20.3 cm SK C/34 gun
The 20.3 cm SK C/34 was the main battery gun used on the German Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers.
20.3 cm SK C/34 gun
U.S. Navy · U.S. Navy All Hands magazine June 1968, p. 63. · Public domain
- Name
- 20.3 cm SK C/34 naval gun
- Field
- rifled breech loader · naval artillery
- Region
- Germany
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Documentary summary
The 20.3 cm SK C/34 was the main battery gun used on the German Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers.
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wikidata · Q1602887
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — 20.3 cm SK C/34 naval gun • Origin — Germany • Type — Naval gun Coastal defence • Is Ranged — YES • Is Artillery — YES • Service — 1939 – 1945 • Used By — Kriegsmarine • Wars — Second World War • Weight — 20.7 tonnes • Length — 12.15 m (60 calibres) • Cartridge — 122 kg • Caliber — 20.3 cm • Rate — 4 – 5 rounds per minute • Velocity — 925 m/s • Max Range — 33.5 km • Elevation — -10° to +37°
Naval service
Coast defence guns
Coast defence guns
The four turrets intended for the incomplete cruiser were installed as coastal artillery in France. The turrets A (Anton) and D (Dora) at Battery Karola on the Ile de Re (4./Marine Artillerie Abteilung 282). And the turrets B (Bruno) and C (Cäsar) at Battery Seydlitz on the Ile de Croix (5./Marine Artillerie Abteilung 264).
Railway guns
Railway guns
Eight barrels from the incomplete cruiser were given to the army and followed rebuild to 20.3 cm K (E) railway guns.
Shell trajectory
Shell trajectory
• Range — Elevation — Time of flight — Descent — Impact velocity • 5 km — 1° 54 — 6 sec — 2° 6 — 744 m/s • 10 km — 4° 24 — 14 sec — 6° 6 — 587 m/s • 15 km — 8° 6 — 23 sec — 12° 48 — 463 m/s • 20 km — 13° 18 — 36 sec — 23° 36 — 382 m/s • 25 km — 20° 18 — 51 sec — 36° 48 — 353 m/s • 30 km — 29° 6 — 69 sec — 48° 48 — 363 m/s
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
• 203mm/50 Modèle 1924 gun French equivalent • 203 mm /53 Italian naval gun Italian equivalent • 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun Japanese equivalent • BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun UK equivalent • 8"/55 caliber gun US equivalent
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- Germany
Description
These built-up guns consisted of a rifled tube encased within an inner and outer jacket with a horizontal sliding breech block. The breech was sealed with an 18 kg (40 lb) brass case containing 30 kg (66 lb) of smokeless powder with a 160 gram (5.6 oz) gunpowder igniter. A cloth bag containing an additional 21 kg (40 lb) of smokeless powder and 380 grams (13 oz) of gunpowder was loaded between the projectile and the brass case. Each gun could fire approximately five rounds per minute. Useful life expectancy was 510 effective full charges (EFC) per barrel.
Literature
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Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Artillerie cotiere lourde allemande. ostfront.forumpro.fr.
- 2.L'Artillerie Lourde sur Voie Ferrée. deuxiemeguerremondia.forumactif.com.
- 3.Artillerie de defense cotiere lourde. www.laroyale-modelisme.net.
- 4.fiche sur le patrimoine du siècle. www.poitou-charentes.culture.gouv.fr.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 2
- Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. 1985. 0-87021-459-4.
- Cruisers of World War Two. Brockhampton Press. 1995. 1-86019-874-0.
References
Citations
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reference work
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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