Black Dragon: This Is Taiwan's Super 'Gun' That Would Blast China in a War

Thanks CW5 Jack Cardwell for drawing attention to the US Army 240 mm howitzer nicknamed the Black Dragon which was introduced during the invasion of Anzio in 1943 on the west coast of Italy.

1. Taiwan Strait. The Taiwan Strait, or Formosa Strait, is a 180 kilometres (110 mi) wide strait separating the island of Taiwan (of the Republic of China) from mainland China (People's Republic of China)
2. The Maximum firing range of the M1 240mm howitzer "Black Dragon" is 14.3 mi (23.1 km)
3. The M1 240mm howitzer was originally towed artillery and now this artillery is emplaced in shore battery fortifications.
4. The only way these artillery pieces from the 1940s could engage Chinese military is if the People's Republic of China launched an amphibious assault on Taiwan.

Images: Front view of a 240 mm howitzer M1 'Black Dragon' firing into German held territory. Mignano area, Italy. January 30, 1944

U.S. artillerymen firing 240mm howitzer and 8-inch gun M1 near Bitschhofen, Germa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34d38hnRObs



The M1 240mm howitzer was given the rather appropriate nickname "Black Dragon". It is classified as a super heavy artillery piece. The Black Dragon weighed in at an astonishing 64,700 pounds. It fired a 360 pound explosive shell 14 miles. The M1 240mm was developed in 1941 to replace obsolete WWI artillery guns. It eventually saw service in the European Theater with US and some small scale use by the British. It was again called to serve in the Korean War. The US transferred some 30 of these monstrosities to the Republic of China (Taiwan)in the 1950s, where they are still in service on the frontline islands of Kinmen and Matsu where they have been mounted on a rail system that allows them to be slid back into a heavy bunker for protection.
From homemadedefense.blogspot.com/2012/01/big-guns-m1-240mm-howizer.html

Designed 1940–1943
Produced 1944–1945
No. built 315 manufactured by 1945.
Specifications
Weight 64,700 lb (29,300 kg) (in action)
Barrel length 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) L/35
Width 9 ft 2 in (2.79 m)
Crew 14
Shell 360 lb (160 kg) separate loading, bag charge
Caliber 240 mm (9.4 in)
Breech Interrupted screw
Recoil Hydropneumatic
Carriage Split trail with 2 transport wagons
Elevation +15° to +65°
Traverse 22.5° right and left.
Rate of fire 30 rounds/hour
Muzzle velocity 2,300 ft/s (701 m/s)
Maximum firing range 14.3 mi (23.1 km)


"The 240 mm howitzer M1, popularly nicknamed the "Black Dragon", was a towed howitzer used by the United States Army. The 240 mm M1 was designed to replace the World War I era 240 mm Howitzer M1918 which was based on a 1911 French design and was outdated by World War II. The project to replace the M1918 began in 1941. The 240 mm howitzer was the most powerful weapon deployed by US field artillery units during World War II, able to fire a 360 lb (160 kg) high explosive projectile 25,225 yards (23 km). It was the largest field piece used by the US Army during the war except for naval ordnance adapted into railway guns. The weapon addressed the requirement for super heavy field artillery capable of attacking heavily reinforced targets like those likely to be found along the Siegfried Line. The 240 mm howitzer M1 was designed together with the longer ranged 8-inch Gun M1, and they both shared a related carriage. While use of the 8-inch gun was limited due to excessive bore wear and poor accuracy, the howitzer saw considerable action during World War II in Europe due to its effectiveness against difficult targets such as heavy concrete fortifications. It was also used in the Pacific campaign, notably in the Battle of Manila, but few targets there were heavily-fortified enough to justify its use.The US army retained the 240 mm howitzer after World War II, and later deployed it in the Korean War. The howitzer remained in US service until ammunition stocks were exhausted in the late 1950s.The 240 mm howitzer M1 is still in service with the Taiwan's Republic of China Army, stationed in hardened bunkers of the frontline Kinmen and Matsu Islands."

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Nice toy!

Sweet looking artillery piece.