World War I was the Golden Age of the railway gun. Even though at the start of the conflict none of the armies possessed any railway artillery pieces and the very idea was comparatively new, more railway guns were used during this war than in any other conflict. Designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare, the first railway guns were simple, improvised designs made by mounting surplus coastal defence, fortress, and naval guns onto existing commercial railway carriages. As the war dragged on, railway artillery development shifted to longer range guns that could shell targets deep behind enemy lines. This change of role brought much larger and more sophisticated guns often manufactured by mounting long-barrel naval guns to specially-designed railway carriages. This book details the design and development of railway guns during World War I from the very first basic designs to massive purpose built "monster" railway guns. Accompanying the text are many rare, never-before-published, photographs and colour illustrations depicting how these weapons were used during World War I.

An accessible, authoritative history of the huge railway guns that bombarded the Western Front in World War I. It will appeal to modellers, wargamers and all those interested in the iconic weaponry of World War I.

About the Author
Marc Romanych is a retired US Army combat arms officer, and the author of several books for Osprey on World War I artillery and fortifications. He has a BA in History from the University of Maryland and an MA in International Relations from St Mary's University. Interested in the Maginot Line since 1995, Marc has extensively explored its fortifications. He is a member of Association du P.O. de Sentzich, a Maginot Line preservation group. Marc lives near Baltimore, Maryland. Greg Heuer is retired Chief Engineer and Program Manager for Raytheon Company. He has a BS in Electronics Engineering with a minor in Business Administration from New Mexico State University. Interested in the intersection between modelling, art and the history of manufacturing technologies, Greg has extensively researched, studied, and modelled super heavy and railway artillery. Greg lives near Newport, Rhode Island. Steve Noon was born in Kent, UK, and attended art college in Cornwall. He's had a life-long passion for illustration, and since 1985 has worked as a professional artist. He has provided award-winning illustrations for the publishers Dorling Kindersley, where his interest in historical illustration began. Steve has illustrated over 30 books for Osprey.


Book Information
ISBN 9781472816399
Author Marc Romanych
Format Paperback
Page Count 48
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 170g
Dimensions(mm) 248mm * 184mm * 5mm