In June 1937, the Waffenamt ordered a self-propelled version of the 60cm siege mortar to be built. General Karl Becker of the Artillery was heavily involved in its development, hence the sobriquet "Karl" used to describe it. The driving trials were held at Unterlass in May 1940, and delivery of six production vehicles occurred between November 1940 and August 1941. In February 1941, discussions were undertaken on ways to increase the weapon's range. In May 1942, 54cm barrels (Gerat 041) were ordered for the six production vehicles. At a conference with Hitler in March 1943, it was stated that the first 54cm Gerat 041 would be delivered by June 1943, a second in July, and a third by mid-August. The 60cm and 54cm barrels were designed to be interchangeable, based on the ammunition at hand and range of the target. In 1945, US forces captured vehicle No. II with a 60cm mortar, and vehicle No. V with a 54cm.

One of these 54cm siege mortars has been meticulously recreated in miniature by Dragon Armor. The 1:35 scale vehicle depicted in this release is named 'Thor', which was the fourth vehicle to be produced. Serving with the 2nd Batterie of the 833rd schwere Artillerie Abteilung on the Eastern Front, 'Thor' was eventually captured by the Soviets near the war's end. Fully assembled and pre-painted, 'Thor' constitutes an impressive model thanks to its sheer size and bulk. This Dragon Armor item is full of intricate detail, and it is presented in firing mode with the chassis lowered. The three-color camouflage scheme is particularly well done, lending the model a commanding presence. As a special bonus, a huge shell is included. This 'god of thunder' bespeaks massive destructive power, and it's ready for immediate display on any shelf big enough to take it! Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Width: 5-inches
Height: 6-1/2-inches
Length: 12-1/2-inches

Release Date: September 2008

Historical Account: "Have Gun Will Travel" - On January 3rd, 1941, Heavy Battery (schwere Batterie) 833 was created at the Bergen training ground and ordered to be combat ready by February 15th, 1941. On April 2nd, 1941, it was expanded into Heavy Artillery Battalion (schwere Artillerie Bataillon) 833. The original Batterie 833 was re-designated as the first battery of the new battalion and a new second battery was formed, each battery having two howitzers, with orders to be combat ready by May 1st, 1941, in preparation for Operation Barbarossa. Initially a single battery was to be deployed against the Soviet fortress at Brest-Litovsk, but that was changed by May 14th, 1941, when the other battery was ordered to attack the Soviet border fortifications near Lviv. The first battery was assigned to IV Army Corps of 17th Army of Army Group South near Lviv while the second battery was ordered to support the attack by the 4th Army of Army Group Center against the Brest Fortress. The batteries were issued 60 and 36 rounds respectively.

Little is known of First Battery's operations except that IV Army Corps reported on June 23rd that the battery was no longer needed and was no longer operational due to technical deficiencies. Second Battery's weapons had some assembly problems, issues with the electrical firing mechanism and non-standard ammunition, not surprising for the Karl-Gerat's combat debut, but managed to fire 31 of their 36 rounds by June 24th. It was ordered home that day by Army Group Center where the battalion was ordered to reform with eight 21 cm (8.3 in) Morser 18 howitzers on August 6th, 1941.