AHC: Wally Railroad Guns

In world war 2, germany was pretty much obsessed with Krupp railroad guns. Unlike many other things the germans loved, they were actually pretty effective, with only two guns causing 80% of artillery casualties to the allied landing in Sicily by some accounts. Your challenge is to make the Wallies use large-caliber railroad guns in some major roles at some point in WW2.

Perhaps this could be done preceding an invasion of japan, just like was planned for the little david mortar. One of the advantages of railroad guns is that when an attack is anticipated, they can be moved into bunkers with as little as 10 minutes notice, unlike other large artillery cannons.
 
The UK had quite a few, many left over from WW I, that were ready for Sealion if it came.

They could be sent to the continent after D-Day but with the railway system totally wrecked they'd be of little value...
 
IIRC it was at Anzio that the two German railway guns, AKA Anzio Express & Anzio Annie, caused the majority of Allied casualties. In terms of usefullness on the European continentwith the rail network all tore up from various causes I can't see any usefullness. Low level air attacks could as effective
 
What if the allies did not have air superiority after D-day, making orbiting attackers over battlefields dangerous? This would make the peekaboo ability of railroad guns more useful.
 
What if the allies did not have air superiority after D-day, making orbiting attackers over battlefields dangerous? This would make the peekaboo ability of railroad guns more useful.

How far after D-Day? Without air superiority, the allies might be stuck on the beaches, in which case naval bombardment, specially from BBs, would take over the support role. Nothing would survive those 14-15" guns...
 
What if the allies did not have air superiority after D-day, making orbiting attackers over battlefields dangerous? This would make the peekaboo ability of railroad guns more useful.
Umm; wasn't air-supremacy one of the pre-conditions for going ahead with Overlord? On account of all that shipping and so forth, making rather lovely potential air-attack targets...
 

Wimble Toot

Banned
What if the allies did not have air superiority after D-day, making orbiting attackers over battlefields dangerous? This would make the peekaboo ability of railroad guns more useful.


FILE UNDER: Nope

It's firing shells across the Channel or nothing.
 
In world war 2, germany was pretty much obsessed with Krupp railroad guns. Unlike many other things the germans loved, they were actually pretty effective, with only two guns causing 80% of artillery casualties to the allied landing in Sicily by some accounts. ...

What accounts? I collect sources on Artillery & would like to examine those.
 
The US Army did deploy several battalions of 24cm cannon to Italy & France. They deployed them with automotive transport as the capability of the railways could not be predicted. The US 20.3cm (8") guns and howitzers were fairly common in Europe.
 
What accounts? I collect sources on Artillery & would like to examine those.

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I've asked about the source of the statistic, but havent received a response. The rest seems pretty damn factual and rather unbiased, so I'm inclined to belive him.
 
Rath

80% is close to the percent of wounds caused by fragments from all exploding grenades or projectiles. Depending on who and how counted the proportion varies from 70% to close to the 80% mark. The other 20% - 30% of combat wounds during the 20th Century are collectively from small arms, and concussion or overpressure injuries from mines and other explosions, toxic chemicals. Some really small numbers from things like run over by a tank or something, drowning, ect...

Since the Anzio battle had some of the characteristics of a siege then artillery in general could have been at the higher end for inflicting casualties on the Allied soldiers. 80% or better perhaps. The Germans had more cannon than usual per division or corps HQ, and a better ammunition supply than their average. I'm guessing the writer conflated the percent casualties for all artillery with those from the two cannon claimed.
 
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