Description
U.S. Army Technical Manual TM 9-1240-313-35P for M32 Tank Periscope, June 1964
This U.S. Army technical manual is the field-and-depot maintenance repair-parts and special-tools publication for the M32 Tank Periscope. Issued as TM 9-1240-313-35P in June 1964, it helped military maintenance personnel identify and order components needed to repair this Cold War fire-control instrument. This listing is for the technical manual only. It does not include a periscope, optical assembly, periscope mount, weapon, or tank.
Manual Coverage
The “35P” suffix identifies this publication as a repair-parts and special-tools list for higher-level maintenance. It was designed to support direct-support, general-support, and depot maintenance activities rather than provide complete operating or repair procedures. The manual worked with the related M32 maintenance instructions issued as TM 9-1240-313-34.
About the M32 Tank Periscope
The M32 was a gunner’s fire-control periscope used for observation and direct-fire aiming. Its three major sections were the head assembly, daylight body assembly, and infrared body assembly. The optical system provided a unity-power view for wide, close-range observation and an 8-power view for sighting distant targets. The active-infrared system allowed the gunner to observe and aim after dark when used with compatible infrared lighting equipment.
Vehicle Application
The M32 periscope family is documented with the M60 and M60A1 tanks and with infrared-equipped M48-series tanks, including the M48A3. Mounted in the tank turret, the periscope helped the gunner observe terrain, locate targets, and aim the main armament while remaining protected inside the vehicle. Applications and stock numbers changed as later versions entered service, so this listing does not claim that every vehicle used the exact early FSN printed for this manual.
Historical Background
TM 9-1240-313-35P was published as the U.S. Army expanded the M60 tank fleet and improved night-fighting equipment during the Cold War. Active-infrared sights were an important step between daylight-only optics and later passive night-vision and thermal systems. Updated editions expanded parts coverage for the M32C and M35 and later M32-series models. The TM 9-1240-313-35P series was eventually replaced by TM 9-1240-379-34P, which covered the M32, M32C, M32E1, and M32CE1 periscopes.
Publication Details
This parts manual is identified by the following military publication and federal stock information:
- Manual number: TM 9-1240-313-35P
- Publication date: June 1964
- Subject: M32 Tank Periscope
- Manual type: Field-and-depot maintenance repair-parts and special-tools list
- Federal Stock Number: 1240-980-9288
- NIIN: 00-980-9288
- Associated reference number: 5800970
- Related maintenance manual: TM 9-1240-313-34
- Later replacement series: TM 9-1240-379-34P
- Item included: Technical manual only
Collector and Research Value
This manual is a specialized reference for U.S. Army technical-publication collectors, military-optics researchers, tank restorers, and museums. Its illustrated component information helps document the supply and maintenance system behind an important Cold War tank sight.
Ideal For
This original military parts publication is well suited for the following collections and research projects:
- U.S. Army technical-manual collections
- M32 tank-periscope parts identification
- M60 and M60A1 restoration research
- M48-series tank research
- Cold War military-optics displays
- Armored-vehicle fire-control collections
- Museum and archival collections
Approx length 8", Approx width 10", Approx height .25", Approx weight .5lbs.
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