#siegeartillery

[renehw]

During the First World War both the Central Powers and the Allies developed ever larger and heavier artillery such as the famous German ‘Big Bertha’, a 42 cm siege howitzer built by Krupp AG. The Austro-Hungarian army used this 38 cm ‘Belagerungshaubitze’ (siege howitzer) M 16 to crush enemy fortifications. The latge guns were designed and produced by Skoda Works Ltd. from Plzen and first saw action against the Italian army in South Tyrol. To be used these guns had to be mounted on a firing platform, so large that it required a 52 cubic meter pit to excavated. The howitzers even had a special system to load its ammunition shells: a tilting crane left of the turntable could lift the shells from the loading cart to the loading tray. After the Armistice of Villa Giusti (3 november 1918) the guns fell silent. The end of First World War I with the ultimate surrender and defeat of the Central Powers meant the collapse and disestablishment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which had been slowly falling apart for decades, torn apart by the rise of Nationalism. @hgm_wien #heeresgeschichtlichesmuseum #heeresgeschichtlichesmuseumwien #armymuseumvienna #armymuseum #artillery #siegeartillery #howitzer #siegehowitzer #firstworldwar #worldwar1 #war #army #militaryhistory #warhistory #armyhistory #haubitze #belagerungshaubitze #skoda (bij Heeresgeschichtliches Museum / Militärhistorisches Institut) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1BqVtyFtaC/?igshid=1apb3guld6235