The bunkers of the 'Lange Max', a huge German cannon from the World War I

@ElentirENG ES 3·19·2023 · 23:14 0

Artillery experienced a golden age in the First World War (1914-1918), during which very large caliber cannons were made.

A labyrinthine fortress that witnessed a brutal battle of the World War I
The curious German bunkers named after animals built in France in 1918

One such gun was the 38 cm SK L/45, nicknamed "Lange Max" (Long Max). It was initially designed as a naval gun for the four German Bayern-class battleships, each of which was equipped with eight guns of this type in four turrets with two guns each. It was manufactured by the German company Krupp, it weighed 267 tons, the barrel of the gun was 16 meters long and had a maximum range of almost 48 kilometers. Its most lethal projectiles weighed 750 kg, carried a warhead with 67 kg of high explosive and could reach a distance of 38 kilometers.

These cannons were used on dry land as well, placing them on huge railway wagons and also in semi-circular artillery pits. Its shots were the first fired by German artillery at the Battle of Verdun In 1917, the Lange Max was one of the largest guns in the world.

This Sunday, the channel Simply Adventure has published an interesting video showing one of these cannons, which is preserved near the battlefield of Verdun, in northern France. This Lange Max has a sealed bore but is in very good condition. The video also shows the shelled shaft and the bunkers through which ammunition was supplied to the cannon (the video is in German, but it has English subtitles, you can activate them in the bottom bar of the player):

You can see here some captures of the video. Here we see the huge Lange Max preserved in Verdun.

The shaft in which the cannon was located, currently shelled and flooded.

One of the Lange Max's shells. They were taller than a person.

One of the tunnels used to supply ammunition to the canyon. Despite having passed more than 100 years, they are quite well preserved. The roof was reinforced with steel bars.

For faster cannon firing, ammunition was supplied from two tunnels leading to a trench, through which shells were loaded into wagons moved on rails.