The Skoda 220-mm howitzer was a Czechoslovakian heavy artillery piece used by Germany during World War II. Since it had a fixed trail carriage, it was mostly employed in static defensive lines. However, the Wehrmacht would also use it during the siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean peninsula in 1942. It proved to be a powerful deliverer of destructive shells. However, it had a slow rate of fire and it was heavy and cumbersome to carry around, being done in three loads and by railway.
Skoda began producing this 220-mm howitzer in 1928. Yugoslavia became very interested in acquiring heavy artillery pieces for defensive purposes. Thus, it ordered a batch of twelve 220mm howitzers, which Skoda delivered to the Yugoslavian Army in November 1928, entering service with the designation 'M.28'. Poland, on the other hand, would order twenty seven pieces.
Below, the Skoda 220-mm howitzer fielded in France in 1944, being mounted on a fixed platform.
When Germany invaded Poland at the beginning of WW2, the Wehrmacht seized twenty of them; the other seven howitzers were taken by the Red Army. In early April 1941, the German Army also attacked and invaded Yugoslavia and confiscated all twelve Skoda 220-mm howitzers the Yugoslavian Army had in its arsenal. Some of them were shipped to France, ending up as part of the Atlantic Wall defensive system. Others were taken to Leningrad, participating of the siege of this city, and about 15 of them hauled to the Crimean peninsula to be used during the long siege.
Specifications
Type: heavy howitzer
Caliber: 220-mm (22.0 cm)
Shell: separate load (round + bag)
Weight: 14,700 kg (in action); 22,700 kg (traveling)
Barrel Length: 4.18 m (171 inches)
Length of Piece: 4.34 m (14 feet, 2.8 inches)
Breech Type: horizontal sliding wedge breechblock
Elevation: +40 to +70 degrees
Traverse: 350 degrees
Recoil System: hydro-pneumatic
Muzzle Velocity: 500 m per second
Maximum Range: 14.2 km
Below, the Skoda 220-mm howitzer as part of coastal defenses. Notice the round revolving platform it was mounted, which allowed the artillery piece to have a traverse of almost 360 degrees.
The Skoda M.28 howitzer, showing its top elevation (video)
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