BL 14-inch railway gun
| Industry | Armaments manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Naval guns, railway artillery |
Ordnance BL 14-inch gun on truck, railway refers to two British naval guns of the 14-inch Mk III model[note 1] adapted for use on railway mounts during combat on the Western Front in 1918. These artillery pieces had a limited operational period before being decommissioned and dismantled in 1926; however, their railcar platforms were later repurposed to support artillery installations during World War II.
Design and development
Armstrongs, through their Elswick Ordnance Company, manufactured these guns initially for installation as a twin turret on the Japanese battleship Yamashiro, though this contract was never finalized. Consequently, the left barrel, dubbed "Scene Shifter," featured a breech that opened to the left—an uncommon trait for a British army weapon—while the right barrel, known as "Boche Buster," had its breech open to the right.[1] Efforts to adapt them for railway mounting commenced in 1916 but only reached completion in 1918.
Firing was conducted from curved track sections detached from the main railway line, enabling directional aiming. The gun mount permitted a traverse of 2° to either side for precise targeting adjustments. For aiming beyond this range, the entire gun carriage was repositioned forward or backward along the track.
The railway mounting utilized a "cradle and rolling recoil" system: the gun was secured high within a standard cradle equipped with hydropneumatic buffers that allowed a 34-inch recoil at maximum elevation without ground contact. The residual recoil energy caused the entire railcar to roll backward between 20 and 30 feet until halted by brakes. A front-mounted winch connected by cable to an anchor point ahead pulled the carriage back into firing position. This design eliminated the need for specialized track modifications and permitted firing from any point along the curved track section.[2]
Combat service
The guns, along with their carriages, reached France on 26 May 1918 but were incomplete and did not engage in combat until 8 August. From May 1918, they were operated by the 471 Siege Battery and identified as "HM Gun Boche Buster," deployed near Arras with the First Army, and "HM Gun Scene Shifter," positioned near Bethune under the Fifth Army. Their primary role involved long-range interdiction targeting critical German infrastructure such as railway junctions. King George V personally witnessed Boche Buster's inaugural firing near Marœuil, approximately 6 km northwest of Arras, on 8 August. This operation aimed to disrupt German reinforcements heading south during the British Amiens offensive. The resulting shell inflicted severe damage on the Douai railway junction and became famously known as "The King's Shot".[3] Over four months on the Western Front, these guns fired around 235 rounds.[4]
Since 14-inch caliber was not standard within British service, maintaining these guns post-World War I proved impractical. The barrels were deemed obsolete in 1926 and subsequently scrapped; however, several rail carriages were retained in storage without barrels yet still bore their original names. In 1939, these carriages were reactivated: Scene Shifter, Gladiator, and Piecemaker received 13.5-inch naval guns from reserve stocks, while Boche Buster was equipped with an 18-inch (460 mm) howitzer barrel No L2—manufactured in 1919 and stored with its mountings since then. The trio of 13.5-inch rail guns were deployed at Dover for Channel defense duties, whereas the 18-inch rail howitzer joined forces with existing 9.2-inch rail guns and 12-inch rail howitzers on coastal railways as part of super heavy brigades tasked with defending against potential German seaborne invasions by targeting landing sites.[5]
See also
- List of railway artillery
- EOC 14-inch 45-calibre naval gun – naval variant of this artillery piece
Comparable weapons by function, capability, and period
- 14"/50 caliber railway gun – American counterpart
Notes
- ↑ Mk III signifies Mark 3; the British designated ordnance models using Roman numerals, so this was the third variant of the 14-inch gun utilized by Britain.
References
Bibliography
- Dale Clarke, British Artillery 1914–1919. Heavy Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2005.
- Jeff Dorman, "The King's Shot" in Battle, December 1975
- General Sir Martin Farndale, "History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Western Front 1914-18". London: Royal Artillery Institution, 1986.
- I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914–1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972.
- Harry W Miller, United States Army Ordnance Department, Railway Artillery: A Report on the Characteristics, Scope of Utility, Etc., of Railway Artillery, Volume I. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1921.
- Harry W Miller, United States Army Ordnance Department, Railway Artillery: A Report on the Characteristics, Scope of Utility, Etc., of Railway Artillery, Volume II, pages 155-161. Washington : Government Printing Office, 1921.
External links
