We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/wrapping_up_tha.html Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:43:36 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Bill said it was a railway gun. I said it wasn't. We're both right. It was moved by rail (how else, especially back in the day?) but was assembled into a purpose-built emplacement. The emplacement was concrete, and took weeks to construct. They were substantial enough that they still exist. [Interesting article on several large german guns here.] There was a central pintle for the gun (which answers Trias' question about training the gun for direction) and, as can be seen in the picture above, used little railcars to move the projectiles and powder from the preparation site to... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/wrapping_up_tha.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/wrapping_up_tha.html Tue, 13 Feb 2007 07:18:05 -0600 Note the Germans had the little guys shoving the rounds -- must've been militarily practical because we followed that example in WWII, Korea and the opening days of Vietnam by assigning the smallest guys in the squad to carry the BAR. Never had that opportunity myself ('wayyyy too tall), but I *did* get to hump the baseplate and tube of an 81mm all over the impact area at Indiantown Gap in the summer of 1967... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/wrapping_up_tha.html#comment-56638 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/wrapping_up_tha.html#comment-56638 Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:27:55 -0600 glorious rounds!]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/wrapping_up_tha.html#comment-56616 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/wrapping_up_tha.html#comment-56616 Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:28:49 -0600 Nice images. I guess WW1 was so slow that WW2's incredible mobility caught everyone by surprise. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/wrapping_up_tha.html#comment-56603 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/wrapping_up_tha.html#comment-56603 Tue, 13 Feb 2007 11:13:28 -0600