Modeller Build Logs

Building the Baluard 1:35 15cm Kanone (E)

Railway guns always attracted the leaders of the ground forces of continental armys for their ability to move heavy supporting fire fast throughout the whole country. The first time, railway guns were used in a big scale was in WWI and the German Wehrmacht was aware of the many possibilities, these weapons would offer.

We have two types of railway guns. The ones with a rotating platform that were able to fire 360deg. and those fixed guns that only could fire in the direction of the track. The first ones needed side support outriggers and clamps to absorb the recoil. The second ones (mainly calibers larger than 20cm) needed a shooting curve or a turntable to change the direction of fire. Although the railway guns needed the tracks to be moved and these tracks were vulnerable against air raids, the tracks could easily be fixed and the guns could even be used on hastily deployed tracks.

The German railway guns are divided in two big groups: the so called Sofortprogramm and the Langzeitprogramm. The Langzeitprogramm dealt with the slow and deep development of long range guns for siege operations (being influenced by the "Paris-Geschütz" of 1916). The Sofortprogramm was initiated to provide a usable heavy railway artillery in a short time, before the results of the Langzeitprogramm could be produced. Therefore the guns of the Sofortprogramm were mainly old Navy guns that were used in constructions found in the archives of Krupp.

The 15cm Kanone (E) was introduced in 1937, it was indeed a product of the Langzeitprogramm. The 15cm K (E) was built up on a low-platform wagon, that sat on two triple axle bogeys and had 4 outriggers. In its fire position, the four outriggers were spread and the recoil was absorbed by 4 plates that were pressed on the floor. The leaf springs of the bogeys were disabled mechanicaly, four stamps pressed against the rails and clamps locked the railhead. The gun bearing, that carried the gun crew on its platform rotated on the center platform of the wagon.

The 15 cm cannon was not a bad weapon at all in terms of accuracy and range but it was considered too much of a wagon for too few a gun. 18 units of this gun went into service in 1937 and 1938 and in 1938 the design was changed by up gunning on 17cm guns (also a Navy gun). One major disadvantage of the design was the time consuming operation of the support outriggers and clamps before and, what is more important, after firing. It just took to much time to get the gun moving after firing and before the units got the bill for their action by enemy artillery or aircrafts.

Some technical features:

Caliber: 149,3mm Barrel length: 5960mm
Weight in firing position: 74000 kg
Length over all: 20,1m
Firing with Standard Explosive round of 43kg max. 22500m

The Baluard Multimedia Kit

The kit is a multi media kit made of resin and white metal with additional copper and brass wire, two sorts of chains and some dry decals. The resin parts are for the flat bed wagon and the gun platform. Most of the smaller parts are made of white metal like the gun railings, the wheels, the smaller fittings. My gun was upgraded with a prototype aluminium barrel.
Instructions are the explosion type, printed on an A3 size sheet of paper.