Originally posted by PenPusher Not the same gun I'm afraid Anzio Annie was a K5 gun made by Krupp which had a caliber of 283mm about 11" and there were actually 2 of them aiming at Anzio, Krupp's also made Big Bertha for WWI it had a caliber of 420mm just over 16". Glad your Dad survived mine was Killed in Sicily.
Thanks much for the information - for years, I've believed that Anzio Annie was an example of the railroad gun; I don't know where I got the idea, but I clearly didn't do my homework. I remember my Dad talking about Annie, but the German artillery piece he feared most was the 88.
I'm so sorry your Dad made the ultimate sacrifice; we all owe him a debt of gratitude. My Dad was in Sicily too, but he didn't see action until the Anzio beachhead. He was in combat for a considerable length of time. After the liberation of Rome, his unit made a second beachhead in southern France and drove north to Paris, then on to the Battle of the Bulge and into Germany. He did suffer a minor wound in France; I'm so thankful that he made it through that perilous time. Your Dad and mine were, indeed, part of the greatest generation.
Jer