U.S. ATOMIC ARTILLERY

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28267, 3 May 1957, Page 9

U.S. ATOMIC ARTILLERY

3in Guns And Howitzers b WASHINGTON, May 1. (The Defence Department offihlly confirmed today longdiblished reports that United iates forces have an eight-inch bmic artillery shell. ;<An Army training circular, ttirked “for official use only” Qtil today, also disclosed that the d’my had both eight-inch guns

id eight-inch howitzers capable firing nuclear warheads.

The Marine Corps has said that s reinforced battalion, now on ships of the 6th Fleet in e Mediterranean, was equipped tth eight-inch howitzers.

•Reports that the Army was Joking something lighter and less Imbersome than its huge atomic Innon were published as early | 1955, but formal confirmation |i at atomic charges had been licked into eight-inch shells had ven withheld. e The Defence Department’s writ--ii statement that eight-inch [jmic shells, are in existence was Ade available in response to inliries that have been made by •porters for several years. The American Associated Press

id the big atomic cannon was a omm. weapon, equivalent to put 11 inches. Like the Krger apon, the eight-inch <ons could fe either atomic or conventional explosive shells. I r he Army had long since halted ■Eduction of additional 280 mm. ■mic cannon, although they Ire still in operation and some Ithem were deployed overseas, rhe Army sought a replacement fcause its size and the 85-ton Bight of the gun-tractor combinlon had caused it to bog down pile moving along roads. The news agency said the ght-inch gun, together with its triage, weighed only 35 tons id the howitzer version of the ght-inch piece had a maximum nge that is only a little short the 20 miles reported for the uch larger 280 mm. cannon.