Although the majority of combatants had heavy field artillery prior to the outbreak of the First World War, none had adequate numbers of heavy guns in service and once the Western Front stagnated and trench warfare set in the light field guns that the combatants went to war with were beginning to show their limitations when facing an enemy who was now dug into prepared positions.

Rail transport proved to be one of the most practical solutions because the problems of heavy weight, lack of mobility and reduced setup time were addressed but railway guns could only go where tracks were laid and could not keep pace with an army on the march or cross the mud of no mans land.

The gun had a box trail carriage, a hydro-pnuematic recoil system, interrupted-screw breech with de Bange obturator, and used separate loading bagged propellant and projectiles.

For transport the gun was dismantled into four loads, barrel, cradle, carriage and firing platform, and carried on 4 horse-drawn carts but they were limited to barely above walking pace.

A pit needed to be dug underneath the gun carriage for a steel box to accommodate the barrel's recoil at high angles of fire.

[6][7][8] In order to address the problem of self-propelled artillery the French engineer, Colonel Émile Rimailho working for the St Chamond company during 1918 developed a complex but elegant solution consisting of two tracked vehicles.

Although mobilized as part of the general reserve during the Second World War they did not see much action due to their slow speed and many were disabled by their crews before capture.

The Germans assigned captured examples the designation 28 cm Mörser 602(f) auf Selbstfahrlafette but limited numbers and poor serviceability prohibited their use.