Evolution of Siege Artillery: From Big Bertha to the Tyulpan Mortar –
As Old as Warfare Itself
Soldiers have always built fortifications. For as long as there have been wars, soldiers have sought “cover.” Everything from the humble foxhole to pillboxes, bunkers, and castles. Obstacles range from barbed wire to antitank ditches and dragon’s teeth.
As long as there have been fortifications, armies have sought ways to overcome them. The easiest way is envelopment. Von Schlieffen devised the Germans’ celebrated “right hook” to outflank the Maginot Line. “Let the last man on the right brush the Channel with his sleeve.” Paratroopers and Air Cavalry were developed to execute the modern “vertical envelopment.” Dropping airborne armies behind enemy lines by parachute or glider. Flying troops into a combat zone by helicopter instead of fighting through on the ground.
At the Battle of Messines, during World War I, the British enveloped German trenches from below. Sappers tunneled beneath the German trenches and packed the mines with explosives. Before the infantry attack, they detonated the mines. The explosion annihilated the trenches and killed up to 10,000 German soldiers. The explosion was comparable to a 1-kiloton nuclear blast. The earth heaved for miles around. Some said the explosion was heard across the English Channel.
When all else fails, fortifications have to be destroyed by simple battering. That means artillery and bombing. In an earlier post, we discussed glide bombs, which are much more effective than artillery in destroying fixed fortifications. Simply put, a 1,500 or 3,000-kilogram bomb carries more explosives than a 152mm or 203mm artillery shell.
Artillery is Still There When Planes Can’t Fly
But planes cannot always fly. Enemy air defense can hold aircraft at bay beyond the range of glide bombs. The greater the size of a glide bomb, the shorter its range. That means the delivery platform is at greater risk from enemy air defense.
The largest siege cannons were built by the Germans during World Wars 1 and 2. To overcome the Belgian forts at Liege, the Germans rolled up 420mm siege mortars, fondly named “Big Berthas.” This heavy artillery fired heavy shells in high-arching trajectories that broke up the Belgian forts.
Figure 1 gives an idea of the sheer size of the mortar. Figure 2 shows the effect of shelling on the forts. The 420mm shells cracked the thick concrete like hammers, crushing eggshells.
Fig.1 Big Bertha, a German 4.2cm Siege Mortar used at Liege.
As Old as Warfare Itself
Soldiers have always built fortifications. For as long as there have been wars, soldiers have sought “cover.” Everything from the humble foxhole to pillboxes, bunkers, and castles. Obstacles range from barbed wire to antitank ditches and dragon’s teeth.
As long as there have been fortifications, armies have sought ways to overcome them. The easiest way is envelopment. Von Schlieffen devised the Germans’ celebrated “right hook” to outflank the Maginot Line. “Let the last man on the right brush the Channel with his sleeve.” Paratroopers and Air Cavalry were developed to execute the modern “vertical envelopment.” Dropping airborne armies behind enemy lines by parachute or glider. Flying troops into a combat zone by helicopter instead of fighting through on the ground.
At the Battle of Messines, during World War I, the British enveloped German trenches from below. Sappers tunneled beneath the German trenches and packed the mines with explosives. Before the infantry attack, they detonated the mines. The explosion annihilated the trenches and killed up to 10,000 German soldiers. The explosion was comparable to a 1-kiloton nuclear blast. The earth heaved for miles around. Some said the explosion was heard across the English Channel.
When all else fails, fortifications have to be destroyed by simple battering. That means artillery and bombing. In an earlier post, we discussed glide bombs, which are much more effective than artillery in destroying fixed fortifications. Simply put, a 1,500 or 3,000-kilogram bomb carries more explosives than a 152mm or 203mm artillery shell.
Artillery is Still There When Planes Can’t Fly
But planes cannot always fly. Enemy air defense can hold aircraft at bay beyond the range of glide bombs. The greater the size of a glide bomb, the shorter its range. That means the delivery platform is at greater risk from enemy air defense.
The largest siege cannons were built by the Germans during World Wars 1 and 2. To overcome the Belgian forts at Liege, the Germans rolled up 420mm siege mortars, fondly named “Big Berthas.” This heavy artillery fired heavy shells in high-arching trajectories that broke up the Belgian forts.
Figure 1 gives an idea of the sheer size of the mortar. Figure 2 shows the effect of shelling on the forts. The 420mm shells cracked the thick concrete like hammers, crushing eggshells.
Fig.1 Big Bertha, a German 4.2cm Siege Mortar used at Liege.Fig.2 Ruins of a fort at Liege after shelling with Big Bertha
Size Matters
The Germans became obsessed with the size of their artillery pieces. They built ever larger guns that had to be moved into position by rail. The study of railway artillery is a subject in itself. Suffice to say that the German ideal was a Krupp cannon capable of shelling Britain’s channel ports from France. In the end, they were only able to achieve that objective using V-1 cruise missiles and V-2 ballistic missiles.
In the event, the largest German railway gun was the 800mm Schwerer Gustav shown in Figure 3. The weapon never saw action in France. Instead, it was used against the Soviets during the Siege of Sevastopol. The gun was so large it took 2,000 men to assemble and operate it. The unit was commanded by a major general.
Fig.3 Schwerer Gustav 800mm Railway Gun used at the Siege of Sevastopol.
Russia took a more practical approach. They created an artillery-heavy force structure that prevails to this day. A comparison of Russian and American orders of battle is a subject for another post, but Russian battalions and brigades have significantly more artillery than comparable American units. This affects Russian logistics trains, which have to be extended. The Russian field pieces normally consist of D-20 152mm and D-30 122mm howitzers.
Last year, Russia assembled dedicated siege artillery brigades. These specialized units are equipped with the largest mobile guns and mortars in the Russian inventory. These artillery pieces were first built in the Soviet period and have since been upgraded. Previously, they were used in an ad-hoc manner. Now, they are intended to support offensive operations in situations where air power is unable to put glide bombs on target.
An Odd Naming Scheme
Russia names its heavy artillery after flowers. The principal weapons are the 240mm 2S4 “Tyulpan” (Tulip) mortar and the 203mm 2S7 “Pion” (Peony) howitzer. The Tyulpan is currently the largest mortar in use anywhere in the world.
Fig.4 Russian 2S4 Tyulpan (Tulip) 240mm Mortar
Fig. 4 shows the mobile Tyulpan 240mm mortar. The purpose of mounting it on a tracked chassis is to enable the artillery to keep pace with advancing forces and to displace after firing. Notice the ammunition hoist on the left side of the vehicle.
Fig. 6 shows a Tyulpan in action. The weapon fires at a characteristically high angle to lob its shells on target.
Unlike the Tyulpan, the 2S7 Pion 230mm is a rifled gun. It is also mounted on a tracked chassis.
Fig.7 Russian 2S7 Pion (Peony) 203mm heavy gun.
Fig. 8 shows a Pion in action. The gun has a range of 50km, plus or minus a factor depending on the type of ammunition.
Fig.8 Russian 2S7 Pion (Peony) 203mm gun in action.
It is worth noting that both Russia and Ukraine operate the Pion. Ukraine’s use is more ad-hoc. Russia, as previously mentioned, has organized hits Pions into heavy artillery brigades. This video shows Pions in a live fire exercise:
Cameron Curtis has spent thirty years on trade floors as a trader and risk manager. He was on the trade floor when Saddam’s tanks rolled into Kuwait, when the air wars opened over Baghdad and Belgrade, and when the financial crisis swallowed the world. He is the author of the Breed action thriller series, available on Amazon.
Link to the full Breed series of military action thrillers:
Editor’s Note: If you are interested in the military (and I know you are because you are here at SOFREP), you owe it to yourself to check out Cameron’s Breed series of military action thrillers. The action is fast-moving, and it hits hard. Cameron’s attention to detail and the way he puts you in the scene are second to none. Check them out and report back in the comments. — GDM
