Description
U.S. Army Technical Manual TM 9-1240-313-34 for M32 Tank Periscope, June 1964
This U.S. Army technical manual covers field maintenance for the M32 Tank Periscope. Issued as TM 9-1240-313-34 in June 1964, it supported trained personnel responsible for maintaining this armored-vehicle sighting instrument. This listing is for the technical manual only. It does not include a periscope, optical assembly, mount, weapon, or tank.
Manual Coverage
The “34” suffix identifies this publication as a field-maintenance manual. It provides higher-level guidance beyond routine crew care, including inspection, troubleshooting, disassembly, cleaning, repair, assembly, optical adjustment, and final testing. It is a maintenance reference rather than an operator’s guide or parts-only manual.
About the M32 Tank Periscope
The M32 was a gunner’s fire-control periscope designed to provide both a wide view of nearby terrain and a magnified view for aiming at distant targets. The system used a unity-power viewing path for general observation and an 8-power optical path for direct-fire sighting. Infrared-equipped versions also supported night operations when used with compatible tank lighting and fire-control equipment.
Documented Optical Features
Later Army technical data for standardized M32 and M32C periscopes records 8-power magnification with an 8-degree field of view for the visible sighting system. The unity-power system provided a field of view measuring about 30 degrees 32 minutes horizontally and 5 degrees 48 minutes vertically. Infrared models also provided 8-power magnification and an 8-degree field of view.
Vehicle Application
The M32 periscope family is documented with M60 and M60A1 main battle tanks and infrared-equipped M48-series tanks, including the M48A3. Positioned for the gunner, the periscope helped observe terrain, identify targets, and aim the tank’s main armament. Equipment configurations varied by tank model and production period, so this listing does not claim that every vehicle used the exact FSN shown.
Historical Background
TM 9-1240-313-34 was published during the Cold War as the U.S. Army expanded its use of improved day and night fire-control equipment. The M60 entered service near the beginning of the 1960s, while upgraded M48 tanks remained important armored vehicles. The June 1964 manual documents the early maintenance system for the M32 before later M32C, M32E1, and M32CE1 versions expanded the periscope family. Later editions of TM 9-1240-379-34 replaced this publication and continued coverage of M32-series equipment.
Publication Details
This manual is identified by the following military publication and federal stock information:
- Manual number: TM 9-1240-313-34
- Publication date: June 1964
- Subject: M32 Tank Periscope
- Manual type: Field maintenance
- Federal Stock Number: 1240-980-9288
- NIIN: 00-980-9288
- Federal item name: Periscope, Armored Vehicle
- Associated reference number: 5800970
- Later superseding publication: TM 9-1240-379-34
- Item included: Technical manual only
Collector and Research Value
This manual is a specialized reference for military-optics collectors, tank restorers, museums, and historians. It helps document the maintenance and development of an important Cold War tank sight used during the Army’s move toward improved day and night fighting systems.
Ideal For
This original military publication is well suited for the following collections and research projects:
- U.S. Army technical-manual collections
- M32 tank-periscope research
- M60 and M60A1 tank restoration references
- M48-series tank research
- Cold War military-optics displays
- Armored-vehicle fire-control collections
Approx length 8", Approx width 10", Approx height .15", Approx weight .2lbs.
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