20.3 cm/60 SK C/34 (203 mm)

Description

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Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• Admiral Hipper
• Prinz Eugen

General info

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Available ammunition

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Comparison with analogues

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Usage in battles

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Pros and cons

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Pros:

Cons:

History

The London Naval Treaty in 1930 specified that heavy cruisers were ships armed with 8-inch guns. Germany was not a signatory of the Washington Naval Treaty, having lost World War I, they were given even harsher restrictions under the Treaty of Versailles for their navy with the intention of keeping it as a coastal defense force. However, in 1935, Adolf Hitler negotiated with Anglo-German Naval Treaty, allowing Germany more room to produce ships with the only restriction was it had to be 35% the size of the Royal Navy. With the ability to construct 5 10,000 ton ships for the newly rechristened Kriegsmarine (War Navy), work began on the Admiral Hipper-class. The 20.3 cm/60 SK C/34 is the 8-inch gun for this class of heavy cruisers per the London Naval Treaty. While it was 8-inch gun built by Germany, it was powerful gun with long range. Constructed of loose barrel, an inner and outer jacket, a breech end-piece screwed hot on to the outer jacket and a breech block supporting piece pushed into the breech end-piece and held by a threaded ring. The loose barrel was removable from the rear and would fit any gun. The breech block was a horizontal sliding type and was hydraulically operated. Only 3 of the five Hipper-class ships were completed, the Admiral Hipper herself, the Blücher, and Prinz Eugen. The last one is particularly notable for setting a Boat Deck fire on HMS Hood during the Battle of the Denmark Strait which led to the Hood's sinking. The last two planned ships of the class, were not completed. The Seydiltz was changed during construction to be an aircraft carrier as the Kriegsmarine attempted to play catch-up with the Allies and two turrets were mounted on Ile De Croix, France as part of the Atlantic Wall defenses with the other planned for service on Ile de Ré for the same purpose, but this was not archived. The final cruiser, the Lützow was sold to the Soviets for 150 million Reichsmarks with only the first two turrets completed. It was renamed the Petropavelosk and served in the Siege of Leningrad during World War II. The remaining eight guns, already completed for the ship, were repurposed as railway guns designated 20.3 cm Kanone (E - Eisenbahnlafette (Railway mount)) which served in a coastal defense in France and Belgium.

References

DiGiulian, T. (2021, June 3). 20.3 cm/60 (8") SK C/34. Navweaps. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from http://navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_8-60_skc34.php

Media

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See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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• http://navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_8-60_skc34.php
• encyclopedia page on the weapon;
• other literature.