Thread: Gustav Cannon/ 31.5" Gun

Originally Posted by leibstandarte10

A giant misappropriation of resources and manpower. Weapons like this greatly hindered the German war industries' efforts.

You hit right on the nail. While such large guns do create great destruction where nothing will get in it's way. It's a very, very, very, very heavy weapon to move. Even loading the giant shells was a hard task. Generally armies such as USA, Russia I think, and China currently don't operate guns or howitzers that are larger in caliber than 155mm or 6 inches. Beyond that they don't see such heavy weapons practical for mobile warfare. Although a 8 inch howitzer will destroy dug in defenses such as trenches much better than 155mm and smaller weapons, they prefer lighter MLRS for firepower. They are as about as accurate without guidance electronics within the rockets, but they can lay a high volume of firepower onto a area better and quickly. Where cannons are for more the close ranged nitty and gritty of warfare. Reliable in close engagement compared to MLRS which is really intended for indirect fire. The cannon has the flexability to be a direct fire and a indirect fire. China has 18 inch rockets I think. Imagine operating a 18 inch cannon. That is a type of gun a battleship would use. The Germans during WW2 and before that were obsessed with giant cannons, but in the day of warplanes. It's more practical to call in a airstrike than move a huge cannon into range. In WW1 warplanes were at their infancy. Huge cannons were definitely needed to smash trenches. The French 75 was a good field gun, but it wasn't the only gun in need in WW1. It did a good job at destroying machine nests and pilboxes, but trenches were a different story. You needed something that made the earth move upwards. World War 2, such giant cannons were not needed as much with the development of more powerful aircraft.