By Susan Harber
Willie Winfree was stationed in West Germany in 1955 in a historical mission safeguarding an M65 atomic cannon code-named ‘Grable’. This was the first nuclear artillery in the world. Willie prevailed amidst a peacekeeping endeavor in Europe. His dynamic interview in 2005 was chronicled with the Al Gore Center at MTSU and reflects on his authentic secretive mission known during the Cold War era to maintain accord in a fragile Europe.
The namesake of Winfree/Winfrey is derived from the Old English surname Winfrid with the appellation of ‘win’ meaning ‘joy’ and ‘frid’ designated as ‘peace.’ The name Winfree was first recorded in Leicestershire in East Midlands, England in 1190.
Willie Mack Winfree, longstanding and beloved resident of Smyrna, was born in 1936 to Raymond Winfrey (1912-1982) and Daisy Lela Harris Winfrey (1911-1986). Raymond and Daisy wed in November 1930 in Smith County where they raised a family. Raymond was a hard-working sharecropper and provided well for his family. Daisy was an excellent quilter and keeper of a contented home. Willie attended school in a one-room schoolhouse in Gordonsville and was taught by his Aunt Lorene Winfrey-Perkins. Lorene graduated from Carthage High School and Middle Tennessee State Normal School in a feat that few women attained. Willie’s siblings included Margaret Lucille Pierce (1931-1985), James Wilson Winfree (1934-1980), Jerry Glenn Winfree (1937-1962) and Anna Jewel Winfree Gordon (1940-2020).
Willie’s ancestry in Tennessee carries deep roots dating to the early 19th century. His maternal grandfather Johnnie Mack Harris was buried in Smith County in 1924 at age 49. Further, his maternal ancestor John Mercer Bennett dwelled in Dekalb County from 1813-1880. His roots as a Smith County descendant began with paternal ancestor William Thomas Bennett (1830-1912), who was ever-present during the Civil War.
Willie grew up within an humble household. He experienced no running water and fetched drinking water from a well. He chopped wood in the winter for a fire amidst no interior heating. The Winfree family utilized a pot-belly stove that was ideal for heating a room and cooking meals. Moreover, there was no freezer; yet, Willie’s mother was resourceful and canned vegetables. She also killed hogs and chickens for a good dinner. Willie was an excellent shot with his rifle. With two bullets, he brought rabbit or squirrel to the table. Salt was a prime preservative for their provisions, and they ate well all winter.
The Winfrees traveled to town once or twice a year in the Spring for needed goods. They lived off the land in a clever and capable manner. The family hitched a horse and buggy for transport. However, with no bridge, crossing Caney Fork was a challenge.
Willie wed a lovely bride Nelda Reese (1942-2015) of Madison, Tennessee when she was 16 years old. Their daughter Pam was born one year later when Nelda was 17 years old. Willie and Nelda met on a blind date and married a year and a half later. They forged a wonderful marriage of 56 years. Nelda was the daughter of John Reese and Pauline Brown Helmontaler. Their children include Stephen, Bob, Pam, and Mike. Pam has been my close friend since I was 14 years old. I met her on a church retreat at Camp Meribah in Hickman County, and we have a longstanding relationship. When I moved to Smyrna 28 years ago as a young mother, Nelda embraced me as a special friend and was my personal mentor. I have many memorable visits to her warm and inviting home. Nelda was a generous human in an extreme manner.
Nelda was skilled as a seamstress creating lovely quilt tops on a treadle sewing machine that belonged to her grandmother, and she was an embroiderer. She worked hard at home for her family a lifetime and thoroughly loved everyone.
Nelda’s father John was a truck driver and often away from home with his vocation. Nelda and her brother lived in Madison and walked down Dupont Avenue to attend Madison Church of Christ as young teenagers. When Nelda and Willie lived in Bordeaux, she invited Willie to church, and he was baptized.
With the Korean War ending in 1953, a state of unrest prevailed amid a struggle between United States and USSR that manifest as two dissident world superpowers. In 1945, the United States demobilized their large armed forces; yet the Soviet Union did not contemplate demobilization. Josef Stalin reorganized the immense Red Army and supplied troops with new tanks, guns, aircraft and naval vessels. Moreover, the occupied nations of Eastern Europe were forced to establish communist governments and build armies to support the Soviet Union, while aggressive plans for communist expansion were actively pursued.
In 1955, Willie, along with 280 comrades, was assigned to Germany in a secretive unit to transport the 15-kiloton explosive that held the same power as the Hiroshima bomb. The bomb was designed to eliminate a whole division of 25,000 men. The M65 was obsolete soon after it was deployed. This esteemed weapon held prestige and was not retired until 1963.
On May 25, 1953, Willie witnessed a test firing of this bomb in a hydrographic basin in Frenchman Flat, Nevada and viewed the resultant mushroom cloud. The test series of eleven nuclear shots were known as Operation Upshot-Knothole. The projectile detonated 524 feet above Frenchman Flat and is the sole nuclear shell ever fired from the cannon. The 280 mm device fired the same explosive power as the ‘Little Boy’ bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. Two months after the nuclear test, General Dwight Eisenhower considered firing this weaponry on North Korea as a threat; yet a peace treaty was at hand. On January 20, 1953, Atomic Annie rolled through the streets of Washington, D.C. as a sensation within the Inaugural parade for President Dwight D Eisenhower.
M65 (Atomic Annie) was soon dispatched into active service between April 1955 and December 1962 within Germany, Okinawa and South Korea. The powerful cannon was a dominant deterrent amid looming Communist intimidation. Soviets were fearful of the size and potential destruction of M65. This heavy-towed artillery loaded 110 pounds of uranium into an 803-pound artillery shell and implemented a firing range of twenty miles. The cannon consisted of the gun, carriage and transporter and was 85 tons and 84 feet in length. The M65 was in transit aboard two tractors with a speed of 35 mph and confined to well-paved roads. The restriction of adequate roads was a downfall for the future of this artillery.
Only twenty of the huge M65 weapons were manufactured, and their value decreased as an effective military artillery. Just four cannons survive in a present day, while Atomic Annie remains at Fort Sill.
Willie enlisted in the United States Army at age 17 and remained three years as a highly competent soldier. He was stationed in West Germany for 19 months. Willie was discharged in 1957 at the age of 20. He currently maintains a clear memory of the finest detail of his mission.
Willie’s entrance into European peacekeeping for the United States accompanies preceding history of war and devastation. After World War II, Soviets met in Berlin to divide Germany. Although Berlin was in East Germany, as the capital, this land was shared between Britain, France, America and the Soviet Union. Yet, the inner German border was officially closed in 1962. East Germany unsuccessfully attempted to overtake West Germany in 1948, The capitol Berlin fell within closed borders the same year under the Soviet domain, and Berlin Air Lift was utilized from 1948-1949 to save countless lives.
Willie had orders for placement in both Hungary and West Germany in his quest for peace, as well as guarding the M65 to utilize when needed. The United States held great interest in protecting Hungary, after the Soviet brutal invasion of 1956. Willie was also positioned on assignment to the Czechoslovakia border on a pursuit for the U.S. Army with the M65 accessible at any moment night or day.
Willie relates that accommodations in West Germany were very decent and well organized. The German quarters were a billet with three floors, including barracks, basement with ammunition, and a nuclear warhead. Willie conveys that he ate well with three meals of C-rations. A hot breakfast was always served before daylight.
When Willie was on an outdoor mission, he slept in tents. He encountered some of the coldest weather on record in Germany during the winter months of his sojourn. Deep snow and blinding blizzards were the order of the day. From January to March 1953, most days were below 0 and reached -15 in the most frigid hours.
With Willie’s diligent caretaking of the M65, this dominant and compelling bomb was never used in active service; yet his experience in a volatile Europe was life-changing forevermore. Willie returned home with great loyalty and devotion to the freedom we experience today in the United States of America.
Upon his return, Willie and Nelda resided in a new subdivision in Bordeaux near an inviting creek where Willie enjoyed fishing. Willie remains a seasoned, lifelong fisherman in a contemporary timeframe. He relocated to Rice Circle in Smyrna over 50 years ago, and he is a beloved member of our community.
Willie carpooled 31 miles daily one way to work from Smyrna to Ford Glass Plant in West Nashville. He was a dependable, loyal and highly skilled employee for 38 years. Willie and Nelda were members of Smyrna Church of Christ for five decades. I have witnessed him attending so faithfully in my 28 years at this congregation. He is a very active and devoted Christian man. Nelda perished in 2015 after a lengthy illness with Willie by her side. She is greatly missed.
Willie was a member of the ‘Greatest Generation’ while living through both the Depression and World War II. His era of enlightenment personified integrity, respect and civil liberty for all. The Army’s call to duty was an honor and distinction for a man who dearly loved his country.