28 cm SK L/45 gun explained
| 28 cm SK L/45 |
| Origin: | German Empire |
| Type: | Naval gun
Coast-defence gun |
| Is Ranged: | y |
| Is Explosive: | yes |
| Is Artillery: | yes |
| Service: | 1910—1945 |
| Used By: | German Empire
Nazi Germany
Romania |
| Wars: | World War I
World War II |
| Designer: | Krupp |
| Design Date: | 1907—1909 |
| Manufacturer: | Krupp |
| Production Date: | 1909—1913? |
| Part Length: | (bore length) |
| Cartridge: | Separate-loading, cased charge |
| Breech: | Horizontal sliding-wedge |
The 28 cm SK L/45[1] was a German naval gun that was used in World War I and World War II. Originally a naval gun, it was adapted for land service after World War I.
Description
The 28 cm SK L/45 gun weighed 39.8t, had an overall length of 12.735m (41.781feet) and its bore length was 12.006m (39.39feet). Although designated as 28cm (11inches), its actual caliber was 28.3cm (11.1inches). It used the Krupp horizontal sliding-block breech design (or “wedge”, as it is sometimes referred to) rather than the interrupted screw commonly used in heavy guns of other nations. This required that the propellant charge be loaded in a metal, usually brass, case which provides obduration i.e. seals the breech to prevent escape of the expanding propellant gas.
History
Naval guns
Mounted on s and the battlecruiser .
Coast defense guns
Three guns were mounted at Battery Goeben on Husøya island, near Trondheim, Norway and formed Naval Coast Artillery Battery (Marine Artillerie Batterie) "Goeben", later 1st Battery, Naval Artillery Battalion (1./Marine Artillerie Abteilung) 507 "Husöen".[2] [3]
Another three guns were mounted at Battery Tirpitz on the Romanian coast, south of Constanța, from April 1941[4] to August 1944, when the battery was destroyed by the retreating Germans.[5] [6] The battery, like all Axis forces in Romania, was nominally under Romanian control, but operated by Kriegsmarine personnel,[7] and contributed to the defence of Constanța in 1941.[8]
See also
Bibliography
- Book: Campbell, John. Naval Weapons of World War Two. Conway Maritime Press. London. 2002. 0-87021-459-4.
- Book: Gander, Terry. Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939–1945. Doubleday. New York. 1979. 0-385-15090-3.
- Book: Hogg, Ian V.. German Artillery of World War Two. Stackpole Books. Mechanicsville, PA. 1997. 2nd corrected. 1-85367-480-X.
- Book: Rolf, Rudi. Der Atlantikwall: Bauten der deutschen Küstenbefestigungen 1940-1945. Biblio. 1998. Osnabrück. 3-7648-2469-7.
- Book: Rolf, Rudi . A Dictionary on Modern Fortification: An Illustrated Lexicon on European Fortification in the Period 1800-1945. PRAK. 2004. Middleburg, Netherlands.
- Schmalenbach . Paul . German Navy Large Bore Guns Operational Ashore During World War I . Warship International . 1983 . XX . 2 . 123–153. 0043-0374.
External links
Notes and References
- SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon); L - Länge in Kaliber (length in caliber)
- Web site: Artillergruppe Örlandet. 19 August 2009. www.nuav.net. 25 September 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070925232022/http://www.nuav.net/coastgr4.html#Art.Gr.%20%C3%98rlandet. live.
- Web site: 28 cm SK L/45 . bunkersite.com. 22 September 2012 . 29 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120229133239/http://bunkersite.com/panzer/guns/28-45.php . live .
- Book: Paterson, Lawrence . Steel and Ice: The U-Boat Battle in the Arctic and Black Sea 1941-45 . 2016-06-06 . History Press . 978-0-7509-6896-6 . en. 8.
- Book: Macellariu, Horia . În plin uragan: amintirile mele . 1998 . Editura Sagittarius . 978-973-98093-7-5 . ro.
- Book: Romania: Pages of History . 1989 . AGERPRES Publishing House. . en.
- Book: Kirchubel, Robert . Operation Barbarossa 1941 (1): Army Group South . 2012-09-20 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 978-1-84603-651-4 . en.
- Book: Rohwer, Jürgen . Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939-1945: The Naval History of World War II . 2005 . Naval Institute Press . 978-1-59114-119-8 . en.
