The United States Naval Railway Batteries in France
The United States Naval Railway Batteries in France
Naval Historical Center | 1988 | ISBN: 0945274009 | English | 140 pages | PDF | 15.7 MB
Probably the least known contribution of the United States Navy to the Allies’ victory in World War I was the employment of five 14-inch naval guns mounted as railway batteries in France. The battery units, manned by approximately 25 officers and 500 highly trained enlisted specialists, were commanded by Pear Admiral Charles P. Plunkett. Given their relatively long range and low trajectories, the guns reached far behind enemy lines with great destructive force. Their accuracy and penetrating power severed the enemy’s rail and communication lines in critical sectors, demoralized his troops, and generally hastened the end of the war. The present work, a history of the naval railway batteries published shortly after the war, has been reprinted in connection with the dedication at the Navy Museum of one of the railway guns originally deployed to France.