Many of the primary players of World War 1 (1914-1918) fielded some sort of railway artillery - this included the French, British, and the Germans among others. Rail guns were some of the heaviest artillery pieces witnessed in the conflict and provided extremely-long-range in-direct fire support capabilities for ground offensives. In some cases (such as with the German "Paris Gun"), they also enacted a certain psychological terror upon recipients, primarily in civilian areas, where large shells could fall on busy centers without warning. Initial work on railway artillery was handled through French experiments in 1914 but it was only a matter of time before the other powers found the value in these massive guns. By the end of the war, the available designs proved more dedicated for the role than those initially seen in service.
The guns fired an 850-pound High-Explosive (HE), Amatol-filled shell from a 304.8mm caliber gun tube that measured 40 feet long. The tube was breech-loaded and featured a Welin screw design. Initial recoil was handled by way of a Hydro-spring design though the forces were so severe that the remainder of the recoil action was the train car simply allowed to roll back a distance along the tracks (the Elswick carriage used locked brakes to reduce this effect). The gun tube's mounting allowed the barrel to be elevated from a span of 0 to 30-degrees though traverse left or right was severely restricted. Muzzle velocity of the outgoing shells reached 2,610 feet per second with a maximum firing range out to 32,700 yards.
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FIRE SUPPORT / ASSAULT / BREACHING
Support allied forces through direct / in-direct fire, assault forward positions, and / or breach fortified areas of the battlefield.
SPECIAL PURPOSE
Special purpose design developed to accomplish an equally-special battlefield role or roles.
374,786 lb (170,000 kg) Weight
187.4 tons (Heavy-class) Tonnage
1 x Locomotive for drive power. Drive System
19 miles (30 km) Road Range
1 x 305mm (12") L/40 gun barrel
AMMUNITION
Dependent upon ammunition carrier.
Ordnance BL 12-inch Gun Mk IX on Truck, Railway - Base Series Designation; appearing in 1915; four railway gun systems completed.
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