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Plate 018 · Mortar · World War II
Karl-Gerät
"Mörser Karl"
A self-propelled super-heavy siege mortar firing 2-tonne shells.
Historical Record
Provenance & Service
Developed by Rheinmetall, the Karl-Gerät was a 600 mm self-propelled siege mortar designed to demolish heavy fortifications. Six were built. They saw service at Sevastopol in 1942 — alongside Schwerer Gustav — at the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, and during the Battle of the Bulge. One example, 'Ziu', survives at Patriot Park near Moscow.