Description
TM 9-2008 4.2-Inch M30 Mortar and M24/M24A1 Mortar Mounts Technical Manual – September 1956
Product Overview
This vintage U.S. Army Technical Manual TM 9-2008 covers the 4.2-inch M30 mortar and its M24 and M24A1 mortar mounts. Issued during the early Cold War, this illustrated publication provided mortar crews and unit maintenance personnel with an official reference for operating, inspecting, servicing, and caring for this heavy infantry support weapon.
Publication Details
The cover identifies this publication as an operator and organizational maintenance manual for the complete M30 mortar system and both covered ground mounts.
- Manual Number: TM 9-2008
- Publication Date: September 27, 1956
- Issuing Authority: Department of the Army
- Manual Type: Operator and organizational maintenance manual
- Mortar: 4.2-Inch M30, development designation T104
- Mounts: M24, development designation T99, and M24A1, development designation T99E1
Publication History
The Department of the Army issued TM 9-2008 on September 27, 1956, while the M30 was becoming the standard U.S. heavy mortar. Change 1 followed on August 7, 1963. In July 1966, the Army replaced this publication with TM 9-1015-215-12, which carried the subject into the newer Federal Supply Classification manual-numbering system.
Manual Function and Contents
TM 9-2008 was prepared to support mortar crews and organizational maintenance personnel in the field. Its subject matter includes equipment identification, operating information, emplacement, inspection, cleaning, lubrication, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, and service procedures for the M30 cannon and mount assemblies. Illustrated views and technical data help identify the relationships between the barrel, standard, bridge, rotator, baseplate, sight connections, elevating system, traversing system, and recoil mechanism.
Documented Equipment Applications
This manual applies specifically to the rifled 4.2-inch M30 mortar when installed on the M24 or M24A1 ground mount. Army equipment data describe the complete weapon as the M30 cannon supported by a mount made from the standard, bridge, rotator, and baseplate assemblies. The manual therefore offers a focused reference for this weapon and mount combination rather than a general guide to all U.S. mortars.
M30 Mortar Development
The M30 entered U.S. service in 1951 as the successor to the World War II-era M2 4.2-inch mortar. Developed under the T104 designation, it retained the unusual rifled 4.2-inch bore while providing greater range and a more substantial mount. The muzzle-loaded cannon used a fixed firing pin and delivered high-angle indirect fire against targets hidden by terrain, structures, or defensive positions.
M24 and M24A1 Mount History
The M24 was developed as the T99 mount, while the improved M24A1 carried the T99E1 development designation. Both mounts supported the M30 cannon and provided elevation, traverse, recoil control, and a rotating connection to the baseplate. Army equipment data distinguish the M24A1 by its one-piece steel baseplate, while the M24 used a magnesium baseplate made with inner and outer sections.
4.2-Inch Mortar Weapon-System Background
The American 4.2-inch mortar family began as part of the Chemical Warfare Service and was first designed to deliver smoke and chemical ammunition. Combat experience expanded the system into a powerful conventional support weapon using high-explosive, smoke, white-phosphorus, and illuminating rounds. Unlike the smoothbore mortars used in many infantry units, the M30 had a rifled barrel that caused its projectiles to spin in flight.
History of Use
The M30 appeared near the end of the Korean War and became an important U.S. heavy mortar during the Cold War. By the late 1950s, Army infantry and airborne organizations operated 4.2-inch mortar batteries for long-range support. The weapon later served extensively with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, both from ground positions and from M106-series tracked mortar carriers. The M30 remained in American service into the 1980s before the Army began replacing it with modern 120mm mortar systems.
Ideal For
This original military publication offers valuable period information for collectors, researchers, restorers, and museums studying American heavy mortars and Cold War infantry fire support.
- U.S. Army technical-manual collectors
- M30 mortar and M24/M24A1 mount researchers
- Korean War and Vietnam War historians
- Museum and restoration reference libraries
- Military ordnance and fire-support displays
- Cold War equipment collections
Approx length 6", Approx width 9", Approx height .25", Approx weight .5lbs.
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