100796 | GERMANY. Prof. Fritz Rausenberger silver Medal.

100796 | GERMANY. Prof. Fritz Rausenberger silver Medal. Issued 1914. Commemorating the inventor of the "Big Bertha" and the bombing of Antwerp (35mm, 18.44 g, 12). By M. Ziegler & O. Oertel in Berlin.

 

PROF • DR • RAUSENBERGER • DER • SCHÖPFER • DES • 42 • CM • MÖRSERS, bust right / BESCHIESSUNG • VON • ANTWERPEN • DURCH • UNSERE • 42 • CM • MÖRSER, heavy mortar siege howitzer ("Big Bertha") in foreground, bombing city of Antwerp in background; two airships above. Edge: SILBER 990.

 

Zetzmann 4036; Hans Kaiser Coll. 419. Choice Mint State. Exceedingly prooflike surfaces, with some hints of a russet and cobalt tone on the obverse and some light frosting to the devices on the revers. Very rare.

 

The Minenwerfer-Gerät, a 42cm siege howitzer better known by its nickname, the "Big Bertha," was an extremely large piece of artillery utilized by the German and Austro-Hungarian armies during World War I. Weighing nearly 50 tons, the hefty howitzer could only fire 8 shells per hour, but could reach a distance of nearly six miles. The "Big Bertha" was developed on the eve of World War I by Prof. Fritz Rausenberger, the director of Krupp (a German industrial conglomerate).

 

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