Pipe Kaiser Wilhelm (6 photos)

The photo shows the most long-range gun, she's "Trumpet Kaiser Wilhelm" (it. Kaiser-Wilhelm-Rohr) and "enormous" (It. Kolossal). Developed as a naval gun. Created for the Paris fire from a distance. The first shot in Paris "Paris Gun" made at 7 o'clock 18 minutes of March 21, 1918 She was destined to fight only until August of the same year.



excessively elongated, but relatively thin stem. weighing 138 tons caved in under its own weight. He even had to keep steel cables. After each shot, he hesitated for 2-3 minutes After shooting even had to remove it using gantry cranes and straighten.
As for the caliber, then the "Paris Gun" was another interesting feature. Every shot "erase" the metal on the inside of the barrel and caliber became a little bit more. If immediately after manufacture caliber supergun was 210 mm, after firing increased to 240 mm. Knowing this, practical German license manufactured shells - from 1 to 65, each of which was a little larger than the previous one. They should produce in strict sequence, and after the 65th - to change the barrel.
After the beginning of a powerful offensive of the Entente in August 1918 the Germans destroyed the "Paris Gun" that she did not get to the enemy. From it survived only a few parts, the Americans found about Chateau Terry.
Shells "Paris Gun" were the first man-made object, lofted into the stratosphere planet. This success will be repeated only in 1942 the German V-2 rocket.