Description
U.S. Army and Air Force Technical Manual TM 9-1375-200 for Demolition Materials, January 1964
Item Overview
This U.S. military technical manual covers demolition materials used by Army and Air Force personnel during the early Cold War. Issued as TM 9-1375-200 and Air Force Technical Order TO 11A4-1-3 on January 28, 1964, it identifies demolition charges, initiating components, demolition kits, accessories, and mine-clearing devices. This listing is for the technical manual only. It does not include explosives, detonators, firing devices, tools, or other demolition equipment.
Publication Details
This joint Department of the Army and Department of the Air Force publication served as a technical reference for personnel responsible for the authorized identification, care, storage, and issue of military demolition materials.
- Manual number: TM 9-1375-200
- Air Force technical order: TO 11A4-1-3
- Publication date: January 28, 1964
- Official title: Demolition Materials
- Issuing authorities: Departments of the Army and Air Force
- Country of origin: United States
- Historical period: Early Cold War
- Item included: Technical manual only
Manual Coverage
TM 9-1375-200 provides technical information about the classification, identification, care, use, storage, packing, and marking of demolition materials. It also covers the destruction of ammunition and related equipment to prevent enemy use. Tactical employment and field training were addressed in separate engineer publications.
- Demolition charges and military dynamite
- Detonators, blasting caps, and fuse igniters
- Time blasting fuse and detonating cord
- Firing devices, accessories, and tools
- Military demolition kits
- Projected antipersonnel and antitank mine-clearing charges
- Destruction of ammunition to prevent enemy use
Representative Equipment Covered
The manual documents a broad family of military engineer equipment rather than one weapon. Its illustrations and technical sections cover TNT blocks, Composition C-series block charges, shaped charges, cratering charges, dynamite, blasting machines, Bangalore torpedoes, firing components, and projected mine-clearing charges.
- Quarter-pound, half-pound, and one-pound TNT blocks
- M3 and M5-series block demolition charges
- 15-pound and 40-pound shaped charges
- 40-pound cratering charges
- Electric and nonelectric blasting components
- Bangalore torpedoes and demolition kits
- M1 through M3-series projected charges
- M157, M173, and M174 projected charges
History of Military Demolition Materials
Military demolition systems combine explosive charges with the components needed for controlled engineer work. During World War II and the Korean War, U.S. troops used packaged explosives, shaped charges, cratering charges, and Bangalore torpedoes to remove obstacles, open routes, damage structures, and deny equipment to an enemy. Postwar manuals brought these different materials into a more standardized system and added newer equipment developed during the 1950s and early 1960s.
History of Use
The January 1964 edition appeared as U.S. forces prepared for a larger role in Southeast Asia. Military engineers of the period used demolition materials for obstacle reduction, route work, defensive construction, equipment destruction, and minefield clearing. Projected charges were intended to open lanes through minefields and other obstacles, while training items helped personnel learn identification and handling procedures. The manual reflects equipment and safety practices used during the Cold War and early Vietnam era.
Publication History
TM 9-1375-200 replaced TM 9-1946 from November 1955 along with several later changes and technical bulletins. The 1964 publication expanded coverage to include newer blasting caps, charges, demolition kits, destructors, fuse igniters, primers, and projected mine-clearing devices. It provides a useful record of how the military updated demolition equipment between the Korean War and Vietnam era.
Collector and Research Value
This manual is a strong reference for studying U.S. military engineering, explosive-ordnance development, Cold War equipment, and historical demolition practices. Its diagrams, equipment descriptions, identification information, and complete-round tables also make it useful for museum research, archival collections, and the identification of inert display items.
Ideal For
This technical manual is well suited for collections, research projects, restoration references, and exhibits related to military engineering and demolition equipment.
- U.S. Army technical-manual collections
- Military engineer and demolition research
- Cold War and Vietnam-era displays
- Explosive-ordnance history collections
- Museum and archival reference libraries
- Inert equipment identification projects
Approx length 8", Approx width 10", Approx height .25", Approx weight 1lbs.
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