The V3 cannon is one of Nazi Germany’s Wunderwaffe weapons (vengeance weapons) like the V2 and V1 rockets. Also known as the “London gun” due to its distance from the British capital of London, this multi-charged super gun was aimed at bringing devastation to key infrastructure and terrorized the population in British cities.

The V3 was conceptualized by German ballistic engineer August Coenders in 1942, whose design specialized in increasing the velocity and range of projectiles fired from an artillery piece using a multi-charge propulsion system. The idea called for an initial charge in the artillery’s breechblock, which would propel a projectile through a huge 130-yard-long barrel. In addition, the projectile will then be accelerated by additional laterally arranged propelling charges, resulting in a muzzle velocity of 1640 yards per second. According to Coenders, having 50 V3 cannons can saturate the British Capital, London, in a 15-mile square area. With the project approved by early 1943, the construction of the cannon begins.

To ensure that the V3 cannon is concealed from Allied air attacks and commando raids, the weapon would be built in a gigantic underground complex to support its very long barrel. One of the sites chosen is the steep hilltop of Mimoyecques, France, due to its distance from London and its solid chalk, allowing the cannon’s foundation to be supported. However, the V3 cannon’s planned strike on London never came to fruition as its strategic importance had changed to focusing on key targets instead during the Allied liberation of Western Europe in 1944, such as the Capital of the Grand Duchy in Luxembourg, where the headquarters of prominent commanders like George S Patton and Omar Bradley were stationed. Aside from killing 13 civilians, the cannon had a minimal impact on the city, as the shells were too small and had only have an explosive charge of seven to nine kilograms.

In conclusion, the V3 cannon is an intriguing, effective concept, but ultimately, a waste of precious resources. Even if it is successfully developed and tested, its plan to blast London to smithereens would not change the entire outcome of the war, which shows how desperate Nazi Germany was, to the point that it relied purely on “miracle weapons” to stem the tide.

https://www.normandybunkers.com/rocket-sites-1/mimoyecques-v3-site

https://www.luxtimes.lu/luxembourg/millipedes-fired-on-luxembourg/31140334.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-3_cannon