Inside the Schwerer Gustav

Follow and Wishlist our game on Steam https://store.steampowered.com/app/36... Today we will explore in detail the gun that fired the heaviest shells in the history of artillery: the 80 cm Kanone (E), more widely known by its factory name, Schwerer Gustav or “Heavy Gustav.” That was the heaviest mobile gun in history. It had the same mass as a British interwar destroyer, and the entire massive gun needed to be aimed towards its target on a special curved section of railroad. It could throw 7-ton shells at 24 miles, and lighter 4.8-ton shells up to 30 miles. Built to destroy the famous fortifications of the Maginot Line, this gun was too late for the Battle of France but was later used against a much different target: the city and naval base of Sevastopol in Crimea. What was the design of this gun? How was it moved from place to place? How did the gun and its crew cope with the massive recoil and shockwave that each shot produced? And most importantly - was this gun, as big and mighty as it was, worth its money? List of sources: https://warhistory.org/@msw/article/8... https://www.dws-xip.com/encyklopedia/... (in Polish) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/80-cm-K...) (in German) http://html2.free.fr/canons/dora.htm (in French) - overview and photo gallery of assembly process https://bellabs.ru/30-35/Dora-Karl.html (in Russian) results of the bombardment of Sevastopol by German heaviest artillery systems https://web.archive.org/web/200802212... article about locomotives specifically built for this gun Support us on Patreon for exclusive perks and help us create more content   / bluepawprint   Check out our exclusive merch https://yarnhub-shop.fourthwall.com 00:00 Introduction 00:57 Dimensions 02:16 Design and Construction 05:01 Shells, Charges, and Ballistic Performance 09:34 Aiming 10:43 Loading and Firing Sequence 12:39 Crew Operations 13:27 Combat Use and Effectiveness 14:36 Conclusion Blue Paw Print uses the Unreal® Engine. Unreal® is a trademark or registered trademark of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. Unreal® Engine, Copyright 1998 – 2026, Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved.