GOBLIN GUNS AS PROPAGANDA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 13138, 12 September 1940, Page 8

GOBLIN GUNS AS PROPAGANDA

Shells from German long-range guns have been pounding an area on the English south-east coast, and British guns have replied. Germany’s “Big Berthas” are spectacu- | lar, but there is nothing new in this employment of the expensive highvelocity gun for “moral effect.” Further, the “life” of these expensive weapons is likely to be exceedingly short. The modern big gun is capable of firing a shell weighing a ton a distance of 20 miles, and we have been told, as part of enemy propaganda, that the Germans have “Big Berthas” (“Goblin Guns”) which will greatly exceed the 81-mile range with small shells attained in the last war, and will fire much heavier ones. •

Athough the “Big Berthas,” because of their long range and long barrels, are usually described as giant guns, they are of much smaller

calibre than the ordinary big artillery or naval guns. The 16in. guns of the Nelson and the Rodney will fire projectiles weighing 24 611 b. 20 miles. The “Big Bertha” of the last war was an Bin. gun, invented by Professor Rausenberger, a director of Krupps, and was named after Frau Bertha Krupp von Bohlen, the granddaughter of the founder of the firm. Its development arose out of a proposal to the German Army leaders early in 1915 that big long-range, naval guns, then inactive, should be sent to occupied territory in Belgium to bombard Dunkirk and other Channel ports (writes Walter Hayne, in the London “Evening Standard”). During experiments a range of 3 4 miles was attained, and this led to speculation how far a gun firing smaller shells could reach, and whether Paris could be bombarded. A smaller gun (8.6 in.) was selected, fitted with an inner tube to make the use of a smaller shell possible, and a long barrel projecting some fifteen yards beyond the muzzle. It was found that a range of 81 miles could ’be obtained with a shell of 2641 b. when fired at an angle of 55 degrees to allow it to enter the layers of air or less resistance at an angle of 45 degrees. The projectile attained a height of 20 miles and reached its objective in 3min. 3sec. after discharge. The gun was taken to the forest of Saint Gobain (near Laon), 73 miles from Paris, and was inspected by the Kaiser and Crown Prince on the day it was put into action. From March 23 to April 8 the gun firing intermittently, cast 183 shells on Paris and 120 on the suburbs. The heaviest casualties on a single day : were on March 29, when 88 were killed and 68 wounded, while attend- ' ing a church service. The casualties in 16 days were ap- : proximately the same as the total in all the air-raids in the last war : (from March 30, 1915, until September, 1918) and in the one-day raid ; on Paris during the battle for France.

' Air-raid “Big Air-raids June 3 Bertha” 1915-18 1940 Killed 255 266; 254 Wounded ‘621 603 652 The last shells fired by Big Bertha on the 16th day fell many miles short of Paris. By this time the gun was worn out and it was dismantled. According to German reports, Krupps have now ready a lOin. gun which can fire'shells of 6601 b. a distance of 150 miles. It is said to be fired at an . angle of 55 degrees, and that the shell: - , Reaches a height of 18 miles at an angle of 45 degrees, and travels at this altitude five times as fast, owing to reduction in air resistance. Eventually attains a height of 3 7 miles. ' Travels 124 miles before beginning to lose pace. Falls almost perpendicularly. If these reports are correct, the new “Big Bertha” would be able to reach a large part of eastern and southern England. But it would not have a long life.