Yank's Big Bertha, '51
Yank's new gun and crew, just as it was fired. Webmaster note: Ron and Vince Gilligan both remark that they received excellent fire support from a particular very large Howitzer battery. This is a photo of one of the guns. The largest field artillery we used in the Korean War were 240-mm howitzers, authorized by General Clark in two Battalions when theater stocks of heavy ammo was in danger of being depleted. (Congress had only authorized producton of replacement ammo in early 1951 and it took about a year and a half to get it produced.) Normally, our heaviest artillery were the 8-in (203 mm) and 155 mm hows. I'm not actually sure if these 240-mm units were actually deployed, but they probably were, and this battery may well have been one. "Bert, There was an American artillery unit supporting us after Maryangsang, I can just recall that they were about 2ks behind us when we were entrenched on hill 355.(Little Gibraltar) I think they may have been 155mm and they called themselves "The Persuaders." They were great support to us and I have been trying to find out the actual name of that unit. Thanks also for the (above) info on the long toms. I can verify that if we ever needed close arty support, that battery, whoever they were,were spot on. Vince Gilligan, 09/08/01" |