Siege artillery (also siege guns or siege cannons) are heavy guns designed to bombard fortifications, cities, and other fixed targets. They are distinct from
field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement.
Until the ear ...
and are a class of
siege weapon capable of firing heavy cannonballs or shells that required enormous transport and logistical support to operate. They lacked mobility and thus were rarely useful in more mobile warfare situations, generally having been superseded by heavy
howitzer
The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...
s (
towed and
self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...
),
strategic bomber
A strategic bomber is a medium- to long-range Penetrator (aircraft), penetration bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of air-to-ground weaponry onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating the enemy's capacity to wage war. Unl ...
aircraft,
surface-to-surface missile
A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed installations, or from a ship. They ar ...
s,
ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...
s,
cruise missile
A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large payload over long distances with high precision. Modern cru ...
s and
multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple rocket launcher, launchers which are fixed to a single weapons platform, platform, and shoots its rocket (weapon ...
s in modern warfare.
Muzzle-loading artillery
Breech-loading artillery
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;"
! width=15% ,
Caliber
In guns, particularly firearms, but not #As a measurement of length, artillery, where a different definition may apply, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge ( ...
(mm)
! width=35% , Weapon name
! width=25% , Country of origin
! width=25% , Design
, -
, 88 , ,
9 cm Kanone C/79 , , , , 1879–
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, -
, 107 , ,
42-line siege gun M1877 , , , ,
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
, -
, 120 , ,
12-cm Kanone M 80 , , , , World War I
, -
, 120 , ,
Canon de 120 mm modèle 1878 , , , , World War I,
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, -
, 120 , ,
12 cm Kanone C/80 , , , , World War I
, -
, 120 , ,
Obusier de 120 mm modèle 1890 , , , , World War I
, -
, 149.1 , ,
15 cm Kanone M 80 , , , , World War I
, -
, 149.1 , ,
15 cm Ring Kanone C/72 , , , , World War I
, -
, 149.1 , ,
15 cm Ring Kanone C/92 , , , , World War I
, -
, 149.1 , ,
15 cm Ring Kanone L/30 , , , , World War I
, -
, 149.1 , ,
Type 96 15 cm cannon , , , , World War II
, -
, 149.7 , ,
15 cm Mörser M1881 , , , , World War I
, -
, 150 , ,
Obusier de 15 cm TR Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage , , / , , World War I
, -
, 152.4 , ,
6 inch siege gun M1877 , , , , World War I
, -
, 152.5 , ,
BLC 6 inch siege gun , , , , 1902–1915
, -
, 152.4 , ,
6 inch siege gun M1904 , , , , World War I
, -
, 152.4 , ,
152 mm siege gun M1910 , , , , World War I
, -
, 152.4 , ,
Cannone da 152/45 , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 155 , ,
De Bange 155 mm cannon , , , , World War I
, -
, 155 , ,
Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881 , , , , World War I
, -
, 155 , ,
Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1890 , , , , World War I
, -
, 180 , ,
18 cm kurze Kanone M 80 , , , , World War I
, -
, 203 , ,
8-inch mortar M1877 , , , , World War I
, -
, 209 , ,
21 cm Mörser M1880 , , , , World War I
, -
, 209 , ,
21 cm Haubitze M1891 , , , , World War I
, -
, 210 , ,
210 mm M1894 , , , , World War I
, -
, 210 , ,
210 mm gun M1939 (Br-17) , , , , World War II
, -
, 210 , ,
Mortaio da 210/8 D.S. , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 210 , ,
Mortaio da 210/9 modello 1914 , , , , World War I
, -
, 210 , ,
Paris Gun , , , , World War I
, -
, 220 , ,
Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880 , , , , World War I
, -
, 220 , ,
Skoda 220 mm howitzer , , , , World War II
, -
, 229 , ,
9-inch mortar M1877 , , , , World War I
, -
, 233 , ,
BL 9.2 inch Howitzer , , , , World War I
, -
, 240 , ,
24 cm Mörser M 98 , , , , pre-World War I
, -
, 240 , ,
24 cm Haubitze 39 , , , , World War II
, -
, 240 , ,
Canon de 24 C modèle 1876
The Canon de 24 C modèle 1876 was a coastal artillery, coastal defense gun designed and built from 1876. A number of guns were also converted to Railway gun, railway guns during World War I in order to meet a need for heavy artillery.
Developme ...
, , , , World War I
, -
, 240 , ,
Canon de 240 L Mle 1884 , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 240 , ,
Canon de 240 TR Mle 1903 , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 240 , ,
24 cm Kanone M. 16 , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 240 , ,
24 cm Kanone 3 , , , , World War II
, -
, 240 , ,
Type 45 240 mm howitzer , , , , World War II
, -
, 240 , ,
Type 96 24 cm howitzer , , , , World War II
, -
, 260 , ,
Mortaio da 260/9 Modello 16 , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 270 , ,
Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1885 , , , , World War I
, -
, 270 , ,
Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1889 , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 280 , ,
Obice da 280 , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 280 , ,
Mortier 280 mm TR de Schneider sur affût-chenilles St Chamond , , , , World War II
, -
, 280 , ,
28 cm howitzer L/10 , , , ,
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
/ World War I, World War II
, -
, 280 , ,
11-inch mortar M1877 , , , , World War I
, -
, 280 , ,
11-inch gun M1877 , , , , World War I
, -
, 283 , ,
28 cm Haubitze L/12 , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 283 , ,
28 cm Haubitze L/14 i.R. , , , , World War I
, -
, 293 , ,
Mortier de 293 Danois sur affut-truck modèle 1914 , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 305 , ,
BL 12 inch Howitzer , , , , World War I
, -
, 305 , ,
Type 7 30 cm Howitzer , , , , World War II
, -
, 305 , ,
Obice da 305/17 , , , , World War I
, -
, 305 , ,
305 mm howitzer M1915 , , , , World War I
, -
, 305 , ,
305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18) , , , , World War II
, -
, 305 , ,
30.5 cm M. 11 (Škoda) , , , , World War I
, -
, 305 , ,
30.5 cm M. 16 (Škoda) , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 355 , ,
35.5 cm Haubitze M1 , , , , World War II
, -
, 370 , ,
Mortier de 370 modèle 1914 Filloux , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 380 , ,
38 cm Belagerungshaubitze M 16 , , , , World War I
, -
, 381 , ,
BL 15 inch Howitzer , , , , World War I
, -
, 420 , ,
42 cm Gamma Mörser , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 420 , ,
Big Bertha , , , , World War I
, -
, 420 , ,
42 cm Haubitze M. 14/16 , , , , World War I, World War II
, -
, 540 , ,
Karl-Gerät 041 , , , , World War II
, -
, 600 , ,
Karl-Gerät 040 , , , , World War II
, -
, 800 , ,
Schwerer Gustav , , {{flag, Nazi Germany , , World War II
See also
*
List of the largest cannon by caliber
Siege
A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
Large-calibre artillery