Description
U.S. Military Technical Manual TM 9-1370-200, Change 4, Military Pyrotechnics, January 1969
This January 1969 Change 4 update supplements Military Pyrotechnics, TM 9-1370-200, issued on September 14, 1966. It preserves part of the publication’s revision history during the Vietnam War. This listing is for the Change 4 update only. The complete base manual, pyrotechnic devices, ammunition, and equipment are not included.
Publication Details
The manual number, change number, and base edition date identify the reference this update belongs with.
- Manual number: TM 9-1370-200
- Change number: Change 4
- Title: Military Pyrotechnics
- Update date: January 1969
- Base manual date: September 14, 1966
- Publication type: Technical manual update
- Country of origin: United States
Purpose and Publication History
Numbered changes allowed military references to be revised without printing an entirely new manual. They supplied updates to an existing edition while keeping its publication number. This change belongs to the September 1966 edition and forms part of the record of how the military maintained its technical literature during the late 1960s.
About Military Pyrotechnics
Military pyrotechnics are devices that produce light, smoke, or sound for specific service needs. They supported communication, observation, photography, rescue, and training across ground and aviation units. The following examples explain the broader subject of this publication; they are not a list of individual revisions made by Change 4.
- Illumination flares that provide light during darkness
- Colored light and smoke signals for visual communication
- Photoflash devices for night photography
- Marine signals for location marking and rescue
- Training simulators that reproduce battlefield sounds and flashes
Equipment History
By World War II, the Army had dedicated technical manuals for military pyrotechnics. These publications described aircraft and ground signals, illumination flares, and photographic equipment. Such devices remained useful during the Cold War alongside improved radios and electronic systems. Their many roles made pyrotechnics an important part of military support equipment, extending beyond conventional guns and ammunition.
History of Use
The Vietnam War provides clear examples of these devices in service. Army combat accounts from 1969 describe handheld parachute flares and star clusters used for illumination and recognition. Air Force AC-47 Spooky gunships dropped flares during night defense missions, helping expose attacks on friendly positions. Other flareships illuminated areas for aircraft supporting troops on the ground. These uses give historical context to a pyrotechnics publication updated during the same period.
Collector and Research Value
Separate change publications are useful for studying how a technical reference developed after its initial release. This update is especially relevant to collectors who own the matching base edition or are building a collection of Vietnam-era military documents. It also supports research into military publishing, ordnance support, and the equipment used in night operations.
Ideal For
This publication suits several collecting, research, and display interests.
- September 1966 TM 9-1370-200 reference sets
- Military technical-manual and change-publication collections
- Vietnam War and Cold War research
- Military flare and signal history
- Aviation illumination and night-operations studies
- Museum and archival collections
Approx length 8", Approx width 10", Approx height .1", Approx weight .15lbs.
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