Big guns - M1 240mm howizer

This monster is called the M1 240mm howitzer. It was given the rather appropriate nickname "Black Dragon". It is classified as a super heavy artillery piece and boy is it. The Black Dragon weighed in at an astonishing 64, 700 pounds. It fired a 360 pound explosive shell 14 miles. I don't know about you, but I find that pretty impressive. The M1 240mm was developed in 1941 to replace obsolete WWI artillery guns. It eventually saw service in the European Theater with US and some small scale use by the British. It was again called to serve in the Korean War. The two pics below are of fairly new vintage as the US transferred some 30 of these monstrosities to the Republic of China (Taiwan)in the 1950s, where they are still in service on the frontline islands of Kinmen and Matsu where they have been mounted on a rail system that allows them to be slid back into a heavy bunker for protection.




The first operational use of the Black Dragon was during the invasion of Italy at Anzio in September 1943. The US Fifth Army used them for counter battery fire against German artillery and was able to even hit enemy heavy tanks with them. They were also used to knock out the infamous Nazi heavy gun the "Anzio Annie". Later in the campaign they were used to complete the destruction of the monastery at Monte Cassino and were used to destroy high value bridges from long range.


The above pic is from the US Army artillery museum at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Some 12 M1s were taken out of storage for use by the 213th and 159th Field Artillery in Korea.
On the first day of their use in Korea, Baker battery of the 213th, a ceremonial shot was planned at a enemy held hill called "the donut". The shot struck an ammunition dump, setting off a chain reaction that sheared off a significant portion of the hill.
The video below is a demonstration from the ROC Army, showing the size and power of this beast.



Late in WWII, a self propelled version was planned, based on the Heavy Tank T26E3 chassis, but the end of the war caused the project to be dropped.

The Greatest Pilots- Col. Bud Mahurin, USAF

A few weeks ago, Walker "Bud" Mahurin was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Bud Mahurin was considered one of the greatest fighter aces in history, much less in the United States Military. In his career, he shot down two dozen planes in two different wars. He was famous throughout the Air Force and known as a courageous, tenacious, and highly skilled pilot.Mahurin was the only Air Force fighter pilot to successfully down enemy combat aircraft in the both the European and Pacific theater as well as Korea. He went by the call sign Honest John and later wrote a book about his experiences in both WWII and the Korean War.

Walker Mahurin entered the Army Air Forces two months before Pearl Harbor after studying Engineering at Purdue University. He was assigned to a fighter group training in England. The young Mahurin had a bit of bad luck in the beginning. He flew too close to B-24 and hit its propeller, forcing him to ditch his P-47 Thunderbolt. But about a month later, he shot down two Nazi Fw-190s in August 1943. Two months later he had downed five, making him an ace. Like all of the pilots in the war, he flew a massive number of missions, and on one, he shot down three Messerschmidt Bf-110s. By the end of the year, he was the first Double Ace of the Allied forces in the European Theater.

Model of Captain Mahurin's P-47D, the Spirit of Atlantic City

He was shot down three times, once in Korea and twice during WWII. In March of 1944, he bailed out of a heavily damaged P-47 over Occupied France and ended up escaping back to Allied territory with the help of elements of the French Resistance. After his return, the Brass decided his knowledge of the Resistance was too great to risk him falling into enemy hands and he was grounded. He returned to air combat some months later in the Philippines, switching from the old and somewhat outdated P-47 to the much-loved P-51D Mustang. He ended the war with 20 aerial victories.

Lt. Col. Mahurin's F-86E Sabre in Korea

Bud served again in Korea and was downed three (and a half) enemy MiG-15s. Later in the war, he was again shot down. Captured by the communists, he was held in a POW camp for 16 months.

Mahurin went on to retire from the Air Force as a Colonel and work in the Aerospace industry. Amongst his other decorations, he earned the Distinguished Serving Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, The Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters.

"I was brought up in an age when flying was the only thing. We knew the value of being an ace, but you just didn't try to go out and become an ace. Mostly because, in my case, I was scared to death to begin with. I thought if I just get to meet an ace while on active duty, I'd be happy."

Bud Mahurin