Franz Joseph Fire Maul
New "fortress killer"
A lot has been said about the German “Big Bertha”, one of the most destructive weapons of the First World War era. The Austrian 12-inch - “Miracle Emma”, or “Austrian Bertha” is less known.
Austro-Hungarian 305-mm mortar
But this high-quality modern weapon was one of the most powerful in its class, being actively used by both the Austro-Hungarian and German armies during the First World War 1914-1918. In particular, the Austrian 305-graph paper shattered the Belgian fortress, actively worked on the Ivangorod, Kovno and Verdun fortresses, effectively acted on the Italian front, fought in Serbia, in the Dardanelles and Palestine.
Demonstration of guns in front of Turkish dignitaries in Constantinople, 1916
Like Germany, Austria-Hungary in connection with the lessons of the preceding (especially the Russian-Japanese 1904-1905) wars attached great importance to heavy artillery. It was believed that the role of heavy artillery would be very great, not only in the fight against the fortresses, but also in the field war. Especially as in the latter field defenses, barriers and other targets appeared, against which a field gun grenade could be powerless. Accordingly, a lot of effort was put into these states and a lot of money was spent in order to have quantitatively powerful heavy artillery and to provide it with means of fast moving. And, to the best of its economic and production possibilities, Austria-Hungary tried to follow this concept.
The “Miracle Emma”, as the 12-inch howitzer was later called, became the pinnacle of an artillery pyramid. Let's look at the tactical and technical data of 305-mm mortars of the 1911 model modified in 1916. With a weight of 290 kg and its initial speed 407 meters per second, the gun had a range of fire 11 km, and degrees of horizontal and vertical shelling plus or minus 60 and 40-75, respectively (for comparison, the 420-mm of the German Bertha has 10 and 30-70). The weight of the gun in the combat position - 20900 kg, which is half the size of the German 420-mm "Bertha" (42600 kg).
305 mm mortar. The shell of this weapon "forms a funnel in which the corpses of five horses can fit"
But about everything in order, especially since this wonderful weapon had several modifications.
From M-11 to M-16.
Although the presence of Russian fortresses, the “keys” of the highly probable Eastern Front (Osovets, Novogeorgiyevsk, Ivangorod), was an important incentive for starting work on large-gauge mortars for the Austro-Hungarian command, the gun was “obliged” by its origin ... to the then Partner in the Triple Alliance - Italy. The latter, immediately after the end of the Russian-Japanese war, took up work to modernize its fortresses - especially in terms of rebooking and enhancing the fire resistance of armor towers and other defensive elements.
At the beginning of the XX century. The General Staff of the Army of the Dual Monarchy was concerned about the intensive construction of Italian border fortifications. In an effort to have in the future a weighty fire argument in the event of very likely complications in relations with Italy, the leadership of the General Staff instructs the Military Technical Commission to develop tactical and technical requirements for a new mortar capable of crushing the promising defenses of the Italians. Requirements were developed in 1907, and according to them, the mortar should have 305 mm caliber, projectile mass to 300 kg, range of fire to 8000 m, and the ability to work at 2-km altitude (the latter should have been during mountainous War surprise for Italians). Increased demands were placed on the mobility of this tool - regardless of its caliber. And it was not surprising: Austria-Hungary, preparing for the war on the 2 (and even on the 3) front, wanted to get a weapon that could relatively quickly overcome hundreds of kilometers - moving from Galicia to the mountains of Italy, and back. For this functionality, both the limited budget possibilities and the rapid growth of the empire's engine-building and automotive industries worked.
The order for the development of guns at the start of 1908 was given to Skoda-Werke AG, a monopolist in the field of heavy artillery systems for the Austro-Hungarian army.
In 1910, the prototype was presented for testing. At the beginning of 1912, the Ministry of War decides on the allocation of funds for the manufacture of 24-305-mm mortars, designated 30,5, see MÖrser M. 11. And by the beginning of World War I, Skoda-Werke AG handed over the last mortar from the series ordered in 1912 to representatives of the Austro-Hungarian army. During the war years, 44 mortars of this system were released.
Mortar had a steel barrel length 10 calibers. The length of the rifled part of the barrel was 6,7 caliber. In the barrel bore 68 was made cutting of a constant slope. The barrel bore was locked using the latest prismatic wedge gate. The mass of the barrel reached 5930 kg.
The barrel was installed in the cradle of the clip-on type attached to the cast machine. Two recoil hydraulic brakes mounted above the barrel, as well as a pneumatic knurler located under the barrel, were used as anti-recoil devices. The lifting mechanism of the machine allowed the gun to be aimed in a vertical plane in the range of angles from 0 ° to + 75 °. In the horizontal position, the instrument was loaded, and in this position, the barrel rested on a special stop mounted on the machine bed. Shooting was conducted at elevation angles from + 40 ° to + 75 °.
Pointing guns in the horizontal plane was carried out by turning the machine on a chase, fastened with bolts on a steel platform platform. The worm-turn mechanism allowed the gun to be directed in the ± 60 ° sector. On the part of the breech on the machine were fixed guides for trays with projectiles and powder charges.
Mortar weight in the combat position was 18730 kg. Modified in 1916, mortars (M. 11 / 16), which had increased the strength of the machine and the platform platform, weighed in combat 20900 kg.
Initially, only the high-explosive shells of M. 11 / 9 with a mass of 385,3 kg, containing 38,3 kg of explosives, were released to the mortar. Shooting was conducted using four variable charges. When firing a full charge, the projectile had an initial speed of 370 m / s, and the firing range was 9600 m. During the war, in order to increase the firing range to 11000 m, a so-called "light" high-explosive projectile with a mass of 290,8 kg containing 34,8 kg of explosive was introduced. Its initial speed was 407 m / s. The shell left in the ground funnels with a depth of 8,8 m, pierced 3 meter brick wall and 22-cm concrete masonry.
The explosion of 305-mm grenades.
The 300-kg shrapnel shell containing 16,4 kg of explosives and 2200 shrapnel bullets was an exceptionally powerful means of defeating manpower. The firing range - also 11000 m. 2-3 such shells were enough to thwart the attack of the whole regiment.
When designing a mortar, the transportation of the gun was planned to be carried out only with the use of mechanical traction — wheeled tractor M. 12 from Daimler. Mortar disassembled into three parts, which formed the 3 carriage: a receiver carriage, a carriage carriage and a carriage with a platform platform. The cooperation of Skoda and Austro Daimler was an important key to success in the mechanization of Emma's Miracle.
At first, it was believed that a single wheeled tractor would be enough to tow all 3's vehicles. Then they came to the conclusion that it would be more correct if the tractor tows the 2 carriage, and as more and more trucks arrive at the mortar batteries, the final scheme is taken - the 1 tractor tows the vehicle.
The most important element of the fire control system were units of tethered balloons attached to mortar batteries.
Parseval serving the “motor battery”, photo after 1917
Mortars M. 11 used by the Austro-Hungarian army on the Russian and Italian fronts (about it - further). Usually they were in service with individual mortar batteries of special power - motorized or “motor batteries”. Each battery had 2 guns and 6 tractors. The batteries could be included in the artillery battalions and regiments (as in the German army) - first of all, the fortress artillery (the flagship was the Krakow fortress). During the war, “motor batteries” were separated from the artillery pieces — this allowed them to be quickly transferred to the aid of the German allies (for example, the Krakow fortress sent 2 to Belgium from their 4 batteries, receiving, in turn, 2 batteries from Vienna) or grouped as powerful fire resource in the hands of the High Command. The confusion of the initial period of the war led to the fact that, for example, the Balkan Front in August 1914 did not receive a single “motor battery”.
There are also known cases of the use of "wandering" tools. For example, during a battle in the valley of the river. Isonzo in 1917 was pushed one mortar into the neutral zone at night, and 15 gunfire destroyed the railway station where the Italian troops were landing. After successfully completing the task, the mortar was transferred to the marching position and returned to the location even before dawn. However, such operations did not always end safely.
305-mm Skoda on the position.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the M. 11 were as follows: barrel length - 10 caliber; highest angle of elevation + 75 degrees; declination angle - 0 degrees; horizontal angle of attack - 120 degrees; weight in the fighting position - 18730 kg; weight in the stowed position - 27950 kg; high-explosive projectile weight - 385,3 kg; the initial velocity of the projectile - 370 m / s .; the longest firing range is 9600 m.
"Vidocq through mortar castle."
The use of the M. 11 in combat conditions quickly revealed their main shortcomings - the small firing range, the insufficient strength of the machine and the foundation platform, and the small sector of shooting. Therefore, along with the modernization of mortars M. 11 to the level of M. 11 / 16, Skoda-Werke AG began to develop a new 305-mm mortar, adopted by the Austro-Hungarian army in 1916, and was designated M. 16.
First of all, to increase the firing range, the designers extended the barrel to 12 calibers and changed the mass of the variable powder charges upwards. Using the same projectiles that M. 11 fired at, this made it possible to increase the initial velocity of the projectiles to 380 - 450 m / s, and the firing range - to 11100 - 12300 m.
Carriage with recoil devices designed anew. Instead of the cradle of the overload type, a trough-shaped cradle was used, and the system of recoil devices was placed under the barrel. This system consisted of two hydraulic recoil brakes and a pneumatic knurler. The improved lifting mechanism allowed the gun to be directed in a vertical plane in the range of angles from -5 ° to + 75 °, shooting was carried out at elevation angles greater than + 40 °.
A new mobile base platform was designed. It installed a ball epaulet, on which the machine gun was mounted. In this way circular fire was assured.
The changes made to the mortar design led to an increase in its mass to 22824 kg.
In the stowed position, it was also divided into 3 units, which formed a barrel wagon (11240 kg), a launcher cart (11830 kg) and a wagon with a platform platform (11870 kg). Each of these carts on a hike was towed by a “personal” tractor M. 12 with an engine up to 100 l. with.
100-strong "Austro Daimler"
Before the end of World War I, Skoda-Werke AG managed to release 29 type M mortars. 16.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the M. 16: barrel length - 12 caliber; the largest elevation angle is + 75 degrees; declination angle - - 5 degrees; horizontal angle of attack - 360 degrees; weight in the fighting position - 22824 kg; weight in the stowed position - 39940 kg; high-explosive projectile weight - 385,3 kg; the initial velocity of the projectile - 380 m / s .; the longest firing range is 11100 m.
Steel platform ready for transport.
Motorized large-caliber result
What conclusions can be made?
1) The Škoda concern, the brainchild of which was the 12-inch, one of the leaders in the creation and production of super-powered guns, produced one of the best tools of its time for its time of great power. The Emma Miracle projectile was able to overcome the most powerful defense. 2) Mortar, despite its caliber, belonged to mobile artillery systems. When developing this tool, special attention was paid to the issue of transportation of this howitzer. As we noted above, the 305-mm howitzer was divided into 3 main parts - and the possibility of transporting the Austro Daimler tractor over long distances to its gun carriage and trunk, was originally incorporated into the project. By the way, for these purposes tractors were used for the first time. 3) Mechanized thrust has significantly increased the functionality of the Austrian Bert batteries. The gunners, who were seated on each tractor tractor, also performed a useful function - primarily by controlling the brakes. Assembly winches, shells, tools and even a special mobile workshop, fire control devices, documentation, food and other property were transported by additional tractors.
In the lower figure, there is a way to detach the trolley from the platform.
The gun was one of the first, originally designed as a mobile artillery unit. And not a single army in the world at that time had a mobile tool of such great power. Austria-Hungary was not only among the powers best prepared to fight against fortified areas and enemy fortresses, it became an innovator in the organization of super-heavy motorized artillery.
Platform installation
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