World War One:
German Army Sets New Record With a Series of 75-Mile Shots!

Look up "The Paris Gun": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Gun

Although it was not capable of being fired with particular precision, it did consistently hit targets within a relatively small area of Paris.
In aiming this gun, consideration had to be given to the rotation of the Earth, during the time the shell was on its way.
No gunpowder-propelled artillery shell has ever been shot further, or higher.

The gun's emplacement was in the woods near the village of Crépy, at the bend of the "Laön Corner."
The forest is named Saint-Gobain, and the actual woodland within it is called the Bois de l'Epine.
The Germans sacrificed lots of infantry, to retain that strategic position.

Until at least the late 1960s, the emplacement, very close to the Crépy railroad station, was still visible and explorable.

Alas I am dead accurate @ 22' ....Semper Fi...........JJ

YOu guys should see the punt gun if you have not already. Punt gun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Did the Germans police thier own brass or leave it for the local kids to scavange? Would make one hell-of-a-big ashtray I'm thinking.

Originally Posted by Younguy

Did the Germans police thier own brass or leave it for the local kids to scavange? Would make one hell-of-a-big ashtray I'm thinking.

Well, when we were there, we didn't find any... (Believe me: We looked.)


BTW: When we visited Verdun, we saw lots and lots of signs warning of live artillery shells underfoot. And this was in the late 1960s—50 years after the fighting there!