This Technical Manual TM 9-229 covers the 20mm Automatic Gun M3 and is dated June 1947. For collectors of U.S. military technical manuals, post-World War II ordnance references, automatic gun documentation, and dated government publications, this is a strong period piece tied to a specialized category of U.S. military armament.

Issued shortly after World War II, this manual reflects a transitional period when the U.S. military continued to document, support, and standardize equipment developed or carried forward from wartime service into the early Cold War era. Manuals like this were official working documents, intended to support identification, inspection, maintenance context, and ordnance reference needs for the equipment they covered. That makes this publication especially useful for collectors, historians, researchers, restorers, and museum displays looking for authentic military reference material rather than general background information.

The 20mm Automatic Gun M3

The 20mm Automatic Gun M3 belongs to the broader family of U.S. military automatic cannon and ordnance equipment. As identified by its nomenclature, it was a 20mm automatic gun, placing it within a specialized class of military armament that required detailed technical documentation, standardized support references, and careful ordnance recordkeeping.

Equipment in this category represented an important part of U.S. military armament history. Unlike small arms manuals that cover rifles or pistols, this manual relates to a larger automatic gun system and the technical literature used to support it. That makes it especially appealing to collectors who focus on automatic cannon, aircraft armament, U.S. ordnance publications, and early Cold War technical manuals.

For collectors, this manual has added appeal because it documents a specific ordnance item rather than a broad equipment category. It fits especially well in collections focused on 20mm weapons, military armament documentation, postwar U.S. ordnance, and dated technical publications.

What This Manual Covers

As a technical manual for the 20mm Automatic Gun M3, TM 9-229 would have served as an official military reference connected to the identification, inspection, maintenance context, and support documentation for this ordnance item.

In practical terms, a manual like this is especially relevant for:

nomenclature and identification reference
U.S. ordnance documentation
automatic cannon reference collections
post-World War II military equipment research
archival and restoration research
museum display documentation
historical reference for 20mm ordnance collections

That makes it useful not only as a collectible, but also as a practical historical reference for anyone studying how the U.S. military documented automatic gun systems in the immediate postwar period.

Historical Significance

The date June 1947 places this publication in the early post-World War II period, just before the Cold War military structure became more fully established. During this time, the U.S. military continued to maintain extensive technical literature for equipment that remained important to ordnance support, training, inventory management, and military readiness.

For collectors and historians, this manual is especially relevant to subjects such as:

post-World War II U.S. military technical manuals
20mm Automatic Gun M3 documentation
U.S. Army Ordnance Department publications
automatic cannon reference material
early Cold War ordnance manuals
military armament technical publications
dated government technical manuals

Because it covers the 20mm Automatic Gun M3 rather than a more common rifle, vehicle, or general maintenance subject, this manual adds focused historical depth to collections centered on ordnance, automatic weapons documentation, military armament, and postwar technical publications.

About This Manual

This listing is for Technical Manual TM 9-229 for 20mm Automatic Gun M3, dated June 1947.

It is especially well suited for:

U.S. military technical manual collections
post-World War II ordnance reference collections
automatic cannon and 20mm armament displays
U.S. Army Ordnance Department publication collections
museum exhibits on military armament and support systems
archival collections focused on dated government publications
collectors of military paperwork and ordnance-related technical manuals

Because manuals were working documents, surviving examples are valued not only for their content, but also for their connection to real military documentation, inspection, support, and technical publication practice.

Why This Manual Matters

Many military manuals focus on common small arms, vehicles, artillery, communications equipment, or general shop tools. This one documents a more specialized ordnance subject: the 20mm Automatic Gun M3. That gives it strong collector interest and makes it especially useful for preserving the official documentation side of postwar automatic gun history.

For collectors, it is a strong stand-alone technical manual with a focused ordnance subject. For researchers, it offers a useful reference point for U.S. military automatic gun documentation in the years following World War II. For museums, it helps support displays that explain not only the equipment itself, but also the technical literature and support system behind its military service.

Ideal For

This manual is a strong fit for:

U.S. military technical manual collections
post-World War II ordnance displays
20mm automatic gun reference collections
U.S. Army Ordnance Department publication collections
museum and archival reference libraries
collectors of military paperwork and dated technical publications
military armament historians and researchers

Approx length 9", Approx width 6", Approx height .75", Approx weight 1lbs.

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