|
|
The 28cm lange Bruno Kanone (Eisenbahn) was the second of four models of railway gun loosely based on a First World War original, and carried a L/45 gun.
During the First World War Krupp had produced the 28cm S.K. L/40 Bruno E.u.B., a dual purpose mount that allowed the gun to be fired from the rails or from an specially prepared firing position. In 1936 the Germans put in place an emergency armament programme, and in order to speed up the production of railway guns, the decision was made to mount a number of surplus 28cm guns on the old Bruno carriage. The originals had long been scrapped, but Krupp had the production drawings, which they passed on to Hanomag at Hanover.
The first model to be produced was the kurze Bruno Kanone, armed with an L/40 gun. This was followed by three examples of the 28cm lange Bruno Kanone (Eisenbahn), which was armed with a L/45 gun. These were completed in 1937-38, at which time they had a number of obsolete First World War features, including a central pivot and jacks to allow it to be moved onto a steel or concrete firing position. During the Second World War a more practical system was used, the ‘Vögele’ turntable, which resembled the sort of turntable used in railway lines. As a result many of the older features could be removed.
All three of the lange Bruno guns were used by Eisenbahnbatterrie 688.
Name |
28cm lange Bruno K (E) |
Calibre |
28.3cm (11.14in) |
Barrel Length |
12.735m (41ft 9.4in) |
Weight for transport |
|
Weight in action |
|
Elevation |
|
Traverse |
|
Shell Weight |
302kg (666lb) |
Muzzle Velocity |
|
Maximum Range |
28,500m (31,170 yards) (or 36km) |
Rate of Fire |
|