Anzio
Italy
WWII
45th Division
German counter attack
"Our gun was getting too hot."
"When they pulled that counter attack - our guns, we fired 1,100 rounds. We had five guns in action. When we started out we was firing way too fast. The hydraulic recoil system had a 27 inch recoil that was supposed to go back into the battery but our gun was getting too hot. It wasn't going back into the battery. They let us cool down and then we started in again and we wasn't firing as many rounds - maybe a round every minute or so. We was firing full charges. They had four charges in one round and depending on how you wanted to fire, you could use all four charges or take out two or three. You couldn't take out the last one. It was permanent - it had to be there." (Bernie L. Stokes, Summer, 2001)
Excerpt from 45th Division News dated July 8, 1944; Pony Anniversary Edition For The Home Front - passed for mailing by Base Censorship:
"...the Germans who had been caught completely off balance here, were busy organizing their defenses and on February 7, their attitude changed to one of offense.
"They attacked each day after that, fought stubbornly against our operations in the factory area and finally on February 16 launched a drive that was to clear the Anzio area of all Allied troops by February 18. That the enemy missed is due chiefly to the heroic stand of the Thunderbird division."