38 cm Siegfried K (E)

• Name — 38 cm Siegfried K (E) • Origin — Nazi Germany • Type — Railway gun • Is Explosive — yes • Is Artillery — yes • Is Uk — no • Service — 1941–1945 • Used By — Nazi Germany • Wars — World War II • Designer — Krupp • Design Date — 1939 - 1941 • Manufacturer — Krupp • Number — 4 • Weight — 286 t • Length — 31.32 m • Part Length — 18.405 m L/48.4 • Cartridge — separate-loading, cased charge • Caliber — 381 mm • Velocity — 820 - • Max Range — 55700 m • Breech — horizontal sliding-block • Recoil — hydro-pneumatic • Carriage — 2 x 8-axle bogies • Elevation — 0° to 52.3° • Traverse — none (on mount) 360° (on turntable)

Like the 38 cm SK C/34 naval guns deployed as coastal defense, the 38 cm Siegfried K guns were modified with a larger chamber to handle the increased amount of propellant used for the special long-range Siegfried shells. The gun had no ability to traverse on its mount, relying instead on moving along a curving section of track or on a Vögele turntable to aim. The turntable (Drehscheibe) consisted of a circular track with a pivot mount in the center for a platform on which the railroad gun itself was secured. A ramp was used to raise the railway gun to the level of the platform. The platform had rollers at each end which rested on the circular rail for 360° traverse. It had a capacity of 300 t, enough for most of the railroad guns in the German inventory. The gun could only be loaded at 0° elevation and so had to be re-aimed for each shot.

The gun 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 which was rammed first. Four types of shells were used by the 38 cm Siegfried K (E), including the special long-range Siegfried shell (Siegfried—Granate) developed by the army. Almost 40 per-cent lighter, it could be fired with a reduced charge at 920 m/s to 40000 m. With a full charge it reached 1050 m/s and could travel 55700 m–equivalent to over 34.5 miles. • Shell name — Weight — Filling Weight — Muzzle velocity — Range • nose-fused HE shell with ballistic cap (Sprenggranate L/4.6 m KZ m Hb) — 800 kg — Unknown — 820 m/s — 42,000 m • base-fused HE shell with ballistic cap (Sprenggranate L/4.4 m BdZ m Hb)) — 800 kg — Unknown — 820 m/s — 42,000 m • base-fused AP shell with ballistic cap (Panzer- Sprenggranate L/4.4 m BdZ m Hb)) — 800 kg — Unknown — 820 m/s — 42,000 m • nose- and base-fused HE shell with ballistic cap (Si-Gr L/4.5 Bdz u. Kz (m.Hb)) (light load) — 495 kg — 69 kg TNT — 920 m/s — 40000 m • nose- and base-fused HE shell with ballistic cap (Si-Gr L/4.5 Bdz u. Kz (m.Hb)) (full load) — 495 kg — 69 kg TNT — 1050 m/s — 55700 m

38 cm Siegfried K (E) is associated with Nazi Germany. Classified as a railway gun.