Howitzer Journey Ends at the AL Post #853
Last updated 6/18/2019 at 2:43pm
If you lived in Borrego in 2010, the wait has ended. Nine years ago, Legion Post #853 ordered a Howitzer for static display.
The wheels of military supply bureaucracy apparently grind very, very slowly, but it arrived from the Anniston Army Depot in Oxford, Alabama May 20, and the 5,000-lb artillery piece was placed on its custom-designed concrete platform using a telescoping reach forklift.
Several Legion members were on hand to assist with the delivery and welcome the howitzer to its new static display home in Borrego, including Post Commander Rick Dobbins.
Invented by the Dutch in the 17th century, this model M101A1 howitzer entered production in 1941, and it was both accurate and packed a powerful punch with high-explosive ammunition.
The howitzer could, were it functional, send a 105mm (4-inch) round seven miles, about the distance to the southern reaches of Clark Dry Lake across the Valley. The barrel is now filled with concrete, so it’s going to be tough to test that claim for maximum range. Versions of this model go back to World War II; this later version was used in Vietnam and Iraq, and a newer version M102 is currently in use.
The howitzer now sits next to the recently refurbished Scout Car. Both can be seen at the southern entrance to the American Legion Post along Borrego Springs Road. According to one source, we might see both in the 2019 Borrego Days Festival & Parade.
