THE GERMAN SUPER-GUN

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 238, 2 July 1920, Page 7

THE GERMAN SUPER-GUN

TO BE OUTRANGED BY BRITAIN IF NECESSARY. , "In the spring af 1918 the German feat of firing shells into Paris from a distance of 7ii miles caused a great amount of speculation. Many strange theories were advanced in the. Pross n9 to tho method adopted; but what really happened," says the "Giinner," ''was that the Germans/had take# a big naval-gun, had 'liiifd il down' (i.e., put in a new lining) to shoot a 8,2 shell, and thus :iad reached tho great range of 120,000 motrts. What propellent tliey v.sed is not known exactly yet; but it 'probably gave o muzzle velocity of 5000 fOot seconds, and this, with tho high trajectory—sending the shell up to A height where air resistance WRti very much lessened—made the range. The shell was specially con. stiucted lv'ith very thick walls, with driving bands forward and rear and with two fuses. Obvidusly the idea of the two fuses was that if the shell began to 'tumble' and fell on its base instead Of its nose, detonation would still bo certain.

Allowing the Germans full credit foi tho exactness of their calculations to get tho range within a mile or two—in ehoot ing a.t Paris an error of a mile did nol matter—there, was nothing of >iiginal genius in 'Big Ueriha.' Tho/idea.of it was in Jules Verne. P.ritielli loinneis had never doubted that it was possible to construct guns with ranges enormous--ly greater than thotie in liso in fortress, ship, or tho field. But tlicy jad rover thought of making guns which would be useful only for a hiigo target like on open city: 'because that was not their idea of warfare.

"Nor is it safe to say that 'Big Bertha' has made a precedent, and that in the nezt war fixed guns with ranges up tol 100 miles will be employed. It is difficult to see how they could be :nade to pay. An aeroplane could multiply tho range by at least five, the weight of the shell (or bomb) by at least five, and be much surer in its aim arid enormously ohenper in its cost. "But it is safe to say that if guns of the "Big Bertha' typo, i.e., guns of extremo range, intended to bombard some doflnito (and very large) objective, are proved lo be of practical vaiuo in warfare, the British Forces will not bo without them. During the course of the Great War British gun dosignors tacklod tho problem of making such gnns, and found that there were no insuperable difficulties. If wo hod had work for tt 'Big Bertha' to do, a 'Big Bertha' would have been ready on our eide." G;opb,fl SiSkfioa.h ono,H߻r