Description
TM 9-3064 Change 5 - 81mm M29 and M29E1 Mortar Manual Supplement - October 1968
Publication Overview
TM 9-3064 Change 5 is an October 1968 technical manual update for the 81mm M29 and M29E1 mortar configurations listed below. This supplement was issued for use with the original TM 9-3064, dated August 15, 1957. It belongs to the Army's operation and organizational maintenance reference series for the mortar cannon, mount, and baseplate assemblies.
Identification and Features
Match this supplement to its parent manual by the publication number, change number, and issue date.
- Publication: TM 9-3064, Change 5.
- Update date: October 1968.
- Original manual date: August 15, 1957.
- Caliber: 81mm.
- Covered configurations:
- M29E1 cannon on M23A3 mount.
- M29 or M29E1 cannon on M23A1 mount.
- Manual category: Operation and organizational maintenance
- Publication type: Change supplement for use with the original manual.
Function and Manual Contents
This supplement revises guidance within the parent operation and organizational maintenance manual. That publication addresses equipment use, lubrication, and maintenance assigned to troops and their units. Change 5 is intended to be read alongside the corresponding material in the base manual, keeping the revised instructions connected to their original context.
Publication History
TM 9-3064 continued material previously published under the TM 9-260 designation. Its 1957 base edition covered the M29 mortar and earlier M23-series mounting equipment. Change 5 followed more than eleven years later, placing this update within the Vietnam War period. Together, the base manual and its change supplements help researchers follow the Army's continuing support of this long-serving mortar family.
Documented Applications
The listed coverage includes three combinations: the M29E1 cannon on the M23A3 mount, the M29 cannon on the M23A1 mount, and the M29E1 cannon on the M23A1 mount. In this naming system, the cannon designation identifies the barrel assembly, while the mount designation identifies its supporting equipment and associated baseplate. These distinctions matter when matching technical references to surviving mortar components.
Equipment History
The M29 began replacing the older M1 mortar in U.S. service in 1952. It brought lower weight and greater range to the Army's 81mm mortar equipment. Spiral grooves around the outside of the barrel helped reduce weight and release heat. The M29 and M29E1 cannon designations belong to this period of continued development in portable infantry support weapons.
M23A1 and M23A3 Mount Background
The mounting equipment supported the cannon through a bipod with elevation and traverse mechanisms and a spring shock absorber. These assemblies controlled barrel position and helped manage movement during firing. Army field maintenance manual TM 9-3071-1 documented both the M23A1 and M23A3 by January 1958, establishing that these related mount designs were already part of the equipment family well before this 1968 update.
Baseplate Development
A key difference between the two mounts was their baseplate construction. The M23A1 baseplate used separate inner and outer ring assemblies. The M23A3 retained the M23A1 mount design but used a one-piece aluminum baseplate. This change in construction is an important detail for collectors studying how the mortar's supporting equipment developed alongside its cannon assemblies.
Weapon-System Background
The M29 family followed an American 81mm mortar tradition that reached back through the M1 to the French Brandt design. These smoothbore, muzzle-loading weapons used a high firing angle to support infantry across uneven ground and behind terrain cover. Their separate cannon, bipod, and baseplate components allowed the equipment to be divided into carrying loads.
History of Use
M29-family mortars served with U.S. and allied forces during the Cold War and Vietnam War. A 1967 sketch by war artist Bruce Fletcher, held by the Australian War Memorial, records an M29 mortar in a South Vietnamese Army bunker at Trieu Phong in Quang Tri Province. The family remained in service after the war, with replacement by the M252 beginning in 1987.
Ideal For
This supplement adds publication history and equipment context to a collection focused on infantry weapons and military technical references.
- Collectors assembling a TM 9-3064 manual and change supplement set.
- Researchers studying M29 and M29E1 mortar development.
- Museums documenting M23A1 and M23A3 mounting equipment.
- Historians researching Cold War and Vietnam-era infantry support weapons.
- Military publication collectors comparing Army maintenance references over time.
Approx length 6", Approx width9 9", Approx height .1", Approx weight .1lbs.
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