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| "Bruno" in German Hands |
The Amiens Gun was a railway artillery piece captured in the opening of the Battle of Amiens at Harbonnières, east of Villers-Bretonneux, on 8 August 1918 by the Victorian-based 31st Battalion of the Australian Army. It is considered one of the largest war prizes ever captured and placed on permanent display. The Amiens gun barrel weighs 45 tons (40,824 kilograms) and has a calibre measurement of 28 cm (11.15 inches). Fabricated in 1904 by Friedrick Krupp, it was originally a German naval gun until it was modified to be used as a railway gun during the World War. Nicknamed Bruno, the gun was originally fitted to SMS Hessen, the third of five Braunschweig-class battleships of the German Imperial Navy, in 1902. Five rounds were put through the barrel during the Battle of Jutland, the war’s largest naval engagement. Hessen was disarmed in 1916 to make way for more modern ships.
Two years later, the repurposed gun, now rail-mounted, bombarded allied positions during the three-hour Battle of Amiens. The capture of the Amiens Gun by Australian and British soldiers was a significant achievement. Earlier in the summer of 1918, it had been used by the Germans to fire on the city of Amiens, about 25 km away, while highly camouflaged. Attempts had been made by the Allies to locate and destroy this powerful weapon, but to no avail. During the 8 August opening advance, the train was bombed by a British Sopwith Camel, causing the German soldiers on board to evacuate. Although RAF aircraft and British cavalry were the first to engage the gun, it was then quickly claimed by the advancing Australian infantry.
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| In Australian Hands |
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Salvaging the Amiens Gun
We had been sent with a quantity of Amanol to blow up the large gun … however Les Strahan one of our sappers in the party had been a driver in the Western Australian railways, and he found there was still a head of steam, he asked for a fair go, instead of blowing the gun up he got the engine going, we were told then to try to get it back if possible into a cutting so it could be camouflaged.
Corporal John Palmer, 8th Field Company
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| Final Resting Place: The Australian War Memorial |
The Amiens Gun was later exhibited in Paris before it was sent to England for transport to Australia as a war trophy. Its home for 16 years was in Canberra, at Kingston railway station. In 1942 the weapon was dismantled, the carriage was moved to Port Wakefield, South Australia, and it was used to test fire naval barrels for WWII. It was seen as too expensive to bring back to Canberra, so the carriage was cut up in the 1960s. The gun was meant to be put back together after its wartime disassembly, but all the parts were. melted for scrap except the barrel. The barrel, sporting authentic camouflage, has been on display at the Australian War Memorial since the 1960s.
Sources: Australian War Memorial; Australian Defence