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Pictured here is one of two
8 inch guns currently on
display at Fort Miles.
We have located the correct
flat-bed railway car to
mount the piece on, and
expect it to arrive soon.
Photo Credit: Mike Rogers |
Battery 20 operated by:
Battery C, 52nd Railway
Artillery
Battery 21 operated by:
Battery D, 52nd Railway
Artillery
Before the outbreak of WWII,
Cape Henlopen was a barren
landscape of sand and dunes.
The Lewes Sand Company
operated railway spurs in
the dunes of the cape and
provided sand for industrial
uses to companies in the
area. The 52nd Railway
Artillery from Fort Hancock,
NJ frequently used Cape
Henlopen as a training
range. It was
perfectly suited for the
job, since there were very
few residents within several
miles of the area and the
rails were already in place
on site. When the Army
decided to place their new
state-of-the-art coastal
fortification at Cape
Henlopen, temporary
batteries were required to
provide harbor protection
while the long range gun
batteries were being
constructed. The 52nd
was called to action, and
established the first heavy
artillery batteries at what
would become Fort Miles. |
