M1 & M2 "Long Tom" 155mm Field Gun

The M1 & M2 "Long Tom" Field Artillery gun was the standard American Heavy Artillery piece of WW2. It equipped Army & Marine Artillery Units and was a very stable & accurate weapon. It was still in use in to the Vietnam era and slightly beyond. It was this weapon which swung the balance at Anzio in Italy in 1944 after the Allies had secured a beach head behind German lines. However Field Marshall Albert Kesselring the commander of Axis forces in Italy tried to push the Allies back in to the sea to act as a deterrant to the anticipated Landings in France. Although many attempts were made to dislodge the Anzio Beach Head the Allies held on and eventually after re-inforcement & Mark Clark's 5th Army & Oliver Lees's 8th Army pushes in the Liri Valley around Monte Casino the seige was lifted. The Americans had also brought in Heavy Artillery in the shape of the M1 Long Tom and this took a heavy toll of German equipment & personnel as the Germans simply couldn't counter the weapon's accuracy with enough of their own Artillery.

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M1 "Long Tom" 155mm Field Gun

 

Quite a piece of machinery for how far back. I was glad to read that it was what seemed to be a stable weapon.