Description
U.S. Army Technical Manual TM 9-1350 for 155mm M2 Gun and 8-Inch M2 Howitzer, June 1949
Item Overview
TM 9-1350 is a U.S. Army ordnance maintenance manual covering the 155mm M2 Gun, 8-Inch M2 Howitzer, and their related carriages, mounts, limber, and firing platform. This June 1949 edition documents heavy artillery equipment during the years between World War II and the Korean War. It offers collectors and researchers a period reference to both towed and self-propelled artillery installations. This listing is for the technical manual only.
Publication Details
The publication brings several related artillery assemblies together under one manual number. Its period equipment names help readers identify components in military records, museum collections, and historical photographs.
- Manual number: TM 9-1350
- Publication date: June 1949
- Publication type: Ordnance maintenance technical manual
- Issuing authority: Department of the Army
- Country: United States
- Language: English
Equipment Covered
The manual covers the artillery pieces and the equipment that supported, transported, and mounted them. Its subjects connect conventional wheeled artillery with installations used on tracked vehicles.
- 155mm M2 Gun: A member of the American “Long Tom” heavy gun family.
- 155mm M1 Gun Carriage: The wheeled carriage supporting the towed gun.
- 8-Inch M2 Howitzer: A heavy howitzer with a bore measuring approximately 203mm.
- 8-Inch M1 Howitzer Carriage: The wheeled carriage supporting the towed howitzer.
- M5 Heavy Carriage Limber: Transport equipment used with the heavy artillery carriage.
- M13 Mount: The gun mount associated with the M40 Gun Motor Carriage.
- M17 Mount: The howitzer mount associated with the M43 Howitzer Motor Carriage.
- M1 Firing Platform: A circular platform designed to give the towed 155mm gun all-around traverse.
Manual Coverage and Purpose
As an ordnance maintenance publication, TM 9-1350 supported the personnel responsible for keeping these heavy artillery systems serviceable. Its combined coverage provides a reference for studying the relationship between the weapons, their supporting carriages, and their vehicle mounts. This makes the manual useful when researching artillery construction, maintenance history, and the equipment used to support large guns in military service.
Heavy Artillery Development
The development of these weapon families grew from the Army’s review of artillery needs after World War I. The 1919 Westervelt Board called for improvements in range and gun movement. Army designers found that a new 155mm gun and an 8-inch howitzer could share a carriage design because they placed similar stresses on their mounts. This approach produced two different heavy weapons with closely related supporting equipment.
155mm Gun and 8-Inch Howitzer Roles
The Long Tom gun family provided long-range artillery support, including fire against enemy artillery and positions behind the front lines. The 8-inch howitzer delivered a heavier shell and served a different role in heavy bombardment. Their related carriage designs helped the Army support both weapon types. The M13 and M17 mounts extended these artillery families into self-propelled service through the M40 and M43 vehicles.
History of Use
The 155mm gun and 8-inch howitzer families served during World War II and remained important during the Korean War. Towed versions moved with heavy trucks or tracked artillery tractors, while self-propelled versions carried their weapons on powered tracked vehicles. The M43 entered service too late for World War II combat but saw action in Korea. Published in 1949, this manual records the Army’s continued support of heavy artillery developed during the wartime years.
Collector and Research Value
This manual links the history of the artillery pieces to the less familiar equipment that supported them. Its inclusion of the M5 limber, M13 and M17 mounts, and M1 firing platform gives it value beyond a single weapon study. Collectors can use it to compare period terminology, while museums and model builders can use its subject coverage to guide further research into complete artillery installations.
Condition
This vintage military technical manual may show cover wear, edge wear, folds, yellowing, stains, writing, stamps, punched holes, loose pages, or other signs of age and storage. Printing details and condition may vary between available copies.
Ideal For
This publication suits several collecting, research, and display interests.
- U.S. Army technical-manual collections
- 155mm Long Tom artillery research
- 8-inch howitzer history projects
- M40 and M43 vehicle studies
- Military museum restoration documentation
- World War II and Korean War exhibits
- Artillery scale-model reference collections
Approx length 6", Approx width 9", Approx height .5", Approx weight 1lbs.
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