The 40.6 cm SK C/34,SK - ''Schnelladekanone'' (quick loading cannon); ''C - Construktionsjahr'' (year of design) sometimes known as the Adolfkanone (Adolf gun), was a German

naval gun Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for more specialized roles in surface warfare such as naval gunfire support (NGFS) and anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) engagements. T ...

, designed in 1934 by

Krupp Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp (formerly Fried. Krupp AG and Friedrich Krupp GmbH), trade name, trading as Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century as well as Germany's premier weapons manufacturer dur ...

and originally intended for the early H-class battleships.

Description

Intended to be mounted in battleship turrets, the guns were produced in left and right-handed pairs. These pairs were split for individual mounting in the coastal defence role. The gun's barrel was approximately long. In a coastal defence emplacement the gun could be elevated to 52 degrees, giving it a range of with the special long range shell called the Adolf-shell. It used the standard German naval system of ammunition where the base charge was held in a metallic cartridge case and supplemented by another charge in a silk bag. In terms of construction the guns were identical to the 38 cm SK C/34 - only the calibre of the barrel was different. The rate of fire for the weapon was around 2 rounds per minute as coastal artillery.

Original naval specifications

* Date of design - 1934 * Entered service - 1940 (as coastal defense guns) * Bore - * Length of barrel with rear piece - * Weight of barrel - 158 metric tons (158,664 kg) * Rate of fire - 2 rounds per minute * Shell weight - standard explosive and armour-piercing shell German type L/4.8 and L/4.4 * Adolf shell (long range shell) German type L/4.2 * Propellant weight - 2 part charge total weight 302 kg for ordinary shell and 312 kg for long range shell * Maximum range - Standard shell 42,800 m (42.8 km); long-range shell 56,000 m (56 km) * Muzzle Velocity - Standard shell ; long-range shell * Mountings - 2 gun turret Drh LC/34 (1,475 metric tons)

Coastal defense

Since the intended 56,000-ton H-class battleships “H” and “J” were never completed, the guns that had been designed for them were used as coastal defense artillery during the

Second World War 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 ...

. At least twelve guns were produced; seven were sited in Norway, and three were used in Poland near Danzig. Soon after their first training shots, the Polish guns were moved to France and sited near

Sangatte Sangatte (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department on the northern coast of France on the English Channel. The name is of Flemish origin, meaning hole or gap in the sand. Engineering Sangatte i ...

and renamed ''Batterie Lindemann'' in honour of the fallen captain of the battleship , ''Kapitän zur See'' Ernst Lindemann. One of the remaining guns was used to replace the worn-out gun #2 at ''Batterie Lindemann'', while serial #11 has not been accounted for yet (it may have also been used as replacement at ''Batterie Lindemann'').

Gun sites in Poland

The first three guns were situated at the

Hel Fortified Area The Hel Fortified Area () was a set of Second Polish Republic, Polish fortifications, constructed on the Hel Peninsula in northern Poland, in close proximity to the interwar border of Poland and the Third Reich. It was created in 1936, upon a dec ...

, Poland as Battery Schleswig-Holstein (German unit MKB 2 / MAA 119) during 1940 to protect the Bay of Danzig. All three guns were fired during May and June 1941 and shortly after the guns were dismounted and transported to France for use as Battery Lindemann. From this new location near Sangatte in France, they were used to fire at

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

, in the county of Kent in England and shipping in the English Channel. There is a Museum of Coastal Defence located in the remains of the battery in Hel.

Gun sites in Norway

The seven guns that reached their destinations in Norway were split into two batteries: * Battery Dietl with three guns on the island of

Engeløya Engeløya is an island in the northern part of Steigen Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The island has an area of . The highest point on the island is the Trohornet mountain. The rocky, mountainous island has grassy slopes that are fert ...

, Steigen. German unit MKB 4 / MAA 516 * Battery Theo with four guns mounted at Trondenes Fort near

Harstad Harstad may refer to: Places *Harstad (town) Harstad (; ) is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is also the administrative centre of Harstad Municipality. The city has a populati ...

. German unit MKB 5 / MAA 511 After the end of the war the Trondenes guns were taken over by the

Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army () is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway in 1628. The ...

, along with 1,227 shells. The battery was last fired in 1957 and formally decommissioned in 1964. The three Engeløya guns were sold for scrap in 1956 but the four guns at Trondenes were spared and one is open as a museum. In the summer there are normally three or four guided tours per day.Adolfkanonene på Trondenes - 40,6cm SK C/34
/ref>

Gun sites in France

The three guns from Hel, re-sited in France and renamed Batterie Lindemann (German unit MKB 6 / MAA 244), saw considerable service. The three guns were emplaced singly in turrets, protected by massive

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

encasements in places four metres thick. The battery fired 2,226 shells at Dover between 1940 and 1944. The guns were not put out of action by bombing despite being hit many times, thanks to the thick concrete. Only Bruno turret was damaged, on 3 September 1944, when a shell from a British

railway gun A railway gun, also called a railroad gun, is a large artillery piece, often surplus naval artillery, mounted on, transported by, and fired from a specially designed railroad car, railway wagon. Many countries have built railway guns, but the ...

hit its elevating gear; the battery was captured shortly afterwards.

Naval projectiles

* L/4.4 m Bd Z Hb (AP) - 1,030 kg. (25 kg. bursting charge) Armour-piercing shell, rear fuse * L/4.8 m KZ m Hb (HE) - 1,030 kg. (80 kg. bursting charge) High-explosive shell, front fuse * L/4.6 m Bd Z Hb (SAP)- 1,030 kg. (45 kg. bursting charge) High-explosive shell, rear fuse

Coastal artillery projectiles

* L/4.2 m KZ m Hb (Adolf) (HE)- 600 kg. 50 kg. bursting charge. Both front and rear fuse * L/4.1 m KZ m Hb (HE) - 610 kg. 50 kg. bursting charge.

Footnotes

Notes

Citations

External links

Adolfkanonen.com

Museum of Coastal Defence in Schleswig-Holstein battery in Hela

{{DEFAULTSORT:40.6 cm SK C 34 gun Krupp naval guns Naval guns of Germany World War II artillery of Germany Military history of Norway during World War II World War II military equipment of Norway Military installations in Troms Coastal artillery 400 mm artillery History of Troms Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1940