868 Field Artillery Battalion
 

One of my friends father was with this unit in Germany.

And somemore

Ian,

What's the gun in the photos, and what is the meaning of 'atomic cannoneers'?
Certainly an impressive weapon.

M65 Atomic Cannon
 

The M65 240mm ordnance shown in the photographs was designed to fire nuclear projectiles, hence the title 'Atomic Cannoneers'.

After the war the US built about twenty of which were split between Europe and Okinawa. With the majority in Europe. They are a 280MM (a scaled up 240MM)based on the German K5 railroad gun. The most common name is "Atomic Annie" which is derived from "Anzio Annie and it was used against the Allies during the Italian landings. The one in photo is "Nightmare Alice". In Okinawa they kept the Chinese navy in check post Korean cease fire. As you can see today I believe the Chinese would prefer that the US were not there.

I bought a firing lock for the Atomic Annie off ebay a few years ago. It was under garden accessories for some reason. There were no other bidders.