Long+Tom+155MM+Guns

The American 155mm artillery gun was a massive artillery weapon of WWII. Well known by its nickname the "Long Tom", the gun could fire a 95 lb. projectile upwards of 15 miles with high accuracy. It could fire more than 40 rounds per hour of high-explosive, chemical, smoke or illuminating shells. Two different types were built, the M1 and M2. The M2 version fixed a deadly defective breach, starting in April 1944. The army built this weapon to have a big impact on the soldiers they were firing on. The American army was the first army to use and develop this weapon.

The "Long Tom" weighed 30,600 pounds which included a specially built split trailer and eight pneumatic tires plus a two wheel limber mounted under the trail ends. This weapon required 14 men to operate it. The "Long Tom" served in all branches of the United States military of WWII. The "Long Tom" served the Army in North Africa, the ETO and the Pacific, the Marines, and Army costal defense units protecting the harbors and coastlines of the States and its territories such as Alaska. Units in the British Army were also equipped with the 155.

The “Long Tom” 155mm impacted the world because it was a weapon used in the wars. If that weapon had not been invented then it could have impacted who won the wars and who died in them. Without the creation of this weapon for American defense, the Nazis might have won the war and right now we could be ruled by them.