Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Military Machines International 06/2013

The largest artillery piece in the UK, 1 of 12 surviving wartime railway howitzers in the world, as featured in the April 2013 issue of MMI, is being moved for exhibition in Holland. The 190-ton breech loading 18-inch howitzer, is being sent to the Dutch Netherlands to form the centerpiece of an exhibition at the Het Spoorwegmuseum (Dutch Railway Museum) in Utrecht. On Monday, 25 March, nearly 70 years after its huge barrel was pointed across the Channel to protect our shores during the dark days of the Second World War, it began its journey from the grounds of the Royal Artillery's headquarters in Wiltshire, where it has sat since 2008. The logistical operation to move such a hulk of metal along some of the busiest roads in the south of England has taken weeks of careful planning. Specialized heavy equipment moving lorries had to be used to transport the rare howitzer. It had to be dismantled into 2 sections before it could be moved, yet the loads were still gargantuan.

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