80 cm Kanone (E) Gustav-Gerät assembly
French 274 mm Mle 87-93 rail gun
Schwerer Gustav 80cm K(E) Dora rail gun, 1942
rail gun Kurze Bruno 28 cm
rail gun Kurze Bruno on Voegele Turntable for Railroad Guns
rail gun Kurze Bruno in action
rail gun Kurze Bruno on Vogele Turntable for Railroad Guns
rail gun Kurze Bruno 28cm
Rail gun Kurze Bruno and Vogele turntable
rail gun ex-French Canon de 340 modèle 1912 à berceau
rail gun 274mm
Canon de 320 mm mle 1870/84
German Railroad Artillery
K5 rail gun
K5 rail gun
K5 German rail gun
Italian gun Crew with 194 mm railway gun on Cassino Front 1944
German rail gun 20.3 cm Kanone (E)
German 340 mm Model M12 – 34 cm K.-Gl-(E) 673 (f) rail gun
German 24cm Theodor rail gun
Loading shell into a 24 cm Theodor rail gun
German 24 cm in action against British Convoy 1940
french rail gun 320 mm modele 1870-81 glissement Schneider
German 15 cm Kanone in Eisenbahnlafette of the Artillerie-Batterie 655 (E) in Belgium
Captured 27 cm K 592 f , ex-French Canon de 274 modèle 87/93 Glissement
Captured 340mm Mle 1912 Schneider French railway gun
400mm Mle 1915-16 rail howitzer
320mm Mle 1870-93 rail gun
320 MM MLE 1870 30
rail gun 24 cm Kanone (E) 558 (f)
Later German 32cm K(E) 657(f)
Later German 37cm H(E) 714(f)
K5 rail gun near Leningrad
K5 rail gun
K5 near Leningrad
Captured K5 German Anzio Annie railway gun
German rail gun 20.3 cm Kanone (E)
Italian Battery in Action with 194mm railway gun at Cassino 1944
German 28cm BRUNO L/40 rail gun
German 24cm Theodor rail gun
German rail gun 20.3 cm K (E) gun
German 24cm Theodor rail gun
15 cm Kanone in Eisenbahnlafette
Captured 27 cm K 592 (f) , ex-French Canon de 274 modèle 87/93 Glissement
28,5 cm K. 605 (E) i.L. 592 (f) Kulmbach Germany 19 April 1945
340mm Mle 1912 Schneider Metz
320mm Mle 1870-93 rail gun 1940
French 320 mm Mle 1870 30 railway gun
Later 34 cm Kanone (Eisenbahn) in Gleitlafette 673(f)
305 mm Mle 93-96
32 cm K 651(f) rail gun 1944
32 cm K 651(f) rail gun Italy 1944
28 cm K5 Anzio Express rail
32 cm Kanone (Eisenbahn) 651/1(f) rail gun
gun breech
28 cm K5 Anzio Express
28 cm Bruno rail gun
28 cm Bruno rail gun
28 cm Bruno rail gun
24 cm Kanone 558(f) Canon de 240 modèle 93/96 TAZ
Later 28.5 cm Kanone (Eisenbahn) 605(f) rail gun
28 cm Bruno rail gun
24 cm Theodor Bruno gun breech
24 cm Theodor Bruno rail gun
24 cm Theodor Bruno rail gun
24 cm Theodor Bruno rail gun
Railway gun K5 Cross-channel fire
Captured 27,4cm K(E) 592(f) named “Bruno” of the Eisenbahn Artillerie Batterie 692
French rail gun
U.S. 7th Army Troops, 3rd Armored Division with captured 27,4cm K(E) 592(f). March 1945 near Cologne
20 cm Kanone (E) from 685 Eisenbahn-Artillerie-Batterie on the Vögele turntable, France 1941
Krupp 28 cm Kanone 5 (E) in action
Captured K5 “Leopold” 919 219 of the 712. Eisenbahn-Artillerie-Batterie. Civitavecchia June 1944
K5(E) “Anzio Annie” of the 712. Eisenbahn-Artillerie-Batterie. Crew cleaning the gun barrel, March 1944
German soldier fires 28 cm Kanone (Eisenbahn) Kurze Bruno 1940
German troops firing railway gun over the English Channel 1940
21 cm K 12 (E) of the Eisenbahn-Artillerie-Batterie 701, France
15 cm SK (E) L/40 Kanone during exercise 1939
20.3 cm K (E) captured in Auderville Laye, France 11 July 1944
German troops manning captured ex-French 370mm modèle 1915 howitzer (E) 751(f) Warsaw, December 1944
Schwerer Bruno fires over English Channel 1940
Captured experimental gun 340 mm L/60 Bourgoin 2
Captured 38cm K(E) Siegfried railway gun named “Gneisenau” of the Eisenbahn-Batterie 698. Montélimar pocket August 1944
20,3 cm K (E) at Plouharnel Batterie, Le Begot, Bretagne 1944
K5 Leopold captured by the Allies in Citavecchia 1944
Captured St Chamond 400mm Mle 1915/1916 howitzer
Schwere Bruno in Belgium 1941
Captured 240 TAZ Modèle 1893-1896
Captured St Chamond 400 mm Mle 1915/1916 howitzer 2
Captured 38 cm Siegfried K (E) named “Gneisenau” of the Eisenbahn-Batterie 698. Montélimar pocket August 1944
21 cm K 12 (E) of Eisenbahn-Artillerie-Batterie 701 on the coast of the English Channel
Captured ex-French 27,4 cm K 592(f); 274mm Gl. modèle 17
28 cm Kanone 5 (Eisenbahn)
Captured 27,4cm K(E) 592(f) named “Bruno” of the Eisenbahn Artillerie Batterie 692 at La Coucourde, France 1944
Krupp 28 cm Kanone 5 (E) ready to open fire
Captured 38cm K(E) Siegfried gun named “Gneisenau” of the Eisenbahn-Batterie 698. Montélimar pocket, August 1944
274 mm Mle 1917 barrel
French railway guns 340mm Mle 1912 Schneider and 320mm Mle 1870/84 1940
French 340 mm Mle 1912 Railway Gun Belfort France
French Railroad Gun 320 mm Mle 1917 named Joyeux
28 cm Schwere Bruno railway gun France
340 mm L/60 Bourgoin gun
French railway guns 340mm Mle 1912 Schneider and 320mm Mle 1870/84
28 cm Eisenbahngeschutz Kanone L/42 “Schwere Bruno”. Gun of the Eisenbahn-Artillerie-Batterie 689. Winter camouflage, Eastern Front 1942
400 mm St. Chamond Mle 1915 1916 french railway howitzer
32 cm french railroad gun mle 1870
Captured french railway gun
274 mm Mle 1917 railway gun and locomotive
German 28 cm K5 Eisenbahngeschutz of the Eisenbahn-Artillerie-Batterie 686. Railway gun in action, winter camouflage. Leningrad 1942-1943.
ex french railway gun crew 1941
274 mm Mle 1917 Railway gun France
Schneider 320 mm Mle 1870-93 1945 railway gun Furth 1945
194 mm Mle 1870 93 TAZ Railway Artillery France 1940
railway gun 340 mm St. Chamond Mle 1912
German 280 mm railway gun
274 mm Mle 1917 french railway gun
French railroad gun
24 cm “Theodor Bruno” Kanone german railway gun and crew June 1940
German Railway Artillery Atlantikwall 1944
German railway gun 17cm SK (E) L/40
railway gun barrel
28 cm Schwere Bruno German Heavy Railway Artillery
Eisenbahngeschutz 28 cm K5(E) eastern front railway gun
captured 274 mm Mle 1917 railway gun 1940
French 320 mm Mle 1870 30 railway gun
400 mm St. Chamond Mle 1915 1916 railway howitzer
Wehrmacht Troops with Captured French 320 mm Railway Artillery
ex French 27,4 cm K(E) 592 (f) railway gun with number 929323 and nickname Casar
German 27,4 cm Railroad Gun Artillery France
german railway gun in action 1943
german 28 cm Eisenbahngeschutz railway gun
28 cm K5 (E) Sewastopol Crimea
German 28 cm K5 (E) railway gun Sevastopol Crimea eastern front
ex French 37 cm K(E) 714(f) 370 mm Modele 1875 79 German Railroad Gun
Eisenbahngeschutz 28 cm Schwere Bruno railway gun France
340 mm Mle 1912 railway artillery
274 mm Mle 1917 railway gun
28 cm Schwere Bruno german railway gun
28 cm Kanone Eisenbahnlafette L/42 “Schwere Bruno” of the Eisenbahn-Artillerie-Batterie 689, Germany 1940
340 mm Mle 1912 L/47 railway gun
274 mm Mle 1917 Railway guns France
Belgian ex German Krupp 28cm SK L/40 Bruno railway gun 1940
28 cm Schwere Bruno railway gun
German Eisenbahngeschutz Leningrad area
captured 274 mm Mle 1917 railway gun
320 mm mle 1917 railway gun
340 mm L/60 Bourgoin railway gun
French 320mm Mle 1870 rail gun
ex French 370 mm Modele 1875 79 German Railroad Gun
340 mm Mle 1912 L/47 French railway gun
German 20,3 cm L/60 Eisenbahngeschutz
370 mm modele 1875 79 railway gun
ex French 27,4 cm K(E) 592(f) German Railroad Gun Captured at Rentwertshausen 1945
320 mm Mle 1970 93 railway gun
German and captured railway guns in World War II.
Railway guns were placed on a special railway platform enabling it to fire. Lesser works were often placed in rotating turrets, and could be part of armored trains. Railway guns in the strict sense were large-caliber independent units (from 200 mm to 800 mm) used as a long range artillery siege. Many guns were built as mounted on the works of sized caliber naval artillery. Just as in the case of armored trains, the dynamic growth of aviation in the 30s of the twentieth century was the beginning of the end use of railway guns.
One of the most famous railway guns was called “Paris gun” used to fire the capital of France in 1918. The heaviest railway gun of the First World War was the French 520 mm howitzer Schneider, the largest railway gun in general was a German construction used during the Second World War Dora with a caliber of 800 mm. Although the giant railway guns could not realistically weigh on the war, their ability to break down into dust massive fortifications and devastating psychological impact on the enemy posed major advantage.