Heavy Gustav - The Largest Weapon Ever Built

Schwerer Gustav, or the “Heavy Gustav,” was the largest and most powerful gun used in World War II. It was initially commissioned by Hitler to destroy the French Maginot Line; however, it was actually only used extensively in the siege of Sevastopol on the Eastern Front. Dismantled by the Germans before losing the conflict, the gun was the heaviest piece of mobile artillery ever built and had the greatest caliber of any rifled weapon used in war. The raw power came with a price. Its 7-tonne shells could breakthrough over 7-meters of reinforced concrete, but 500 people were needed to fire it, and about 4,000 more were required to protect and operate it on the battlefield...
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Dark Docs brings you cinematic short military history documentaries featuring the greatest battles and most heroic stories of modern warfare, covering World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and special forces operations in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

[@papabear1uk]

0:34 500 were needed to fire it, and 4000 needed to operate it. Can you imagine the squabble over who was gonna pull the trigger??

[@petergray2712]

Or clean the barrel of fouling. To accomplish this they had a soldier don a suit of thick cotton layers, and he had to CRAWL down the barrel after each shot.

[@jonnym.798]

Peter Gray damn... i wonder how hot it was... maybe they waited for it to cool down? haha

[@jonnym.798]

Peter Gray cause that round is literally the size of a large couch... imagine the heat it generates

[@ghost_ship_supreme]

I think it was 2000 total to man it.

[@jameswarren2894]

One seriously long game of Rock Paper Scissors

[@johnandrewmayne]

Shooting a 22,000 pound shell 23 miles is pretty impressive in 1944

[@tylerw1418]

9:17 that thing can shoot 118 miles?! 😟

[@BJETNT]

Yeah but the allies would have loved to have bombed that. Is technical as it was I bet you a bullet would throw off being able to shoot it. Imagine something getting stuck in the barrel lol.a bomb even go off near that thing and that would be one expensive pile of junk

[@johnandrewmayne]

@@tylerw1418 I think that was the 2nd gen with a much smaller shell , still impressive.

[@blitz8260]

Even in 2020 that kinda impressive

[@OrdinaryJoe12]

pretty sure the atomic bomb being dropped around the same time paled it in comparison

[@metalspoon69]

Perfect for concealed carry and home defense

[@clipsedrag13]

even Lizzo couldn't conceal that thing in her bra

[@mastertek383]

My thoughts exactly.

[@KaptajnKaffe]

Can I get a 22. Cal barrel for training purpose?

[@Lineandsinker87]

Is it threaded barrel for a Knights armament suppressor??

[@richmcgee434]

"You'll take my schwerer Gustav from me when you pry it from my cold, dead hands."

[@timothygeorge5806]

I love that they felt the need to put an arrow in the Thumbnail

[@jbot91]

I would have missed it otherwise.

[@T3SKATLIPOC4]

...and a red one

[@Vitamin.Z]

Seems to be a theme in their thumbnails

[@NekoWinters]

Actually its cause of how the algorithm works, it allows the system to believe this is a video with a good hook for those not subbed to the channel already

[@NekoWinters]

Otherwise the system will scan the thumbnail and not really set it as anything in the system so it would only ever be suggest to people that are already subbed

[@slugg087]

Thanks for the red arrow pointing at the barrel of the largest weapon ever built so we wouldn't miss it

[@poppinboppin7250]

Oh, that was the gun?

[@ArchangelExile]

Man, I never would've seen it without that red arrow.

[@Scruffy-LookingNerfHerder]

I think the Paris Gun in WW1 was bigger.

[@AntonsAstronomy]

Damn, I would of never noticed it!

[@grumpycat6429]

Remember the days when we cats were worshipped? Those were the days....we shouldn’t have let them go.

[@Kragatar]

Simultaneously the most impractical weapon of all time, and the coolest weapon of all time. Great video by the way.

[@trevormynatt3466]

I wouldn't say it was the coolest, cool idea. This ideology Hitler had actually contributed to losing the war.

[@I_dunno_man_but]

The perfect weapon for the "I got a bigger one" crew

[@Schaufelor]

@@I_dunno_man_but yeah man, also the way it rises up. What a strong heavy ding dong.

[@thedungeondelver]

"It took five weeks to get it into position for combat." The Russians: "LOOK OUT! IT'S GRADUALLY COMING TOWARDS US!"

[@ThePolecatProcess]

Russian mobilization: "those are rookie numbers"

[@BatmanSeRiedeTi]

It was the real life "Grond: Hammer of the Underworld"!

[@nick_steele9790]

@@BatmanSeRiedeTi BRING OUT THE WOLF'S HEAD

[@youtubeSuckssNow]

It was still well over 100 miles away when they fired it

[@dednside5229]

Yeah really This concept was actually the future See" rail gun " Cheap ammo , more destruction per dollar

[@ghost_ship_supreme]

“It was sent to Mirza and subsequently lost” “”Lost””

[@bamahama707]

Melted down and re-used, you mean.

[@llamamanism]

GhostShipSupreme I know what you mean, they might have asked “. Now where did I leave that gun “. ?

[@fasthracing]

Down the back of the sofa maybe.

[@stonks6616]

Fast H Racing heh

[@user-mp3eq6ir5b]

Define "Lost" Even breaking it up takes A LOT of heavy equipment.

[@duftmand]

Imagine constructing a piece of machinery so enormous that it requires its own two sets of special railroad tracks to be laid in front of it just to move and thinking: “I think I’ll name it after my wife.” I don’t think she took that very well..

[@kingslushie1018]

duftmand 💀 damn

[@DiZzAstA]

she was a nazi -- she prob. bathed in all its glory of being given such privilege.

[@user-mp3eq6ir5b]

"Dora the Exploder"

[@seka1986]

duftmand you never know, she may have demanded that it be named after her.

[@roobsdoobs9600]

🤣 I was thinking the same,,

[@madtrucker0983]

Hitler leaving for work: Honey do you know were I put my Gustav last night when I came in?

[@seanc.5310]

Have you checked between the seats on the Turpitz?

[@madtrucker0983]

@@seanc.5310 No I'm certain that I brought it in the house. Since I'm so short I remember pulling it out of the holster and the site hanging up on my boots and pissing me off.

[@stephenjacks8196]

Not big for "small hands" Hitler. His was forked like like the snake he was. Thank God no Hitler DNA is in the gene pool.

[@user-mp3eq6ir5b]

She dropped it onto the canal.

[@slappy8941]

Welp, you tried...

[@jefflebowski918]

Heavy Gustav and Heavy Gertrude had a baby named Howitzer.

[@Robitnerd]

Top Ten Best KZbin Comments

[@mattmartin4764]

You owe me money lebowski

[@topspin4456]

Dude, you‘re right.

[@dontfearthereaper2887]

If only humans would put this much ingenuity, energy, and dedication into something good

[@Musicreach101]

Every time I see a special on this rail cannon the people to operate it go up by a 1,000 🤣🤣🤣

[@richmcgee434]

You noticed that too, eh? :\

[@midship_nc]

i guess it depends on who you talk to and how they consider the supply chain. he is counting all the rail workers, contractors that make ammo, guy driving the truck etc etc. that the gun needs to be combat ready. i guess at least lol.

[@olliefoxx7165]

@@midship_nc most likely but thats not gow we estimate man power in other areas. How sailors needed for the air craft carrier? 80 thousand (including anyone that has any remote connection to it). How many does it take to operate the tank? 478 including everyone that has any connection. Etc...

[@Musicreach101]

Don’t get me wrong this is the best documentary I’ve seen yet.

[@osamabinladen824]

@@Musicreach101 It's too overblown and exaggerated. Check out "Mark Felton Productions" if you want fair and square info, he has the best collection of war history documentaries. He does everything by himself. Trust me, you won't regret it. Here's one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rp_cqGSeZs-sa5o

[@johnnycondor]

A 20,000 pound bullet! It boggles my mind that a metal slug of such extreme weight can be thrown so accurately, so far away.

[@niboiii1589]

Everyone: This was an insane piece of German engineering Nazi Germany: Haha gun go boom

[@andie_pants]

Robert Oppenhemier: _Hold my plutonium..._

[@Aaron-rj7bv]

Such a waste of resources that could have been used to build other things that would've made more sense, but then again it is Hitler we're talking about and all that meth and cocaine really destroyed his sense.

[@hurlant2086]

@@Aaron-rj7bv yes..daaamm ufos

[@peterblood50]

insane is exactly the correct word for it. But then it was ordered by one of the most insane people to have ever lived.

[@jasonwhite7905]

Likely caused by the syphilis from all that... "posterior copulation".

[@seldoon_nemar]

well, I've heard it takes a village to raise a kid and apparently, a midsize suburb to fire a gun in Germany...

[@aurboda]

a gun that hits 200 km away tho

[@rickythegreat1]

I remember when youtube made you start doing voice-overs on dark5 and people didn't like your voice. So you started this channel as a compromise. Look at you now, you have a network of 5 channels. You've come a long way man, and you're doing great job. I'm looking forward to all of the new content!

[@unnamedchannel1237]

Here I am struggling to put together one video per week for my channel and has that many lol

[@comradatarms]

Always found his voice so relaxing!

[@thebonesaw..4634]

I think he's only the narrator. I may be mistaken but I don't think he's the one putting these together.

[@kjhenriksen9967]

@@thebonesaw..4634 talks way to fast whoever

[@rickythegreat1]

@@comradatarms I know this is a weird question, but are you like really into the weather? (p.s. this question has nothing to do with dark5's voice lol)

[@OAleathaO]

5:45 - "The first gun was free for the German army. The second one, commissioned along with it, had a price tag of 7 million Reichmarks." The ultimate "Buy One Get One Free" deal. ;)

[@markpaul8178]

That statements over the top.

[@Unb3arablePain]

"That thing alone should be a declaration of war!"

[@blitz8260]

rwsthedemonking no it was a declaration of how smart hitler was

[@blitz8260]

rwsthedemonking bruh I’m being sarcastic no shit that thing was a bad idea but u must admit it does look cool

[@cacildeasa]

@@blitz8260 You mean how DUMB, right? The gun had major flaws and shouldn't be built at all.

[@Rviolette84]

Krupp: "How far would you like it to shoot?" Hitler: "JAAA!!"

[@DonyoSanghelei30]

Krupp: How hard do you want it to pound? - Hitler: Satans Fist.

[@coll5342]

I wish this thing had survived the war, imagine being able to walk on it or even see some wreckage of it

[@maxj9812]

Is it completely destroyed? I cant imagine how you would destroy a huge piece of metal like the barrel

[@sleepless9994]

@@maxj9812 they most likely have blew it up

[@907pikealaska5]

imagine the scrap metal brass is $2.85 lb right now, id be filthy rich hording all that brass and lead

[@Lecruque]

There’s one standing in France near a museum. Check it out.

[@igameidoresearchtoo6511]

@@Lecruque It's not the gustav or dora, its a smaller gun, though there is a scaled model of it there.

[@cerebralm]

The salute overlayed on the rising gun barrel was a stroke of genius. Nice!

[@BatmanSeRiedeTi]

Holly crap! Its like shooting a friggin light tank at the enemy with every single shot!!!

[@richardbearden7889]

Or 1/2 of the ordinance on a B-52

[@tttdrr2293]

what do we use for ammo? that tank over there!

[@sddtyw_8623]

Its the equivalent of shooting a full modern usa m1 Abrahams

[@richardbearden7889]

@@sddtyw_8623 no.....it's not....20,000 lbs per shot is not an Abrams tank... combat weight is 70,000lbs for Abrams...

[@BatmanSeRiedeTi]

@@sddtyw_8623 Ain´t that like 60 tons around 130000 pounds?

[@carlbowles1808]

The sheer size of the gun alone is extremely impressive. Impressive and powerful, but extremely impractical.

[@OspreyFlyer]

Everybody a gangsta until Heavy Gustav pops a cap! 😂

[@unnamedchannel1237]

Haha

[@moisesmunguiafalloutmoises112]

And after taht, its now used by the Modecan army

[@thomasaquinas5262]

The Gustav was impressive, even awe-inspiring. On the other hand, it required a small army of maintenance and security personnel, its own separate railway tracks and beds, and its own separate security force. In other words, it was an incredibly expensive show of force that was problematical.

[@minimanadam]

That's just Chuck Norris's handgun

[@thebonesaw..4634]

What are you talking about? Chuck Norris uses this to cut his toenails as it's the only thing (other than Chuck Norris) with enough power to do so. He'd do it himself but it's awkward trying to roundhouse kick your own toenail. Once Norris has cut the nail he files the edges with his beard.

[@superdupergrover9857]

No, it _wishes_ it was Chuck Norris' handgun.

[@justinlandrie5975]

Chuck norris also killed one stone with two birds

[@ded12021]

Chuck Norris need no gun... He punches through 7m of armour plated concrete 👊

[@keyweststeve3509]

It's so funny how everybody pretends Chuck Norris is some kind of hyper bad-ass these days when back in his day he was just considered another horrible actor with a sketchy low-end kickboxing background. OMG I still remember going to the movies to see Good Guys Wear Black; the acting was ATROCIOUS but you just couldn't help but like Chuck.

[@Tyln93]

Allies: "It's not about the size, it's about how you use it." Germans: "N E I N"

[@NebulaStudios1]

“Take the Gustav to the far side of Endor. There it will wait for young Skywalker.”

[@FoxWolfWorld]

“I’m afraid the Schwerer Gustav will be quite operational when your friends arrive”

[@jimf1964]

Good doc, but at the beginning he stated that "it was bigger than any tank". That's one hell of an understatement! The thing was enormous!

[@theenglishbiker8293]

Ah yes the maginot line... much like "we're going on a bear hunt" "We cant go under it, we cant go over it, we cant go through it, we will have to go AROUND it!"

[@NeoGaymer]

- "How many calibers do u want my fuhrer" - His fuhrer : "Yes"

[@full_regalia8649]

Thanks for the red arrow on the thumbnail, wouldn’t have spotted it otherwise, ya know it’s the biggest weapon system ever made after all

[@mystusleucophasis6599]

They should use even two arrows for better indication

[@guy1021]

@@mystusleucophasis6599 I would have preferred a red circle too.

[@EternalMethematics]

And a shocked emoticon for emphasis 😱

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

Part of the high cost of the ammunition was the fact that each shot created measurable wear in the lining of the barrel. So each shell could not be the same size. Each shell had to be just a hair bigger in diameter than the previous one, or escaping gases around the shell would compromise the accuracy of the gun. The shells were numbered and had to be fired in their specific order to maintain Schwerer Gustave’s accuracy.

[@andie_pants]

Robert Oppenheimer: "That's adorable"

[@madtrucker0983]

Yeah let me show you a little something I came up with. No rails needed.

[@meetoo594]

@Chris George There is actually an atomic howitzer, the United States tested one in the late 50s. Its major disadvantage was the fact it didnt have a long enough range to protect its crew from the blast and fallout. The footage of it firing is bloody cool though.

[@michaeltempsch5282]

@Chris George The first A-bomb (used in the Trinity test) was 10' /3m in diameter, so no... 2nd,Little Boy (Hiroshima)was 28"/71cm, so yes, that'd fit. 3rd, Fat Man (Nagasaki) was 128"/3.3m - no. That Little Boy was so slim in comparison is because it was a gun type uranium bomb while the others were explosive implosion plutonium. They were so sure that the gun type would work that they never tested a complete device before dropping Little Boy on Hiroshima.

[@meetoo594]

@Chris George there is an artillery piece called the Davey Crockett that was basically an atomic mortar. It had the same problems as the atomic howitzer but was briefly deployed by the United States as a battlefield weapon to be used against Soviet massed tank or troop divisions. It's another crazy cold war weapon that was completely impractical to use in the Field.

[@BJETNT]

Yeah makes you think what Hitler was overcompensating for right!!!! He was kind of little man. Nothing like the Aryan type body that he was saying that needed to be German.It was creepy I went into a bar on the other side of Hayden Idaho one time I'm blonde hair blue eyed and 240 lb bodybuilder and they all cheered when I walked in. I did not know one of them and I did not know what was going on until I saw schwastica on the wall. I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life I got the hell out of there

[@jgt5463]

There was one of the shells, I believe the 7 ton AP, at the ordinance museum located at Aberdeen Maryland. It was awe inspiring. The museum is now closed and many of the displays moved to Ft. Lee in Virginia. I visited that museum about about 8 years ago and it was disappointing. A pale comparison to Aberdeen. A museum worker said most of the exhibits were in storage or being worked on. Check before visiting.

[@PFLEONARDI0906]

I visited Aberdeen in Jan 1991 as everyone was being deployed. Great museum at the time….

[@jefflebowski918]

French: "We have a Maginot Line that is impenetrable!" Hitler: "Hold my beer"

[@ericgarcia9110]

*Bier

[@unnamedchannel1237]

Not sure he drink beer? Hold my drug cocktail ....

[@sarthakmaan7075]

@@unnamedchannel1237 Hitler: hold my bull semen 😆he used to take bull semen to improve his potency he lost one testicle after ww1

[@thokim84]

Let's just go around...

[@derricklarsen462]

@@thokim84 you got the job sir proceed with your plan

[@cnance1972]

Thanks for another great video and preserving history

[@t3hr00tb33r]

12:13 -- How the hell do you manage to lose _THE LARGEST CANNON EVER MADE?_

[@JoH-bu5nz]

It fell in the couch 🙄

[@torvamessor666]

It’s probably under the bed

[@theinspiredentrepreneur5441]

Probably next to my car keys.

[@PrezVeto]

Stalin definitely had that shit melted down

[@_nines8270]

Any TV show probably would have stretched this amount of content to fit a 1 hour episode

[@jonirelan2904]

Iron Gustaf was, in fact, found in Kirkenthumbach, West Germany after the war. It became a popular curiosity for American troops stationed at nearby Grafenweher Traing Area to visit until it was destroyed.

[@AKAHEIZER]

Why somebody would destroy such a astonishing peace of military equipment.

[@stuartahrens6775]

How was it destroyed??

[@jonirelan2904]

The only information I had from residents in the area was that it was disassembled as far as it could before being cut up for high grade scrap. The only hint that it had ever been there was the railroad track bed.

[@SandsOfArrakis]

Gimli from LOTR "That still only counts as one" after Gustav blowing up an entire area.

[@BJETNT]

Lol that was the funniest comment at all of them I've read

[@robertphillips6296]

In some ways, means and thinking the Germans refought the First War without learning all the lessons.

[@General_Eisenhower1945]

Yea alot of ther wonder weapons, while magnificent and awe inspiring, shows how they hadn't changed much in some ways

[@BJETNT]

I think the Germans themselves actually learned a lot of lessons Hitler just did not let them use the information.

[@OldEastGermany]

Isn't true, of course, that no lessons learned from the first world war? German Blitzkrieg? German jet fighters? V1 and V2 rocket? Should I give 100 more examples?

[@dchebot]

Dark docs guy is a beast. It’s almost like he comes out with videos in real time. Must not sleep.

[@phoenix21studios]

"There is no Heavy Gustav, the senate was informed the Maginot Line was destroyed in a mining disaster."

[@wheressteve]

Finally, the perfect EDC for urban environments.

[@NotWithinNormalLimits]

I couldn’t imagine standing next to this thing while it shot. 80+CM. That’s twice as big as Bismarck’s 38CM guns...

[@emmerdaler]

The USA talk to the German Wehrmacht: you will fucking with me? The german Wehrmacht: Yes, i do

[@alitalore]

this specific weapon inspired many chapters in Yukito Kishiro manga Alita Battle Angel!! Den of Barjack tried taking down Tiphares (zalem in movie) with such a weapon! this is y we need alita sequel;)

[@olliefoxx7165]

Thats a cool movie. Didn't know that other stuff.

[@nathanerickson5703]

This is one of those things which is so outlandish that if it weren't for proof of its existence you'd call BS.

[@Otokichi786]

Heavy Gustav: I can destroy Everything! Tallboy and Grand Slam bombs: Oh, really?

[@swooftperson_08]

MK-III Fat man: *Allow me to introduce myself*

[@surfside75]

What about the upcoming super duper bomb👍😁

[@WarReport.]

The siege of Sevastopol was an old school medieval type modern days siege, Sevastopol was the most guardered place on planet Earth and Mannstein oly had so many men under his command to take the crimea, he called in all the seemingly outdated siege weapons aka all the huge howitzers, mortars, and rail guns and artillery guns. These weapons broke soviet bunkers like nuts and saved many German lives and got Mannstein his Feld Marschall baton.

[@jordantaylor6134]

CNN: the ar15 is stronger than the Gustav cannon

[@herbsewell4995]

Well, they're not wrong, I'm sure all the different variations of the ar-15 have claimed thousands, if not million's more lives than the Gustav. And ya know, CNN aren't the ones creating gun laws, that job belongs to the government, but you go ahead and keep hating the one thing (the media) that keeps the government from completely stripping you of your freedom's. I believe that is EXACTLY what your CULT LEADER'S want you to do. You know where Trump (Drumpf) got his MAGA idea from? Hitler also ran with the same platform as Trump, make Germany great again. Hitler also said "the media is your enemy", and like Drumpf, he also thought himself superior to everyone else, incapable of doing anything wrong, and thought he could do whatever he wants to. Though, Drumpf doesn't have nearly as high of a body count as Hitler did. He does have a body count though, and we're not even at war with anyone.

[@BLCKUTMarxman]

@@herbsewell4995 That was kinda unnecessary but ok.

[@Not_hunter_moeller]

@@herbsewell4995 Orange Man Bad! Guns Bad!

[@herbsewell4995]

@@Not_hunter_moeller idiot's like you are the reason we are going to lose our guns.

[@twain2970]

@@herbsewell4995 „and we‘re not even at war with anyone“ really?

[@madisonatteberry9720]

"And lost." Meanwhile in some random used car lot, "We have all kinds of models, from a 1950's Mustang to this 1970's Pinto and that 1939 Gustav cannon." "Uh.....come again?" "Oh yeah, the largest cannon ever made and can still be used, all ready for a test drive." "I-.....don't think I should be here, this seems like- I don't even remember seeing any credentials in your office." "We got the shells all ready and loaded, and here's a map of it's range, and a big red arrow of where my bitch of an ex-wife is. Lets take her out- Er, the cannon that is, for a test drive." "I'm.....going to leave now."

[@DARTHMOBIUS]

As the guy quickly leaves he passes a tall guy in black whom strides into the office, face briefly hid by his Stetson hat and scarf, long duster coat flaps with the wind. “..Afternoon. I’m interested in taking the canon for a test drive...”

[@stevenraycopley8885]

*The salesman slaps the turret* "You can fit SOOO many shells into this thing!"

[@anotherannon352]

how would the sound waves alone not just kill or injure anyone near it?

[@gremlin_uwu]

The "muzzle" of the gun is fairly away from the people loading it, so it's okay I guess, when compared to battleship guns this one isn't so different tbh

[@clipsedrag13]

silencer

[@Solnoric]

The crews evacuated to bunkers they dug nearby and fired it remotely

[@Lineandsinker87]

@@clipsedrag13 no such thing.... No weapon system is "silent" only ever suppressed.

[@grumpycat6429]

Bear bacon Grills my claws are silent.

[@batmoose4638]

I find a "Desert Eagle" is good when a burglar is hiding behind your neighbors fridge. It's not the size of your gun, it's the potential load when it goes off.

[@Phildo8]

I’ve been waiting for a DD video on the Gustav!! It still amazes me the sheer size of that machine! It’s just something that in the 1940’s that struck fear into the hearts of its enemies that seen or heard of it especially those enemies from non industrialized nations. I’m sure to The US & UK it wasn’t a “frightful weapon” but to a place like France or Africa at that time yeah it’d be scary!

[@adrien5834]

Scary? It's not a terror weapon, it's designed to crush fortifications...Which bombers do much better, and cheaper...I think you have WW1 and WW2 mixed up...

[@RealD8]

They could fire it from Germany and hit Denver!

[@elguapo1690]

It's weird Germans still haven't learned the problems of over engineering.

[@kendallevans4079]

Hard to imagine the VW bus was the foreunner to this?

[@slappy8941]

I have a friend who's half German, and he can't help but find the most complex solution to every problem.

[@fabianreusch4870]

@@slappy8941 if it works, it works...

[@tomfrazier1103]

Tried to fix up a '71/2 MBZ 300 SEL 4.5 a $500 Cal garage queen with "A little" fire damage under the hood... shade tree mechanic.... Wound up driving a $500- 1969 Corona all over. Found a donor 300 in junkyard tried to splice on wiring harness, never got it to run. Got amnesia later, don't recall what happened. The quality construction was palpable, having previously wrenched on a friend's '72 MGB. The Toyota was quality enough parts & easy to work on. Drove back to Hawaii in it.

[@vinny5638]

@@tomfrazier1103 thats pretty cool, not much of a car guy but you make it sound interesting!

[@ArchangelExile]

I've always seen images of this weapon but never knew what it was called. Thank you.

[@StephanLiebenberg]

This is what happened when everyone is too scared to tell their tyrant boss it's not possible.

[@BJETNT]

Yeah especially when the boss is on enough drugs to make an entire city high by itself. Guy was on oxycontin before it was called oxycontin morphine testosterone and methamphetamine. I bet you he had phlebitis and so many sore injection sites it would blow your mind. I bet He needed painkillers just to move

[@AdamGoldbach]

It’s absolutely amazing how all that effort and imagination could be rendered completely useless by a pair of commandos with a satchel of thermite.

[@olsmokey]

I was thinking exactly that.

[@mikeg6991]

Rumor has it Hitler didn't take "Are you in yet?" very well.

[@low-keyrighteous9575]

Where did dark docs come from ? I've never heard of it and it's amazing ! So amazing these videos you bring . Thank you so much for bringing this incredible history to our attention . Thank you

[@pup1008]

"Quick! Over there! Target at 3 o' clock, 2.6km.!" *"Ok..... Give us about 3 DAYS!"* 🤣

[@JustJaboClips]

Imagine a French train just having to stop cuz this monster is on the rail

[@gbear1005]

RailS.. as in all of them

[@DARTHMOBIUS]

There is no French train... 🤣

[@wadedungan3172]

How is this channel not the literal #1 channel on all of KZbin.

[@Ryan-ux1yr]

Love the vids keep up the amazeing work

[@wacobob56dad]

The Generals were too afraid to tell Hitler that this thing was ridiculous.

[@jamesk370]

Counterfactual thought: What if the Germans, having realized the gun was completely impractical (yet still scared the hell out of their enemies) had build a couple of cheap, non-working models of the gun to use as decoys to lure opposition aircraft into ambushes.

[@matthewskyracing9759]

You should have been there dude

[@darylcheshire1618]

A decoy would have cost twice as much as the real one

[@solarfreak1107]

@@darylcheshire1618 I mean not really Since it's a decoy, they could build it out of wood.

[@666psicko]

@@solarfreak1107 there are some interesting stories about military decoys and wood...

[@Corristo89]

German Engineer: Mein Führer, how big do you vant ze gun to be? Hitler: Ja! German Engineer: Verstanden!

[@saganich74]

Albert Speer: Gun Go Boom! German demolitions team 1945: it sure does!

[@blacksheep9505]

Person in munitions depot: “We are almost 100 feet under the ground nothing can damage us.” Schwerer Gustav: “Hold my beer.”

[@johankriel8883]

They should have made a belt fed semi-auto version.

[@BJETNT]

Pretty sure that was model C on the drawing board lol I wonder if hearing protection was even possible around something like that

[@blitz8260]

Ok now I Have an idea U know how the Abrams has a 120mm canon right well let’s make that canon 200mm but also A FULL AUTO MACHINE GUN

[@richievaldez3607]

They should have put it on a boat so it was more quicker to position and aim

[@blitz8260]

@@richievaldez3607 not sure if said boat would be able to carry it

[@PrezVeto]

@@richievaldez3607 If they rotated the barrel to the side, it might capsize the boat!

[@Justamanandhisdogthor]

bro, hold my beer. I need to take out my Heavy Gustav

[@MakisigGaming]

It would be more awesome if you talk calmly and slowly.

[@jackkethier]

Nah

[@LinasMukaltinas]

The space button is probably broken

[@OkieBadu]

Itd be awesome if you posted better attention

[@pauleric5855]

I like the way he talks

[@leovanrodriguez9347]

Rap

[@harrykelly4651]

People on the news: "As you can see this is an AR15"

[@kriskrepe]

Okay, so this explains why France had the Grand Cannon in Yuri's Revenge. Yup, im that old!

[@TheRogueminator]

Haha, Grand Cannons are very nice, just not nearly as damage resistant as they should be, for 2000$ gun. I mean, 2 Dreadnought or 2 Kirov bombs can take it out, and they cost the same! It should take 6 atleast, so it actually can take some punishment.

[@petrolhead9621]

I love that game!!

[@NAKZnotNAKS]

about the age, you're not alone! haha

[@chewgumer]

Dad`s Army would have been very effective with this weapon.

[@TheBrewdonkey]

Your German pronunciation is improving with every video featuring the language. Good job! I've been to the location of the second destroyed gun in Germany. Unfortunately nothing remains of it. Would be interesting to witness that piece of history firsthand.

[@mannygutierrez7654]

WWII was so insane that this is just a footnote in history 😂

[@VeryGnawty]

"Theyve loaded the ammo onto the second tug" "dont let them fire the railgun!"

[@pizzlerot2730]

Holy cow this brings back memories 😄

[@TomFynn]

Hitler: "Ve neet a bick gun!" OKW: "Hau bick, mein Führer?" Hitler: "Zis bick." OKW: [crickets]

[@TheMADCowTrain]

“The only other other one used in battle was named Dora, after Erich Müller’s wife” Ah yes, the biggest mechanical artillery named after the biggest biological artillery

[@mcchasertonmemes1491]

Love the comments.

[@mitsubishix-2887]

Bismarck: i dont need it : i dont need it : *I NEED IT*

[@IanHall43]

I wonder if the Gustav was George Lucas’s inspiration for the Death Star. Since there was a lot of resources allocated to one place rather than more “smaller” guns.

[@leefithian3704]

A LOT of Star Wars was inspired by WW2 , George Grew up hearing all about the war , I’m sure

[@BaquePhotography]

24 million adjusted for inflation still seems to be an incredibly low number for that immense hunk of steel. 124 million seems more likely.

[@Blei1986]

i had the same thought. if it was build today it would cost like 1.5 billion not even overexagerating it's large, so let's screw the taxpayer

[@ronaldpletsch6939]

Imagine being present as it it’s being shot off must’ve been an amazing sight.

[@slyseal2091]

@kinganthony1984 at that point, were it a little longer and aimed slightly higher, the other end and the firing crew wouldn't be a different set of people.

[@slyseal2091]

@kinganthony1984 I am too.

[@TheRocketman136]

Yeah actually. Funny but, this thing being mostly useless and barely applied makes it historical, something that I believe very few had seen.

[@slyseal2091]

@pariag travers No, I'm saying eventually it'd just go around the earth and hit gustav again, it's a funny joke haha hyperbole.

[@olliefoxx7165]

@@TheRocketman136 the technology used from its development aided in many other things. Often times what seemed far fetched or beyond achievable is needed to prove these things could be done.

[@Mr.McWatson]

I've seen it in the Bundeswehr Museum! The size of the shell is staggering.

[@ItsGroundhogDay]

The French saw this coming early on, and surrendered.

[@stephenjacks8196]

The enemy doesn't remember big the big guns. The world remembers tanks. Tanks for the memories.

[@olsmokey]

Go on, say "Sevastapol" again. I need a good laugh.

[@sparky4878]

It’s hardly an unheard of siege yet he butchered the name. The number of youtube narrators that don’t check on pronunciations astounds me.

[@BMW_329]

I love how one modern day fighter jet costs more than one of these to produce.

[@tyberostheredwake]

Not surprising at all

[@JohnnyWednesday]

You're pronouncing "sevastopol" wrong. It's "sehvast-oh-phol" not "sevveystowple"

[@sonsofthewestredwhiteblue5317]

Heavy Gustav: “Don’t make me run, I’m full of chocolate!!”

[@caitgems1]

Set it up and take out CHAZ

[@madtrucker0983]

It would only bounce off their thick heads.

[@BackSeatHump]

Gosh, I am so thankful you put a huge red arrow pointing at the gun in your thumb-nail. I never would have spotted it otherwise.

[@LudosErgoSum]

I suspect the wife not happy with the "Heavy Dora" and instead got them to name it "Dora the Explorer".

[@nightlurker]

Can you imagine going home to the wife and saying "we've built the heaviest cannon every and I'm going to name it after you, my dear". I wonder if he slept on the couch that night.

[@Whatshappening2024]

just the fact that this existed blows my mine, can't deny that

[@jamielacourse7578]

"G.R.O.F.A.Z" must've just drooled over this thing! ( acronym for Hitler that the army loved to use- Grosser Feldherr Alte Zeiten....greatest senior general of all time. )

[@peterblood50]

..."WLTTUACDAH" (...Who lead them to utter and complete defeat and Humiliation.).

[@helloweener2007]

It is Gröfaz or GröFaZ. (Größter Feldherr aller Zeiten) Großer / grosser (Swiss Germans would write it that way, they don't have ß) just means big, great. Größter is the correct superlative. Alte Zeiten would mean old times. but ist should be all times. Making all letters capital and putting a period behind them would make it to an acronym made from 6 words but it is only four. And Germans tend to make now words out of acronyms which means that you also use same rules for it like it were common words. Another example Vokuhila (VOrne KUrz, HInten LAng: front short, back long) which discribes a mullet. I don't think that G.R.Ö.F.A.Z. was ever used by a German. And when you put periods behind every letter, you should not left out the last. ;-)

[@OriginalGlorfindel]

Considering he was in love with the Tiger 1 when it appeared, he likely beat off to it when the Jagtiger got old.... Creepy lil austrian.

[@ensnipe2000]

One of these was stationed in Bavaria in my Mom's Village of Metzenhof Germany, right before the Americans came in, the Village was evacuated and the gun was blown up