Nostalgia & History > Have Gun..Will Travel...

My wife and I decided to go up to Havre de Grace today and stop at Aberdeen Proving Ground as we heard there are a some rare pieces of armour there and I have wanted to see some types of WWII tanks my whole life.
Any day you can realize a lifelong dream is a good day but seeing this across the street was something I didn't plan on and was surprised by.
Anzio Annie was kept in a tunnel where she was wheeled out between loading to shell the Allied troops on the deadlocked Anzio beachhead in 1944. I had always thought she was blown up...I was very surprised to see her!
We never did see a train (heard a few) but we had a nice day before returning to the city.
Art in DC

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Hi Art...

Awesome photos...that must have been a big time thrill! Thanks for sharing with us...
Reb

Thanks for the complement! Glad to hear from you and I hope everythings going better for you!
Art
(Here's what I came to see with out knowing about the railroad gun...)

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WOW love to see more off these babys.mmmm
Is there a web site to open or go to.?
your Jeff from the land down under.

Here's a link to the museum that I found when I got home:


http://ordmusfound.org/

also if you want to see the rest of my photos from today, I can send you the emails I sent to my friends, just private message me with a email address,
Art in DC

Your picture is better then the museum photo!
There are bumpers on the car - is it foreign or American?

The gun was made in Germany for use in WWII. There is a web page describing this gun at http://home.att.net/~Berliner-Ultrasonics/ordnanc3.html#anzannie

This gun is German made so I guess it would have European running gear. I really don't know too much about moving it...been busy tonight and I didn't get to do the research I wanted to on it but I will tomorrow after church I hope. I really am interested in how they moved it in and out of the tunnel between shots..loading that monster with a steam loco in the tunnel with them? I also would love to see how they moved it to Maryland. The track it is on ends on each side of it but there is some very poor looking tracks next to it you can see in some photographs.
I attached two more photos that show the heavy trucks and the bumpers. I should have taken more shots but I was like a kid in a candy shop at the time..
Thanks for the wishes,
Art in DC

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Chakk, Thanks for the link...I was wanting to put something like this up.
Beat me to it!
Art in DC

that Aberdeen Museum is definitely worth a trip if you are in the area. Not all that far from either the B&O or Strasbourg RR and PA State RR Museum

Reminds me of the traction modeler who had a street railway work motor (either O or HO scale) with a cab on one end and a model tank turret on the other. It was labeled "Bus Exterminator" and its road no. was "007".

This museum is the most complete collection I know of for world war II Ordnance Material. I was stationed at Aberdeen in 1966 and wandered through the outdoor and indoor museums on by time off.
The collection consists of captured enemy war material that was brought back for the Ordnance branch to glean whatever secrets it could for our use. Most of the material was shipped back on returning Liberty Ships. I would be willing to bet that "Anzio Annie" was disassembled before shipment and then reassembled at the Proving Ground. Baltimore and Philadelphia are not that far away.

From the Wikipedia:

Anzio Annie

"Anzio Annie" was the name used by the Allies for a pair of German K5(E) railroad guns that shelled the Anzio beachhead during World War II. The Germans named them "Robert" and "Leopold".

The guns were captured on 7 June 1944. Robert was partially destroyed by the gun crew before they surrendered and Leopold was also damaged but not as badly. Both guns were shipped to the U.S. to the Aberdeen Proving Ground where they underwent tests. One complete K5 was made from the two damaged ones, and "Leopold" remains on display to this day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzio_Annie