German Emperor William Railway Gun

  • Artillery Thru The Age
  • 1 min

By Crusader1307

Developed by German in the last year of The War, the “”Supergun” known as “The Emperor William Gun” was also known as “The Paris Gun”. German was a developer and innovator of defensive and offensive “Railway Guns”. These large caliber weapons were designed for siege operations and were built onto specially designed railway cars. They would thus be transported to locations near their initial targets. Often, die to the massive size and power of these weapons, they could often be many miles away from their targets (and relatively safe from enemy attack – save Air assault). The Paris Gun, (so name for it's use to bombard the City of Paris during World War I), was a 300 ton cannon that was 112 feet long. Capable of a 55 degree maximum elevation, the Paris Gun could fire multiple types of artillery rounds up to 80 miles. The Gun was capable of projecting rounds at 5,400 feet per second. Several versions featured smaller barrels (60 to 80 feet). Each shell weighed around 240 pounds. A crew could consist of 30 to 50 men. With advancements in Rocket technology, The Paris Gun and related “Superguns”, fell into disuse.