Description
TM 9-3064 Change 1 - 81mm M29 and M29E1 Mortar Cannons, M23 and M23A1 Mounts with Baseplate - December 1960
Item Overview
This December 1960 Change 1 supplement updates TM 9-3064 for the 81mm M29 and M29E1 mortar cannons and M23 and M23A1 mounts with baseplate. It belongs with the original manual issued on August 15, 1957. The publication is a useful reference for collectors studying early Cold War infantry weapons and the equipment used to support them.
Identification and Features
The publication number, change designation, and base manual date identify this supplement within the Army's mortar reference series.
- Publication: TM 9-3064, Change 1
- Change date: December 1960
- Original manual date: August 15, 1957
- Cannons covered: 81mm M29 and M29E1
- Mounts covered: M23 and M23A1 with baseplate
- Manual category: Operation and organizational maintenance
- Publication type: Change supplement for use with the base manual
Function and Manual Contents
Change 1 revises selected material in the Army's operating and unit maintenance reference for this mortar family. The parent manual addresses operation, lubrication, and maintenance assigned to the using organization. Together, the manual and its supplement document the guidance available to mortar crews and unit maintenance personnel during this period.
Publication History
The original TM 9-3064 carried the earlier publication number TM 9-260 on its cover. This change followed the 1957 edition as part of the Army's continuing revision of its technical literature. Such supplements allowed existing manuals to remain useful as instructions changed. For a reference collection, this update helps preserve the publication history of the M29 family and its early support equipment.
Documented End-Item Application
Army equipment data lists the M29E1 cannon with either the M23 or M23A1 mount. Here, the cannon is the mortar's barrel assembly. The complete ground-mounted weapon combines that assembly with its supporting mount, baseplate, and sighting equipment.
Equipment History
The M29 began replacing the wartime M1 mortar in U.S. service in 1952. It was lighter and offered greater range, continuing the development of portable infantry fire support. Its grooved barrel exterior helped reduce weight and release heat. The M29E1 belonged to this same weapon family and retained compatibility with the established M23-series mounting equipment.
M23 and M23A1 Mount Background
The mounts used a bipod with elevating and traversing mechanisms and a spring shock absorber. The two versions differed in cross-leveling, which keeps the mounting system level from side to side. The M23 used a turnbuckle and clamp arrangement, while the M23A1 used a sliding adjustment on its left leg. These differences are useful when identifying period mounts.
Baseplate Background
A circular baseplate supported the cannon and spread firing loads into the ground. Army equipment data describes inner and outer ring assemblies. This component formed the lower anchor of the complete mortar and helped keep the barrel aligned. Its design is an important part of understanding the early M29 ground-support system.
Weapon-System Background
The M29 family consisted of smoothbore, muzzle-loading weapons designed for high-angle fire. Their curved firing path allowed infantry support against positions behind terrain or cover. Separate cannon, mount, and baseplate assemblies combined portability with a stable ground platform.
History of Use
The M29 family served U.S. and allied forces during the Cold War and Vietnam War. A 1967 field sketch held by the Australian War Memorial records an M29 in a South Vietnamese Army bunker at Trieu Phong in Quang Tri Province. The family's service continued through later improvements, before the M252 began replacing it in U.S. service in 1987. This 1960 supplement documents an earlier stage in that long support history.
Ideal For
This supplement adds publication history and technical context to a mortar reference collection, museum library, or infantry equipment display.
- Collectors of M29 and M29E1 mortar publications
- Researchers studying M23 and M23A1 mounting equipment
- Museums and military history archives
- Owners of the August 15, 1957 base manual seeking Change 1
- Historians of Cold War infantry weapons
Approx length 6", Approx width 9", Approx height .1", Approx weight .15lbs.
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