The Skoda 30.5 cm Mörser M1916 was a German heavy howitzer used by the Imperial German Army during World War I, and by the Wehrmacht in World War II. It was developed between 1908 and 1909 by the firm Skoda Works from naval mortars, employing Krupp's guns features. It was known in Germany as the 'Beta Gerät'. In 1914, it was mounted on a four-wheeled chassis, becoming fully integrated into the German Army by 1916. It would be kept in production until 1943. By 1918, however, the Austrian Army already had 72 pieces in its inventory.
Aside from the Battle of Liege and the Battle of Verdun, this 305mm siege howitzer was also used during the Siege of Leningrad and Sevastopol in 1942, as well as in the bombing of Warsaw in 1944. It fired 384-kg shells to a distance of 11 km. This type of shell was an armor-piercing and anti-bunker shell, which had a delay action fuse. Due to its power and efficiency at destroying objectives, Adolf Hitler reintroduced it in 1936. About 120 pieces of this howitzer were built by the Germans.
Specifications
Type: siege howitzer
Weight: 20.9 tons
Barrel Length: 3 m
Breech: horizontal sliding block
Elevation: +40° to +70°
Traverse: 120°
Crew: 15 men
Below, the 30.5 cm Morser during the siege of Sevastopol.
The 305mm howitzer during bombing of Warsaw
The German heavy artillery piece in Berlin in 1928.
