THE GUNS AT BATTERY GRUBBS _________________ Tony Feredo

THE GUNS AT BATTERY GRUBBS   In January 2010 I was visiting the Rock with Glen Williford and Roger Davis and as part of our 'program' we looked at some of the issues involving the current state of both guns at Battery Grubbs and comparing what's there today with reports of their condition in both 1942 and 1945. After going over the SOD, it looks like the earlier reports that both guns were disabled by removing the trunnion caps and then firing the gun, causing them to jump off the carriage, seems to be untrue. While reports are helpful, they are not always accurate - they are, after all, written to protect the writer or to please superior officers. In time, reports become conventional wisdom too. We must be aware though, that conventional wisdom is not Gospel, or holy writ. Photographs, when they become available, furnish a more objective evidence. The story of the removal of the trunnion caps, thereby causing the guns to jump off their carriage is based on the Battery History that was compiled by Jim Black, one of the early "buff" historians. Unfortunately, Jim didn't always get things right, as he sometimes succumbed to the very common failing of jumping to a conclusion before all the evidence comes in. The last paragraph of his Battery History mentions: "The gun (sic) was further damaged prior to surrender when both guns were fired with the trunnion caps removed, causing the guns to jump completely out of their carriage." It's not difficult to see why he could come to this conclusion - what's there today, justifies it.   However, conventional wisdom can, and in this case, IS wrong. ../2