Description
Technical Manual (TM 9-1240-260-35P) for M31/T50 Periscope July 1960
This Technical Manual TM 9-1240-260-35P covers repair parts and special tools for the M31/T50 tank periscope and is dated July 1960. It supports field and depot maintenance personnel responsible for this optical fire-control instrument.
The publication is a model-specific parts reference. It complements maintenance instructions by helping personnel identify the parts and special tools associated with higher-level support of the periscope.
Historical Significance
The M31 was a gunner's periscope used in U.S. tank fire-control systems during the early Cold War. Its optical arrangement combined an 8-power aiming system with a reticle for laying the main armament and a unity-power system for observation.
Parts publications such as this one supported the supply and maintenance system behind complex optical equipment. They preserve the component terminology and maintenance-level context used when the M31 was active Army materiel.
M31 Periscope and Tank Fire Control
The M31 served as the gunner's periscope in the primary fire-control systems of the 105 mm gun tanks M60 and M60A1 and the 90 mm gun tank M48A3. Its magnified channel supported main-gun aiming, while its unity-power channel supported observation.
This parts manual documents the support side of that equipment relationship. It is especially useful when researching how the periscope was identified and maintained within the Army supply system.
What This Manual Covers
TM 9-1240-260-35P provides field and depot maintenance repair-parts and special-tools information for the M31/T50 periscope. The -35P designation separates this publication from the companion maintenance manual and identifies its parts-support purpose.
The manual is intended to help maintenance and supply personnel identify model-specific support items for the periscope. It is a parts reference rather than an operator's guide or a step-by-step repair manual.
Key Features
- Publication: Technical Manual TM 9-1240-260-35P
- Publication date: July 1960
- Equipment: M31/T50 tank periscope
- Manual type: Field and depot maintenance repair-parts and special-tools reference
- Equipment function: Gunner's observation and main-armament aiming periscope
- Associated tanks: M60, M60A1, and M48A3
Why This Manual Matters
A maintenance manual explains how equipment is serviced, while a parts manual records the items used to support that work. This publication gives collectors, restorers, and researchers a focused reference for the M31/T50 periscope's parts-support documentation.
It also helps place the periscope within the larger technical record of U.S. tank gunnery and fire-control equipment.
About This Manual
This Department of the Army Technical Manual TM 9-1240-260-35P, dated July 1960, is the field and depot maintenance repair-parts and special-tools publication for the M31/T50 Periscope.
Ideal For
This technical manual is a strong fit for:
- U.S. military technical-manual collectors
- M31/T50 periscope parts researchers
- M48A3, M60, and M60A1 restoration reference libraries
- Tank fire-control and optical-instrument historians
- Museum and Cold War armored-vehicle collections
Approx length 8", Approx width 10", Approx height .15", Approx weight .2lbs.
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