4,370 people, which in no way corresponded to the more than modest results of its firing. "Dora" fired about 50 shots, after which the barrel became unusable, and she was taken away from Sevastopol. The German command planned to transfer the gun with a new barrel to Leningrad, but the Germans did not have time to do this. Later, the Nazis blew up the Dora so that it would not fall into the hands of the enemies of the Reich.

So big "Little David"

The 914-mm American mortar "Little David" outdid "Dora". It was created as a device for testing large-caliber aircraft bombs, in order to save aviation fuel and the service life of test aircraft engines, but in 1944 they decided to convert it into a means for destroying Japanese fortifications in the event of a landing on the Japanese Islands. The mass of the fully assembled gun turned out to be relatively small - only 82.8 tons, but it took 12 hours to install it in position! The "Little David" was loaded from the muzzle, just like a mortar. But since the projectile for it weighed 1690 kg, this had to be done using a special crane!

The project was closed in 1946, as it showed its complete futility, however, this mortar itself and one shell for it were preserved, and today they can be seen in an open area at the Aberdeen Proving Ground Museum in the USA.

And the largest-caliber smooth-bore guns are considered to be the Mallet coastal mortars built in 1856, which had a caliber of 920 mm. The weight of the mortar reached 50 tons, and it fired a cannonball weighing 1250 kg. Both guns were successfully tested, but were not widely used because they turned out to be too bulky.

10

The Archer self-propelled gun uses a Volvo A30D chassis with a 6x6 wheel arrangement. The chassis is equipped with a diesel engine with a power of 340 Horse power, which allows you to reach speeds on the highway up to 65 km/h. It is worth noting that the wheeled chassis can move through snow up to one meter deep. If the wheels of the installation are damaged, the self-propelled gun can still move for some time.

A distinctive feature of the howitzer is that there is no need for additional crew numbers to load it. The cockpit is armored to protect the crew from small arms fire and ammunition fragments.

9

"Msta-S" is designed to destroy tactical nuclear weapons, artillery and mortar batteries, tanks and other armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, manpower, air defense and missile defense systems, control posts, as well as to destroy field fortifications and impede the maneuvers of enemy reserves in the depth of his defense. It can fire at observed and unobserved targets from closed positions and direct fire, including work in mountainous conditions. When firing, both shots from the ammunition rack and those fired from the ground are used, without loss in rate of fire.

Crew members communicate using 1B116 internal telephone equipment for seven subscribers. External communication is carried out using the R-173 VHF radio station (range up to 20 km).

Additional equipment of the self-propelled gun includes: automatic 3-fold action PPO with control equipment 3ETs11-2; two filter ventilation units; self-entrenchment system mounted on the lower frontal sheet; TDA, powered by the main engine; system 902V “Tucha” for firing 81-mm smoke grenades; two tank degassing devices (TDP).

8 AS-90

Self-propelled artillery unit on a tracked chassis with a rotating turret. The hull and turret are made of 17 mm steel armor.

The AS-90 replaced all other types of artillery in the British Army, both self-propelled and towed, with the exception of the L118 light towed howitzers and MLRS and were used in combat during the Iraq War.

7 Krab (based on AS-90)

The SPH Krab is a 155 mm NATO compatible self-propelled howitzer manufactured in Poland by the Produkcji Wojskowej Huta Stalowa Wola center. The self-propelled gun is a complex symbiosis of the Polish RT-90 tank chassis (with an S-12U engine), an artillery unit from the AS-90M Braveheart with a 52-caliber barrel, and its own (Polish) Topaz fire control system. The 2011 version of the SPH Krab uses a new gun barrel from Rheinmetall.

The SPH Krab was immediately created with the ability to fire in modern modes, that is, for the MRSI mode (multiple projectiles of simultaneous impact), including. As a result, within 1 minute in MRSI mode, the SPH Krab fires 5 shells at the enemy (that is, at the target) within 30 seconds, after which it leaves the firing position. Thus, the enemy gets the complete impression that 5 self-propelled guns are firing at him, and not just one.

6 M109A7 "Paladin"

Self-propelled artillery unit on a tracked chassis with a rotating turret. The hull and turret are made of rolled aluminum armor, which provides protection from small arms fire and field artillery shell fragments.

In addition to the United States, it became the standard self-propelled gun of NATO countries, was also supplied in significant quantities to a number of other countries and was used in many regional conflicts.

5PLZ05

The self-propelled gun turret is welded from rolled armor plates. Two four-barreled smoke grenade launcher units are installed on the front of the turret to create smoke screens. In the rear part of the hull there is a hatch for the crew, which can be used to replenish ammunition while feeding ammunition from the ground into the loading system.

The PLZ-05 is equipped with an automatic gun loading system developed on the basis of the Russian Msta-S self-propelled gun. The rate of fire is 8 rounds per minute. The howitzer gun has a caliber of 155 mm and a barrel length of 54 calibers. The gun's ammunition is located in the turret. It consists of 30 rounds of 155 mm caliber and 500 rounds of ammunition for a 12.7 mm machine gun.

4

155 mm self-propelled howitzer The Type 99 is a Japanese self-propelled howitzer in service with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force. It replaced the obsolete Type 75 self-propelled gun.

Despite the interests of the armies of several countries in the self-propelled gun, the sale of copies of this howitzer abroad was prohibited by Japanese law.

3

The K9 Thunder self-propelled gun was developed in the mid-90s of the last century by the Samsung Techwin corporation by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea, in addition to the K55\K55A1 self-propelled guns in service with their subsequent replacement.

In 1998, the Korean government entered into a contract with the Samsung Techwin corporation for the supply of self-propelled guns, and in 1999 the first batch of K9 Thunder was delivered to the customer. In 2004, Türkiye bought a production license and also received a batch of K9 Thunder. A total of 350 units have been ordered. The first 8 self-propelled guns were built in Korea. From 2004 to 2009 in Turkish army 150 self-propelled guns were delivered.

2

Developed at the Nizhny Novgorod Central Research Institute "Burevestnik". The 2S35 self-propelled gun is designed to destroy tactical nuclear weapons, artillery and mortar batteries, tanks and other armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, manpower, air defense and missile defense systems, command posts, as well as to destroy field fortifications and impede the maneuvers of enemy reserves in the depths of their defense . On May 9, 2015, the new self-propelled howitzer 2S35 “Coalition-SV” was officially presented for the first time at the Parade in honor of the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

According to Ministry of Defense estimates Russian Federation In terms of the range of characteristics, the 2S35 self-propelled gun is 1.5-2 times superior to similar systems. Compared to the M777 towed howitzers and M109 self-propelled howitzers in service with the US Army, the Coalition-SV self-propelled howitzer has more high degree automation, increased rate of fire and firing range, meeting modern requirements for conducting combined arms combat.

1

Self-propelled artillery unit on a tracked chassis with a rotating turret. The hull and turret are made of steel armor, providing protection against bullets of up to 14.5 mm caliber and fragments of 152 mm shells. It is possible to use dynamic protection.

The PzH 2000 is capable of firing three rounds in nine seconds or ten in 56 seconds at a range of up to 30 km. The howitzer holds a world record - at a training ground in South Africa she fired a V-LAP projectile (active-propelled projectile with improved aerodynamics) at 56 km.

Based on all the indicators, the PzH 2000 is considered the most advanced serial self-propelled gun in the world. The self-propelled guns have earned extremely high marks from independent experts; Thus, the Russian specialist O. Zheltonozhko defined it as a reference system for the present time, which all manufacturers of self-propelled artillery systems are guided by.

The largest guns in history - from the “Basilica” of a Hungarian engineer with the coolest surname Urban (or is it a name?) to Krupp’s “Dora” with a barrel length of 32.5 m!

1. "Basilica"

It's also an Ottoman cannon. It was cast in 1453 by the Hungarian engineer Urban to order Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II. In that memorable year, the Turks besieged the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, and still could not get inside the impregnable city.

For three months Urban patiently cast his creation in bronze and finally presented the resulting monster to the Sultan. A 32-ton giant with a length of 10 m and a barrel diameter of 90 cm could launch a 550-kilogram cannonball approximately 2 km.

To transport the Basilica from place to place, 60 oxen were harnessed to it. In general, 700 people had to service the sultan cannon, including 50 carpenters and 200 workers who made special wooden walkways for moving and installing the gun. Just recharging with a new core took a whole hour!

The life of the Basilica was short but bright. On the second day of firing at Constantinople, the barrel cracked. But the job was already done. By this time, the cannon had managed to make a well-aimed shot and punch a hole in the protective wall. The Turks entered the capital of Byzantium.

After another month and a half, the cannon fired its last shot and finally broke apart. (In the picture you see the Dardanelles cannon, an analogue of the “Basilica”, cast in 1464.) Its creator was already dead by this time. Historians disagree on how he died. According to one version, Urban was killed by a fragment of an exploding siege cannon (smaller, but again cast by him). According to another version, after the end of the siege, Sultan Mehmed executed the master, having learned that Urban had offered his help to the Byzantines. The current international situation tells us to lean towards the second version, which once again proves the treacherous nature of the Turks.

2. Tsar Cannon

Well, where would we be without her! Every resident of Russia over the age of seven has a rough idea of ​​what this thing is. Therefore, we will limit ourselves to only the briefest information.

The Tsar Cannon was cast in bronze by cannon and bell maker Andrei Chokhov in 1586. Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, the third son of Ivan the Terrible, was then sitting on the throne.

The length of the cannon is 5.34 m, the diameter of the barrel is 120 cm, the weight is 39 tons. We are all accustomed to seeing this cannon lying on a beautiful carriage decorated with ornaments, with cannonballs resting next to it. However, the carriage and cannonballs were manufactured only in 1835. Moreover, the Tsar Cannon cannot and could not fire such cannonballs.

Until the current nickname was assigned to the gun, it was called the “Russian Shotgun.” And this is closer to the truth, since the cannon was supposed to fire buckshot (“shot” - stone cannonballs with a total weight of up to 800 kg). She should have, but she never shot.

Although, according to legend, the cannon did fire one salvo, shooting out the ashes of False Dmitry, but this does not correspond to the facts. When the Tsar Cannon was sent for restoration in the eighties, the experts who studied it came to the conclusion that the weapon was never completed. There was no pilot hole in the cannon, which no one had bothered to drill for five centuries.

However, this did not stop the cannon from showing off in the heart of the capital and demonstrating the power of Russian weapons to overseas ambassadors with its impressive appearance.

3. "Big Bertha"

The legendary mortar, produced in 1914 at the factories of the ancient Krupp foundry dynasty, received its nickname in honor of Bertha Krupp, who was at that time the sole owner of the concern. Judging by the surviving photographs, Bertha was indeed quite a large woman.

The 420-mm mortar could fire one shot every 8 minutes and send a 900-kilogram projectile 14 km. The landmine exploded, leaving behind a crater with a diameter of 10 m and a depth of 4 m. The flying fragments killed at a distance of up to 2 km. The walls of the French and Belgian garrisons were not prepared for this. Allied forces fighting on the Western Front dubbed Bertha the “Fort Killer.” It took the Germans no more than two days to capture another fortress.

In total, twelve Berthas were produced during the First World War; to date, not a single one has survived. Those that did not explode themselves were destroyed during the fighting. The mortar that lasted the longest was captured by the American army at the end of the war and was exhibited until 1944 in the military museum of Aberdeen (Maryland), until it was sent for melting down.

4. Parisian gun

On March 21, 1918, an explosion occurred in Paris. Behind him is another, a third, a fourth. Explosions occurred at fifteen-minute intervals, and in just one day there were 21 of them... The Parisians were in panic. The sky above the city remained deserted: no enemy planes, no zeppelins.

By the evening, after studying the fragments, it became clear that these were not aerial bombs, but artillery shells. Have the Germans really reached the very walls of Paris, or even settled somewhere inside the city?

Only a few days later, the French aviator Didier Dora, flying over, discovered the place from which they were shooting at Paris. The gun was hidden 120 kilometers from the city. The Kaiser Wilhelm Trumpet, an ultra-long-range weapon, another product of the Krupp concern, was firing at Paris.

The barrel of the 210 mm gun had a length of 28 m (plus a 6-meter extension). The colossal weapon, weighing 256 tons, was placed on a special railway platform. The firing range of a 120-kilogram projectile was 130 km, and the trajectory height reached 45 km. It was precisely because the projectile moved in the stratosphere and experienced less air resistance that a unique range was achieved. The projectile reached the target in three minutes.

The gun, noticed by the big-eyed pilot, was hiding in the forest. Around it there were several batteries of small-caliber guns, which created a background noise that made it difficult to establish the exact location of the Kaiser Trumpet.

For all its external horror, the weapon was rather stupid. The 138-ton barrel was bending from own weight and needed support with additional cables. And once every three days the barrel had to be completely changed, since it could not withstand more than 65 shots, the volleys wore it down too quickly. Therefore, for each new barrel there was a special set of numbered shells - each next one was slightly thicker (that is, slightly larger in caliber) than the previous one. All this affected the shooting accuracy.

In total, about 360 shots were fired across Paris. In this case, 250 people were killed. Most Parisians (60) died when they hit (accidentally, of course) the Church of Saint-Gervais during a service. And although there were not many dead, all of Paris was frightened and depressed by the power of German weapons.

When the situation at the front changed, the cannon was immediately evacuated back to Germany and destroyed so that its secret would not get to the Entente troops.

5. "Dora"

And again the Germans, and again the Krupp company. In 1936, Adolf Hitler strongly recommended that the concern build a cannon that would be capable of destroying the French Maginot Line (a system of 39 defensive fortifications, 75 bunkers and other dugouts, built on the border with Germany). A year later, the Fuhrer's special order was completed and approved. The project was immediately put into production. And in 1941, the supergun saw the light of day.

"Dora", which received its name in honor of the wife of the chief designer, was capable of penetrating armor 1 m thick, 7 m of concrete and 30 m of ordinary hard soil. The range of the gun was estimated at 35-45 km.

“Dora” is terrifying even today with its size: barrel length - 32.5 m, weight - 400 tons, height - 11.6 m, each shell weighed 7088 kg. The gun was located on two railway conveyors, and the total weight of the entire system reached 1350 tons.

“Dora,” of course, was terrifying, but then it turned out that there was nowhere to really use it. The Maginot Line had already been taken a year ago and the Belgian forts had fallen. It was not even possible to transport a cannon to strengthen Gibraltar: the railway bridges in Spain would not have supported its weight. But in February 1942, it was decided to deliver the Dora to the Crimea and begin shelling Sevastopol.

The operation, fortunately, turned out to be nothing. Despite the monstrous efforts of the fascist army, the effect was practically zero. More than 4,000 people were employed in servicing Dora. There was even a special kilometer-long railway line built for the gun. Complex camouflage and defense of the position was carried out with the help of fighters, a smoke-masking division, two infantry companies and special teams of the field gendarmerie.

Model "Dora"

Between June 5 and June 26, 53 shells were fired at Sevastopol. Only five hit the target, and even those did not achieve the desired effect. The operation was curtailed, and Dora was sent to Leningrad. But during the entire war she never fired a single shot.

In April 1945, in the forest near the city of Auerbach, American troops discovered the wreckage of the Dora. The gun was destroyed by the Germans themselves so that it would not fall to the advancing Red Army.

It is not for nothing that artillery is called the main participant in the war. From the very beginning of its history, it became an important and integral part of any ground forces. Even despite high-tech developments in the field missile weapons And air aviation, the artillerymen have enough work to do, and this state of affairs will not change in the foreseeable future.

In the army, size mattered and always matters, regardless of the type of troops. Large bombers or massive tanks are not the most maneuverable, and sometimes not the most effective tools of attack or defense, but do not forget about the psychological effect they have on their enemies.

So, we present to your attention a list of the largest guns in the entire history of mankind, which includes artillery pieces different eras and times. All of them have survived to this day in one form or another, and instill fear in museum visitors, and not in enemies on the battlefield.

1. Ottoman "Basilica".
2. German "Dora".
3. Russian Tsar Cannon.
4. American gun "Little David".
5. Soviet mortar "Oka".
6. German "Big Bertha"

Let's look at each participant in more detail.

"Basilica"

Taking pride of place on our list is the Ottoman Basilica cannon. They began casting it at the beginning of the 15th century at the request of the ruler Mehmed II. The work fell on the shoulders of the famous Hungarian master Urban, and a few years later the most big gun peace in the history of war.

The bronze gun turned out to be colossal in size: the length of the warhead was 12 meters, the barrel diameter was 90 cm, and the weight exceeded the 30-ton mark. For that time, it was a heavy machine, and at least 30 tall bulls were required to move it.

Distinctive features of the gun

The crew of the gun was also impressive: 50 carpenters to make a platform at the shooting site and 200 people to aim at the target. The firing range of the world's largest cannon was about 2 kilometers, which at that time was an unthinkable distance for any weapon.

“Basilica” did not please its commanders for long, because literally after a few days of a difficult siege, the cannon cracked, and after a couple of days it stopped firing altogether. Nevertheless, the weapon served the Ottoman Empire and brought a lot of fear to the enemies, from which they could not recover for a long time.

"Dora"

This very heavy German gun is considered the largest cannon in the world during World War II. It all started in the 30s of the last century, when Krupp engineers began designing this colossus.

A gun with a caliber of 807 mm had to be mounted on a special platform that walked along railway. The maximum range for hitting targets fluctuated around 50 kilometers. German designers managed to produce only two guns, and one of them took part in the siege of Sevastopol.

The total weight of "Dora" fluctuated around 1.3 tons. With about a half-hour delay, the cannon fired one shot. Despite the fact that many military analysts and specialists had a lot of doubts about the combat effectiveness and practicality of such a monster, the gun really instilled panic and disoriented enemy troops.

Tsar Cannon

Bronze in the list of the largest artillery guns was given to our national pride - the Tsar Cannon. The weapon saw the light of day in 1586 thanks to the efforts of weapons designer those years of Andrei Chokhov.

The dimensions of the gun make an unforgettable impression on tourists: the length is 5.4 meters, the caliber of the combat weapon is 890 mm and the weight of more than 40 tons will frighten any enemy. The largest cannon in the world rightfully received the respectful treatment of the Tsar.

Above appearance the guns also tried. The cannon is decorated with complex and interesting patterns, and several inscriptions can be read along the perimeter. Military experts are confident that the Tsar Cannon opened fire on the enemy only once, despite the fact that this was not confirmed in historical documents. Our gun was included in the famous Guinness Book of Records and became the most visited attraction in the capital, along with the Lenin Mausoleum.

"Little David"

This gun from the United States is a legacy of World War II and is considered the world's largest cannon in terms of caliber diameter. “Little David” was developed as a tool for eliminating particularly powerful enemy structures on the Pacific coast.

But the gun was not destined to leave the training ground where it was successfully tested, so the gun inspired fear and respect only in photographs of the foreign press.

Before firing, the barrel was mounted on a special metal frame, which was buried a quarter into the ground. The cannon fired non-standard cone-shaped projectiles, the weight of which could reach one and a half tons. At the site of the explosion of such ammunition there was a deep depression 4 meters deep and 10-15 meters in circumference.

Mortar "Oka"

In fifth position on the list of the world's largest guns is another domestic development of the Soviet era - the Oka mortar. In the middle of the last century, the USSR already had nuclear weapons, but experienced some problems with delivering it to the target location. Therefore, Soviet designers were given the task of creating a mortar that could fire nuclear warheads.

As a result, they got a kind of monster with a caliber of 420 mm and a weight of almost 60 tons. The mortar's firing range varied within 50 kilometers, which, in principle, was sufficient for mobile tank equipment of those times.

Despite the theoretical success of the enterprise, mass production of Oka was abandoned. The reason for this was the monstrous recoil of the gun, which negated all mobility: for a normal shot it was necessary to properly dig in the mortar and build supports, and this required too much time.

"Big Bertha"

Another weapon of German designers, but already at the beginning of the last century, when the First World War raged World War. The gun was developed at the already mentioned Krupp plant in 1914. The gun received a main combat caliber of 420 mm, and each individual projectile weighed almost one ton. Having a firing range of 14 kilometers, such indicators were quite acceptable.

"Big Bertha" was designed to destroy particularly strong enemy fortifications. Initially, the gun was stationary, but after some time it was modified and made possible to use on a mobile platform. The first option weighed about 50 tons, and the second about 40. To transport the guns, steam tractors were used, which with great difficulty, but coped with their task.

At the landing site of the projectile, a deep depression with a diameter of up to 15 meters was formed, depending on the ammunition chosen. The gun's rate of fire was surprisingly high - one shot in eight minutes. The cannon was a real disaster and a headache for the allies. The machine not only inspired fear, but also demolished even the strongest walls and fortifications.

But despite my lethal force, "Big Bertha" was vulnerable to enemy artillery. The latter was more mobile and quicker of fire. During the assault on the Osowiec fortress, in eastern Poland, the Germans, although they pretty much battered the fort, lost two of their guns. While the Russian soldiers repelled the onslaught with great success, damaging only one standard artillery unit (the naval "Kane").