OPERATIONAL SUPER-GUNS OF WORLD WAR II

World War II was the test bed for mechanical innovations. While the Germans were in the forefront of this vicissitude, other nations were not behind. Though the concept of long range land attacks was used from ancient history, it was mastered during WWI and WWII. “Bigger, Faster, Longer” was the need of the hour and numerous super heavy guns were either designed or manufactured. Hitler’s obsession for heavy guns resulted in designing of many of these super-guns. Whenever any debate on military innovation takes place, names like “Schwerer Gustav”, “Karl-Gerät”, “K5 railway gun” or the “V-3 cannon” comes up.

Here is a list of some of the Super-Heavy Guns that saw combat in WWII.

Todt Battery- Originally named Battery Siegfried as part of the Germans' invasion plans for England, a battery equipped with 4 nos 38 cm SK C/34 naval gun each protected by bunker of reinforced concrete was installed just south of the Pas de Calais in 1940. It was to support the invasion by bombarding the southeast of England and simultaneously keeping the English Channel free of Allied warships.

Build by Krupp this 15 inch Caliber guns (originally for use in naval application) had a range of more of 55km and could effectively engage enemy across the English Channel.

Karl-Gerät- The largest self-propelled guns ever build and used in combat. It was designed and built by Rheinmetall and first saw combat in 1941 in Belarus. A total of 6 numbers were built each with a distinctive mythological names and saw combat mainly against Russia and Poland.

These 24 Inch caliber howitzers had a maximum range of 10 Km (Thor, Odin & Loki) and need 21 soilders to operate.

  

Obusier de 520 modèle 1916- Though built during WWI this French make Railroad gun saw action in WWII under the Germans. This was the biggest piece of ordnance built by Schneider et Cie during the First World War. It was used during the seize of Leningrad but had very little contribution.

This 20 inch caliber gun had a barrel length of 11.9 mtrs and an effective range of 16 Km.

Krupp  28-cm-Kanone 5 (E) (Anzio Annie) – Most famous of the 21 K5 railway gun was

Anzio Annie. For the first time it saw action was in 1944 during Allied landing (50,000 troops) in Anzio, Italy. With the help of K5s the Germany army nearly defeated the Allied effort in Italy, and bringing the invasion to a standstill at Cassino for next 3 months.

The K5s used 11.1 Inch caliber shells with a maximum range of 64 Km. While the length of the K5 was 32 Mtrs , it’s barrels had a prodigious barrel length of more than 21 mtrs.

1938 Railway gun TM-3-12 – This was a Soviet Railway gun built in 1938 from Obukhovskii 12"/52 Pattern 1907 naval gun from the sunken battleship Imperatritsa Mariya. They were used in the Soviet-Finnish war in 1939-1940. In June–December 1941 they took part in the defense of the Soviet naval base on Finland's Hanko peninsula.

These guns had a turret length of around 13 mtrs and a caliber of 12inch. It had a maximum range of 43 km with a 314kg shell.

Schwerer Gustav & Dora– The “Grand Daddy” of all guns. The single largest-calibre rifled weapon ever built and used in history. Designed by Krupp Industries it was used during WWII
by the Nazi's only against the Russians during Operation Barbarossa and siege of Leningrad. At 1350 Tonnes it is the heaviest artillery of all time firing and capable of firing 7500kg world’s heaviest shells.But it could only fire 2 rounds per hour due high reloading time. It required a non combat crew of 2750 to operate.

This 31 Inch caliber cannon had a humongous barrel of 32.5mtrs length. It had a range of 47km.

  

Sturmtiger – First introduced in WWII arena in 1944, Sturmtiger was a Tiger I tank retrofitted with land version of Kreismarine navalised anti-submarine rocket launching weapon. It was briefly used in WWII, mainly during the Warsaw Uprising.

This 68 tonne machine ran on 690 hp Maybach engine with a max speed of 40km/h. It had operational range of 120km. Its 15 inch caliber rocket launchers had a max firing range of 6km with 376 kg rockets.

  

V-3 (Vergeltungswaffe 3) cannon- The V3 also known as “Hochdruckpumpe” was a massive cannon, also known as the "London gun" designed by Germans to lob shells from it site on the coast of France across the English Channel and hit London, though it was never used against London. These were used during the bombardment of Luxembourg.

The length of these 5.9inch caliber cannons were almost 4 times that of “Schwerer Gustav” at 140mtrs, a range of 165 Km.

38 cm Siegfried K (E)-K12 - The K12 was a railway gun developed solely to satisfy the passion Hitler Hitler wore for heavy caliber guns. The 38 cm Siegfried cannons were originally designed as the main armament of the Bismarck-class battleships. Only 4 numbers were built without much remarkable effect on the war.

This 15 Inch caliber cannon had barrels of 18.4mtrs length. It had a range of 55.7km. 

42 cm Gamma Mörser - The 42 cm Gamma Mörser, also known as kurze Marinekanone L/16 (short naval gun with 16-caliber barrel) was a German siege howitzer developed before WWI in 1909.During WWII the Gamma Mörser was deployed against the Maginot Line in 1940, the Siege of Sevastopol and the Warsaw Uprising.

This 16.5 Inch caliber cannon had barrels of 6.7mtrs length. It had a range of 14.2km.

  

28 cm schwere Bruno Kanone – Originally Belgian coastal defense guns L/42 of WWi era mounted on railway carriage manufactured by Krupp. The guns only saw action during the Battle of France in June 1940.

This 11.1Inch caliber cannon had barrels of 11.08mtrs length. It had a range of 35.7km.

  

35.5 cm Haubitze M1- The Haubitze M1 was practically an enlarged 24 cm Kanone 3. It was manufactured by Rheinmetall-Borsig and was introduced in 1939. A total of 8 nos were build. It saw service mainly in the Eastern Front. It saw action in Battle of France ,Operation Barbarossa, the Siege of Sevastopol, the Siege of Leningrad and a played a very important role in negating the Warsaw Uprising.

This 14Inch caliber cannon had barrels of 8.05mtrs length. It had a range of 20.8 km.

Some of the guns that needs a special mention though they were not used during WWII or later replaced by heavier guns. The most famous was the “Paris Gun”. The others were “Skoda 305 mm Model 1911”, “BL 9.2-inch Railway Gun”, “BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun”,” Type 90 240 mm railway gun”, ” 240 mm howitzer M1” and the more modern “GC-45 howitzer”.

THE OTHER GREATEST VILLAINS OF 1990 - 2010

     

There are much celebrated nefarious characters in Bollywood like “Gabbar Singh” in Sholay, “Mogambo” in Mr. India, “Dr. Dang” in Karma, “Shakal” in Shaan, ”Maharani” in Sadak , “Seth Dharam Dayal Teja” in Zanjeer, ”Prem Chopra” in Bobby , “Kancha China” in Agneepath played by super creative actors and has teased our sense of fear over the time.

Bollywood from 1990 – 2010 has produced the most fantastic and fanatic villainous characters of all time. Here is list of villainous characters from these 2 decades, whom I feel are unique in their portrayal yet live in the shadows of the legendary characters mentioned above.

Anupam Kher (as Inspector Giridhar) & Annu Kapoor (Havaldar Arjun Singh)in HUM (1991)- A unique comic yet cruel characters. Their dialogues were peppy . They had an evil genius in them in the  way they took control of the arms business after framing “Baktawar Seth”. Pitted against Amitabh, Govinda, Rajnikant, Danny- Anupam Kher & Annu Kapoor proved their proficiency as actors.

Naseeruddin Shah (as Gulfam Hassan) in SARFAROSH (1999) – A villain who is also an established Ghazal artist. The subtleness in the character is sure to put you in consternation when his true identity is disclosed. A master performance of understated villainy.

Ashutosh Rana (as Lajja Shankar Pandey) in SANGHARSH(1999) – Lajja Shankar is sure to create a chill in your spine whenever he does his foul cry with his hands on his mouth. The character is as creepy as it gets. A religious fanatic who believes in sacrificing children to achieve mortality.

Govinda (as Om Srivastav / Mahendra Pratap Singh) in SHIKARI(2000) – Govinda in his only negative role of his career. Despite over the top makeup, abnormal husky voice and much hamming you will STILL love this villain because of charisma of Govinda. The zealotry of the character will enthrall you.

Urmila Matondkar (as Ma'am) in KAUN?(1999) – One of the creepiest character ever played in Bollywood. Urmila with no name (referred to as Ma’am throughout the movie)  portrays a feeble, helpless, spooky, macabre,  devilish aspect in a single character. Her transformation from being haunted to haunting will terrify you.

Saif Ali Khan(as Karan Singh Rathod) in EK HASINA THI(2004) – One of the most urbane , subtle and suave  villain of bollywood played by Saif. Saif (who till then played only romantic characters) displayed cold bloodedness with much aptitude. Another aspect of this character was that though it was the lead villain of the movie but the character was not the leader of the other villains of the movie (unlike other bollywood films) but worked for them. His death scene was also one of the most disturbing as far as bollywood villains are considered.

Atul Kulkarni (as Inspector "Encounter" Shankar) in DUM(2003) – You are sure to hate this character from point go. A menacing police officer played ably by Atul Kulkarni will make you lament. 

Shakti Kapoor (as Crime Master Gogo) in ANDAZ APNA APNA(1994) – Arguably the best comic villain ever in Bollywood. This nephew of ” Mogambo” was as hysterical and hilarious as it could be. Shakti Kapoor’s depiction of this character will sure to be considered as legendary acting. The dialogues complemented the character like no other.

Danny Denzongpa (as Katya) in GHATAK(1996)- A real villain in Bollywood sense with leopards as pets. A dominating character played by Danny to rival the theatrics of Sunny Deol. Dialogue delivery was a absolute masterpiece. The ferocity of the character will make you sit up and take notice.

Nana Patekar  (as Majid Khan) in ANGAAR(1992)- A villain who is an Architect by qualification. The villain who is a man who loves his family yet poisons his own retarded son. The subtle-ness in Nana’s acting was the highpoint. His ruthlessness will impress you.

Raghuvaran (as Bhavani) in SHIVA(1991) - Just watch out for the expression on Raghuvaran's face when he stab a person to death. It was utter terror. As an unknown face in Bollywood will sure to cause chill in your spine. Many villains in later movies tried to replicate the character (Maybe almost all Student - Underworld movie).

Mithun Chakraborty  (as Amavas a.k.a. Vijay Bahadur) in JALLAD(1995) - A cold hearted politician criminal. Just watch out for Mithun's dialogue delivery and body language. It's sheer villainy.

Ashutosh Rana (as Gokul Pandit) in DUSHMAN(1998) - The character epitomizes  devil incarnated. With those ever expressive evil eyes and his fabulous acting, Ashutosh in his debut film will surely cause jitters in your heart.  This deranged auto-driver will be remembered as one of the most dreadful villains of all time.




 
Manoj Bajpai  (as Raghavan Ghatge) in AKS(2001) - A supernatural villain that will haunt you throughout the movie. Pitted with likes of Amitabh , Manoj Bajpai as a dead criminal outshines him. The dialogues are impeccable with likes of "Na Koi Marta Hai".

Saif Ali Khan as Ishwar 'Langda' Tyagi in OMKARA(2006) - Based on "Lago"( of William Shakespeare's Othello) just expect the unexpected from Saif Ali Khan. The perfection of the portrayal of the character will sure to put this character in the top of the list of the best villains on this millennium. A limp, a master conspirator with no remorse. Others characters of the movie fades in comparison of Langda Tyagi.

Sushant Singh (as Gajraj Singh) in SEHAR(2005) - As a young, cool headed, cold blooded, tech savvy  mafia don Sushant excels in the portrayal of Gajraj.  His ruthlessness will entice you.

Special Mention

Naseeruddin Shah (as Jindal) in MOHRA(1994)

Irfan Khan (as Ranvijay Singh) in HAASIL(2003)

Gulshan Grover (as Chhappan Tikli a.k.a. Jimmy) in SIR(1993)

Amrish Puri (as Barrister Indrajit Chaddha) in DAMINI(1993)

Kajol (as Isha Diwan) in GUPT(1997)

Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay Singh Rajput in AANKHEN(2002)

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11 BOLLYWOOD MOVIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED....

There are movies and there are "THE MOVIES" you would not love to miss. As time flies by some movies fade from our memories - some because they are so called "Alternate or Parallel Cinema", some because when they released we were too young to know and understand while for some just prints are not available. Here is a list of 10 movies that might have been forgotten but if you can grab a copy or on TV you should not miss the chance to get entertained by it.

EK RUKA HUA FAISLA(1986) - An unofficial adaptation of 1957 Hollywood film "12 Angry Men" which in turn adapted from a teleplay by the same name.  Directed and produced by Basu Chatterjee with Indian perspective. The movie majorly shot inside a single room where 12 jurors decide the fate of a murder convict. Though the -"shot in single room" -may convince you otherwise, but be very sure that after the first 10 mins into the movie you will be glued to the seat. It's more of a murder mystery  film where the protagonist tries to prove the innocence of a convicted murderer (and not otherwise). A career building role for actors like K K Raina, Annu Kapoor and Pankaj Kapoor .

SEHAR(2005) - Arsad Warsi plays a tough cop in this film directed by Kabir Kausik. Set in the late 1990's Uttar Pradesh, the film realistically portrays the organised crime scene of North India and use of new technologies like mobile phones by the criminal creating a havoc in the police department. Sushant Singh plays the role of a vindictive  don controlling the underworld while Pankaj Kapoor provides technical support to police on tracking Mobile phone. If you love underworld films, this film is sure to enthrall you. Arsad Warsi & Sushant Singh gives a perfect execution of their respective characters.

JAANE BHI DO YAARO(1983)-A cult classic ,only one of the few satiric comedy films of Bollywood, this movie is considered as one of the best of Indian Films. Directed by Kundan Shah and produced by NFDC, this films had an ensemble cast of Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor, Ravi Baswani, Satish Shah, Bhakti Barve, Neena Gupta , Satish Kaushik and Vidhu Vinod Chopra in a small yet hilarious role. The film portrays the challenges of "Common Man" in a jocular way. The Mahabharata (arguably the best comic sequence in any Bollywood film) scene from this film is guaranteed to make to laugh out loud. A film not to missed.

MOKSHA(2001)-Directed by ace cinematographer Anil Mehta, each frame of this film is a visual treat. Part of the movie is shot in black and white to distinguish the time frame. A film about man's(unconventionally who is rich and powerful) journey to realise his dream to attain salvation. This was the first movie of Arjun Rampaul who plays the protagonist. He was supported by Suresh Oberoi, Manish Koirala, Naseeruddin Shah  & Danny Denzongpa. Though the film was a box office disaster it was a perfect film to tantalize  your brain and heart.

ARDH SATYA(1983)- One of the best cop movie made in Bollywood. A landmark in Indian cinema this movie is directed by Govind Nihalani. Om Puri plays the protagonist while Sadashiv Amrapurkar(his first film) plays his adversary. The supporting cast consisted of Naseeruddin Shah  , Smita Patil, Amrish Puri and Shafi Inamdar. Ardh Satya had created a base for many future cop dramas (Singham being the latest one). Flawless direction, exquisite acting  and hard hitting dialogues made this film an all-time classic.

1971(2007) - This escape-from-prison movie directed by Amrit Sagar went by unnoticed during its release. The movie had a worthy cast of  Manoj Bajpai, Ravi Kishan, Piyush Mishra, Deepak Dobriyal who tries to escape from POW camp in Pakistan. With a  picturesque cinematography, a simple narration and a finely crafted  script ,this movie will keep you glued to the seat. The ending of the movie is not to be missed. You will feel the realism in the story and relish it even after the movie is over.

 MAALAMAAL(1988) - A fun movie directed by Kewal Sharma starring Naseeruddin Shah supported by Poonam Dhillon, Mandakini, Aditya Pancholi & Sunil Gavaskar (in a guest appearance). This light hearted laugh riot is a remake of 1985 movie "Brewster's Millions". Its about how the hero spends Rs 30 Crores in 30 days without buying anything.

VIJETA(1982) -A Govind Nihalani directed movie, it is a story about a young man's(an IAF pilot) coming to age during the Indo-Pak war (finding similarity with "Lakshya"??). The protagonist of the movie was ably played by Kunal Kapoor(in his one of the very few films). The rest of the cast consisted of Shashi Kapoor, Rekha, Supriya Pathak in main characters. This is the only Air-war movie of Bollywood. A fantastic film though went overlooked commercially upon its release.

PARWANA(1971) - Starring Navin Nischol, Amitabh Bachchan,  Yogeeta Bali and Om Prakash this film was before Amitabh became the superstar. A murder mystery directed by Jyoti Swaroop was an edge of the seat thriller. A forgotten film  of the 70's era, it was an inspiration behind 2008 film " Johnny Gaddaar". A story about a failed love tri-angle, this movie was unique in it's way on how the murderer  deceives his way through. A must watch for a fan of psychological thriller cinema.

KHOJ(1989) - A thriller starring Rishi Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah & Kimi Katkar this movie was went unheeded upon its release. This movie directed by Keshu Ramsey was a mystery with power packed performance from both Rishi Kapoor & Naseeruddin Shah. Though not a perfect movie but the story and premises set were very creative.

IJAAZAT(1987)- A poetry in motion directed by Gulzar, this film is a treat to all your senses. Supported by soul wrenching music by R D Burman and sacchariferous vocals by Asha Bhonsle , Ijaazat was a story about it's three main character played by Rekha, Naseeruddin Shah and Anuradha Patel. The story inspired by a Bengali story "Jatugriha " it was about reminiscence of their life when a separated couple meet each other in a railway station accidentally. Not to miss the supporting cast of Shammi Kapoor and Sashi Kapoor. A simple story told as a poetry.