One day before, April 30th, 915.
General Erik von Xiplin, the Army Group Commander, was inspecting the railway gun position that had been fully deployed.
He had to tilt his head back to see the muzzle of the Gustav mega cannon.
Xiplin, “Can this thing really work?”
The Major General in charge of the cannon replied, “If it can’t work, you can only hope for Fritz bombs from the Air Force.”
“Good heavens, it’s better that it works,” General Xiplin looked around and finally settled his gaze on the number two tank that was on the support frame of the cannon, “Why does the cannon have a number two tank on its back?”
The Major General explained, “Because the tractor we used to push the shells into the breech broke, and the large tractor for resetting the cannon can’t be mounted on it, so we used the number two tank with its turret removed to take on the task, as it fits perfectly.”
General Xiplin frowned, “How big are the shells that you need a tank to push them?”
“The head of the shell weighs four tons, and with the propellant, it’s seven tons. There is also a special armor-piercing shell with a heavier head, for attacking the enemy’s solid concrete forts.”
General Xiplin clicked his tongue, “It sounds immensely powerful, but even the most powerful attack is nothing if it doesn’t hit the target.”
The Artillery Major General assured, “Rest assured, with the experience accumulated on the Leopold, we can guarantee an error within 300 meters.”
“Half a kilometer?” General Xiplin was shocked, “You actually think this error is acceptable?”
The Artillery Major General, “Trust me, General, with high-explosive shells, we can ensure that anything exposed within a 500-meter radius will be incapacitated, so a 300-meter error is not a big deal.
“Moreover, errors like this can be corrected through calibration. We have already built an observation post at a commanding height and connected it by telephone to here, so by the third or fourth shot, we will have a quite decent hit rate.”
General Xiplin pursed his lips, stared at the mega cannon for a while and asked, “How many shots can you fire in one day?”
“If it is continuous firing at a single target with only minor adjustments in between, we can fire 14 shots a day.”
“Fourteen shots! Why so few?” General Xiplin asked.
The Artillery Major General explained, “This is because after shooting, a tractor is needed to reset the piece, and the entire process takes this much time.”
“Alright, you’ve convinced me. Fourteen shots a day seems acceptable after all,” General Xiplin sighed, “What about if it’s at different targets?”
“That depends on the distance between the two targets, mainly the distance in the north-south direction. The greater this distance, the larger the angle the cannon needs to rotate. Currently, it takes 12 seconds to turn the gun 1 degree, and if there is a malfunction during rotation, it would take a considerable amount of time to troubleshoot.”
General Xiplin, “Don’t tell me all that, give me a general range.”
“Nine to ten shots, General. We still recommend attacking only one important target a day, then stopping to maintain the cannon after destroying the target, which is better than a complete breakdown and having to send it back.”
General Xiplin, “Well, since you all insist, so be it. I want to climb up this big guy and take a look!”
“Right this way.” The Artillery Major General quickly made a welcoming gesture.
Soon General Xiplin climbed up the back of the large gun using the gangway, and he closely examined the tank modified for loading shells, then turned to look at the breech the tank was facing.
“It’s so big! What’s the caliber?”
“80 centimeters, General.”
General Xiplin admired, “This must be the biggest cannon after the Urban mega cannon. If we limit it to modern rifled artillery, then this is the largest. It represents the industrial power of the Empire! We will use it to destroy the resistance of the Ante People!”
Having said that, the General looked around and suddenly stopped, pointing at something that looked like a giant fly swatter not far away and asked, “Is that radar?”
“Yes, it’s an air surveillance radar. Although the Air Force has assured that no Ant Air Force plane will reach the mega cannon’s airspace, we have still spent a fortune on equipping a radar station and related power generation equipment, so we can have our anti-aircraft guns ready in advance.”
Xiplin nodded, “Very, reasonable. We can’t rely on the Air Force, it’s better to depend on ourselves for air defense. The cannon will start firing tomorrow morning at eight, by that time the fire preparation will be finished and the enemy will have entered their positions, just in time for them to taste our power.”
“Yes, sir,” the artillery major general saluted.
General Xiplin also cautioned, “Don’t use armor-piercing shells, just fire high-explosive shells. By the time you open fire, our infantry should have already set off. The huge dust clouds caused by the high-explosive shells will boost morale.”
————
At four-thirty the next day, the fire preparation on the Coastal Fortress began.
Even at the Gustav mega cannon’s position, the sounds of the distant artillery firing could be heard.
The mega cannon waited quietly for the time to fire.
During this process, hundreds of maintenance personnel carefully inspected every part of the system, ensuring that this massive beast could operate normally.
Then the ammunition began to be loaded.
Six gunners worked together to push a flatcart, bringing the shell to the crane, where it was then lifted by the crane and placed on the loading track on the back of the cannon barrel.
Then, a tank converted into a loading tractor pushed the huge projectile into the cannon breech. It withdrew, waited for the crane to place the propellant charges on the track, and then dutifully pushed the charges into the breech.
This type of cannon required different amounts of propellant depending on the target.
The first firing required the loading of two bags of propellant charges, so the loading tractor repeated the previous steps once more.
The final step was breech locking. The breech locking mechanism of such a massive cannon required three people to operate simultaneously to complete the task.
After the cannon was loaded, there were still forty minutes until the end of fire preparation.
Despite this, the cannon’s crew members still stood at their posts, with no sign of slacking off, intently waiting for the end of fire preparation.
At eight o’clock, the phone rang, and the signalman immediately brought it to the major general, respectfully offering the handset.
As soon as the major general picked up the handset, he heard Xiplin’s calm voice say, “Fire.”
Xiplin’s words brought the entire position to life from a dead silence; the engineers and technicians, who had been slacking off a moment before, now sprang into action to perform one last check before firing.
The major general went straight up to the platform on the side of the cannon, where the cannon’s control board was located.
After the final check was completed, the engineers practically flew from the cannon, lining up beside it and quietly waiting for the moment of firing.
The major general gave the firing elements one last check to confirm there were no issues, then turned and saluted the Prosen national flag hanging directly to the west of the cannon position.
As he saluted, the lined-up gunners below performed a uniform action, covering their ears.
After the salute, the major general turned back, pulled on a rope next to the control board, shouted something loudly, and yanked it hard.
The cannon muzzle flashed with a blinding flame, and a blast swept the surroundings in an instant.
The gunners’ action of covering their ears happened to press down the capes of their service caps, ensuring that their caps were not blown away by the blast of the shot.
As the blast swept across the entire position, the massive cannon and the platform beneath it recoiled along the rails, converting the energy provided by the gunpowder into work on the cannon.
When the recoil had finished, the cannon came to a stop.
The gunners who had been lined up covering their ears immediately sprang into action, driving over three tractors to tow the cannon.
It took the combined effort of three tractors to reposition the railgun, which weighed over a thousand tons, and then the second round of loading began.