German artillery hammering French Maginot Line fortifications in May 1940

0:00 The Škoda 30.5 cm Mörser was a First World War design, a longer-barreled version of the that was first built in 1910. It could fire shells weighing up to 384kg out to 12 kilometers and was specifically designed for attacking fortifications, penetrating up to 2 meters of reinforced concrete. After the war these weapons remained in service with various militaries and would see service again in the next global conflict. In 1939, Germany seized all 17 pieces from Czechoslovakia and repaired an example that was preserved at the Arsenal Museum in Vienna, designating them 30.5 cm Mörser (t). In 1941, they obtained five more weapons after the defeat of Yugoslavia and placed them into service as the 30.5 cm Mörser 638(j). They saw service against Poland, France and the Soviet Union, serving with schwere Artillerie-Abteilungen 624, 641 and 815 as well as schwere Artillerie-Batterie bodenstandig 230 and 779. In the footage an observation balloon can be seen spotting the fall