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 armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20 ...

and are a class of

siege weapon A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while other ...

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 They lacked mobility and thus were rarely useful in more mobile warfare situations, generally having been superseded by heavy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 A howitzer () is a long-ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an Artillery, artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a Mortar (weapon), mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and de ...

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 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. Unlike tactical bomber ...

aircraft,

surface-to-surface missile A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) 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 ins ...

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within ...

cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhea ...

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 launchers which are fixed to a single platform, and shoots its rocket ordnance in a fashion similar to a voll ...

s in modern warfare.

Muzzle-loading artillery

Breech-loading artillery

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9 cm Kanone C/79 The 9 cm Kanone C/79 was a fortress and siege gun developed after the Franco-Prussian War and used by Germany before and during World War I. History After the Franco-Prussian War, the German Army began to study replacements for its 9 cm Kan ...

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World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

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Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

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12-cm Kanone M 80 The 12 cm Kanone M 80 was a light siege gun used by Austria-Hungary during World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the dea ...

, , , , World War I , - , 120 , ,

Canon de 120 mm modèle 1878 The Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 – was a French piece of siege and field artillery which was widely used during the First World War and despite its obsolescence, it was still in use by some nations during the Second World War. History T ...

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World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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12 cm Kanone C/80 The 12 cm Kanone C/80 was a fortress and siege gun developed after the Franco-Prussian War and used by Germany before and during World War I. History After the Franco-Prussian War, the Army began to study replacements for its 12 cm Kanone C/64 ...

, , , , World War I , - , 120 , ,

Obusier de 120 mm modèle 1890 The ''obusier de vaisseau'' was a light piece of naval artillery with a large calibre mounted on French warships of the Age of Sail. Designed to fire explosive shells at a low velocity, they were an answer to the carronade A carronade is a ...

, , , , World War I , - , 149.1 , ,

15 cm Kanone M 80 The 15 cm Kanone M 80 was a siege gun used by Austria-Hungary during World War I. Designed to replace the M 61 series of siege guns the M 80 family of siege guns offered greater range and armor penetration than the older guns. The steel-bron ...

, , , , World War I , - , 149.1 , , 15 cm Ring Kanone C/72 , , , , World War I , - , 149.1 , ,

15 cm Ring Kanone C/92 The 15 cm Ring Kanone C/92 was a fortress and siege gun developed in the 1880s that saw service in the Italo-Turkish War, Balkan Wars, and World War I. History During the Franco-Prussian War, the breech-loaded Prussian cannons easily outclas ...

, , , , 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 The 15 cm Festungs und Belagerungs Mörser M1881 or ''(15 cm Fortress and Siege Mortar M1881)'' in English was a heavy mortar designed by Krupp that armed several European countries before and during World War I. Background During the second ...

, , , , World War I , - , 150 , , Obusier de 15 cm TR Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage , , / , , World War I , - , 152.4 , ,

6 inch siege gun M1877 The 6-inch siege gun model 1877 (russian: 6-дюймовая осадная пушка образца 1877 года) was a Russian fortress gun, siege gun and coastal defense gun. It was used in the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, and the Rus ...

, , , , 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 The de Bange 155 mm long cannon mle. 1877 (or more briefly the 155 L de Bange) was the French artillery piece that debuted the 155 mm caliber in widespread use today. Although obsolete by the beginning of World War I, the 155 L was nonet ...

, , , , 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 The 18 cm kurze Kanone M 80 (short cannon) was a heavy siege howitzer used by Austria-Hungary during World War I. Designed to replace the M 61 series of siege guns the M 80 family of siege guns offered greater range and armor penetration than ...

, , , , World War I , - , 203 , , 8-inch mortar M1877 , , , , World War I , - , 209 , ,

21 cm Mörser M1880 The 21 cm Festungs und Belagerungs Mörser M1880 or ''(21 cm Fortress and Siege Mortar M1880)'' in English was a heavy mortar designed by Krupp that armed several European countries before and during World War I. Background During the second ha ...

, , , , World War I , - , 209 , ,

21 cm Haubitze M1891 The 21 cm Haubitze M1891 or ''(21 cm Howitzer Model 1891)'' in English was a fortress gun built by Krupp that armed the forts of several European countries before World War I. Two countries that bought the M1891 were Belgium and Romania. In Belgia ...

, , , , 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 The Paris Gun (german: Paris-Geschütz / Pariser Kanone) was the name given to a type of German long-range siege gun, several of which were used to bombard Paris during World War I. They were in service from March to August 1918. When the guns w ...

, , , , World War I , - , 220 , , Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880 , , , , World War I , - , 220 , ,

Skoda 220 mm howitzer The Škoda 220 mm howitzer was a siege howitzer design which served with Germany, Poland, and Yugoslavia before and during World War II. Description The 220 mm howitzers were a compromise design for their time, with decent capability t ...

, , , , 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 The 24 cm Mörser M 98 was a heavy siege howitzer used by Austria-Hungary during World War I. It was designed to attack modern fortifications, but its short range and ineffective ammunition led to the development of the 30.5 cm Mörser M 11 a ...

, , , , pre-World War I , - , 240 , ,

24 cm Haubitze 39 The 24 cm houfnice vz.39 (German designation: 24 cm Haubitze 39) (Howitzer model 39) was a Czechoslovak-designed siege howitzer used in the Second World War. It was kept in production after the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in March ...

, , , , World War II , - , 240 , ,

Canon de 24 C modèle 1876 The Canon de 24 C modèle 1876 was a coastal defense gun designed and built before World War I. A number of guns were also converted to railway guns during World War I in order to meet a need for heavy artillery. Design The ''Canon de 24 C mod� ...

, , , , 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 The 24-cm-Kanone 3 (24 cm K 3) was a Military of Germany, German heavy siege gun used in the Second World War by the first battalion of Artillerie-Regiment 84. Four were in service when Invasion of Poland, Germany invaded Poland, assigned to ...

, , , , World War II , - , 240 , , Type 45 240 mm howitzer , , , , World War II , - , 240 , ,

Type 96 24 cm howitzer The Type 96 24 cm howitzer (Japanese: 九六式二十四糎榴弾砲 , ''Kyūroku -shiki nijūyon-senchi ryūdanhō'') was a siege gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Japanese-Soviet War and during the Pacific War from 1936 to 1945 ...

, , , , World War II , - , 260 , ,

Mortaio da 260/9 Modello 16 The Mortaio da 260/9 Modello 16 - was an Italian Heavy mortar and Siege Gun designed by the French Schneider Company and produced under license in Italy by Ansaldo and Vickers-Terni for the Italian Army. It was used by the Italian Army during b ...

, , , , 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 The Obice da 280 was an Italian Coastal artillery, coastal defense and Siege gun#Modern siege engines, siege howitzer designed in 1884 by the British Armstrong Whitworth, Armstrong firm and produced under license by the Gio. Ansaldo & C., Ansaldo ...

, , , , 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 , , , ,

/ World War I, World War II , - , 280 , ,

11-inch mortar M1877 The 11-inch mortar M1877 was a Russian coastal and fortress mortar that was used in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. History The M1877 was first designed and produced by the Obukhov State Plant in Saint Petersburg and was fairly convent ...

, , , , 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 The Ordnance BL 12-inch howitzer was a scaled-up version of the successful BL 9.2-inch siege howitzer. History Following the success of their BL 9.2-inch howitzer, Vickers designed an almost identical version scaled up to a calibre of 12 inches ...

, , , , World War I , - , 305 , ,

Type 7 30 cm Howitzer The Type 7 30 cm howitzer ( ja, 七式三十榴弾砲, Shichi-nenshiki sanjū-senchi ryūdanhō) was a howitzer used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War, Soviet–Japanese border conflicts and during the Pacific Cam ...

, , , , World War II , - , 305 , ,

Obice da 305/17 Obice da 305/17 was an Italian howitzer (sometimes classified as mortar) used during World War I. Produced by the Armstrong works in Italy between 1914 and 1917, approximately 30-44 were built. Originally the Obice da 305/17 Modello 15 was a sta ...

, , , , World War I , - , 305 , ,

305 mm howitzer M1915 Type 1915 305 mm howitzer (russian: 305-мм гаубица образца 1915 года) was a Russian heavy howitzer that saw service during World War I and II. Originally intended for Naval use, it was later purchased by the Army at a co ...

, , , , 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 The Ordnance BL 15-inch howitzer was developed by the Coventry Ordnance Works late in 1914 in response to the success of its design of the 9.2-inch siege howitzer. The howitzer was cumbersome to deploy, since it was transported in several sect ...

, , , , 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 Schwerer Gustav (English: ''Heavy Gustav'') was a German railway gun. It was developed in the late 1930s by Krupp in Rügenwalde as siege artillery for the explicit purpose of destroying the main forts of the French Maginot Line, the strongest ...

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Muzzle-loading artillery

Breech-loading artillery

See also