New cannon displayed outside Hallettsville American Legion

The Hallettsville American Legion Post 230 has received a new cannon which is now displayed in front of their building. This has been over ten years in the making to get this cannon. The cannon was delivered just last week.

“I requested an artillery piece in September of 2012,” 230 Post Commander Terry Landrum said. “I originally requested a 105 Howitzer. That isn’t what I got. I ended up getting an M-5 Anti-tank gun. It’s similar. It’s still considered an artillery piece just like the 105 Howitzer. This was transported from Big Lake, Texas from an American Legion Post which was closing.”

This cannon was transported with no charge from a generous individual who is also a veteran. This gun is finally here after 13 years of waiting.

“You can request surplus material from the Department of the Army,” Landrum said. “The ceremonial rifles that we use for funerals come from the same place. This is surplus equipment that you can put on as a static display. This is something that people who have served in the military can look at and admire. In Shiner, they have a large artillery piece there, it’s huge. We weren’t looking for anything quite that big.

Landrum said this cannon has to be kept in good condition and the American Legion must send a picture once a year to the Department of the Army.

“All we have to do is maintain it and keep it in good shape and we can keep it as long as we want,” Landrum said.

This cannon came out in World War II and has lasted all the way through the war.

“There’s approximately 2,500 of them that were produced between 1942 and 1944,” Landrum said. “They were mainly towed behind a vehicle. It was to help knock out Nazi armor. It was quite useful during the war and weighed about 5,000 pounds. It can put up to 15 rounds a minute out.”

Most of the American Legion halls in Texas has some type of static display outside their building. This could be military trucks or artillery. It shows a symbol of being part of the military. The Hallettsville City Council had to approve the use of this cannon. It was a pretty lengthy process according to Landrum.

“This is a great way to honor our military and honor the price that a lot of people paid,” Landrum said.