Description
TM 9-2350-217-ESC Technical Manual for 105mm M108 and 155mm M109 / M109A1 Self Propelled Howitzers, October 1972
Publication Overview
TM 9-2350-217-ESC is the U.S. Army Equipment Serviceability Criteria manual for the 105mm M108 and 155mm M109 / M109A1 self-propelled howitzers. This publication belongs to the Army's Cold War artillery support system. Its inspection focus makes it a useful period reference for studying how military personnel assessed the condition and readiness of tracked artillery.
Identification and Features
The manual number and stock numbers identify this publication and its three listed vehicle applications. The reprint includes the current pages from Change 2.
- Technical manual: TM 9-2350-217-ESC
- Publication date: October 1972
- Publication type: Equipment Serviceability Criteria
- Edition: Official reprint
- 105mm M108: FSN 2350-440-8810
- 155mm M109: FSN 2350-440-8811
- 155mm M109A1: FSN 2350-485-9662
Function and Contents
Equipment serviceability means how ready a vehicle is to carry out its assigned mission. An ESC sets standards for evaluating equipment condition and recognizing problems that could limit reliable performance. For these howitzers, the publication supported consistent readiness assessments and the recording of findings for maintenance attention. It served as an inspection reference within the wider set of Army operating and maintenance publications.
Publication History
The October 1972 ESC appears in the Army's April 1973 PS Magazine list of recent publications. The March 1975 issue later announced Change 2 for the same manual. This official reprint incorporates the current replacement pages from that change into the publication. Its original publication date and revision status identify two parts of the book's history: the base edition and its later updated text.
Documented Applications
Army publications classify the M108 as a light self-propelled howitzer and the M109 and M109A1 as medium self-propelled howitzers. The 105mm and 155mm vehicles shared a closely related tracked design with welded aluminum hulls and turrets. Their own diesel engines allowed them to move between positions without a towing vehicle. These features placed them within the support needs of mobile artillery units.
M108 Equipment History
The M108 entered service in the early 1960s as a replacement for the 105mm M52 self-propelled howitzer. Cadillac Motor Car Division of General Motors built 355 examples. Production ended in 1963 as the Army favored the larger 155mm M109, which used a nearly identical vehicle design. The M108 remained useful in Vietnam, but the Army gradually phased it out during the early 1970s as its artillery units moved toward the heavier weapon.
M109 and M109A1 Equipment History
The first M109s were issued to the U.S. Army in June 1963. The vehicle answered the need for greater range and a wider field of fire than the earlier 155mm M44. The original M109 carried the short-barreled M126-series howitzer. The M109A1 retained the same basic vehicle and introduced the longer M185 howitzer, increasing range. This upgrade marked an important step in the continuing development of the M109 family.
Weapon-System Background
These vehicles combined a howitzer, rotating turret, tracked chassis, and protected crew space in one mobile weapon system. Their main task was artillery support, including indirect fire against targets beyond the crew's view. The M108 delivered 105mm fire, while the M109 models carried the heavier 155mm weapon. Full-circle turret movement allowed crews to cover different directions from one position, a useful feature for both field operations and defensive firebases.
History of Inspection and Maintenance Use
During this period, the Army's ESC system assessed immediate readiness and expected reliability with normal maintenance support. It used green, amber, and red ratings to identify equipment in good condition, conditions that could limit performance, and serious readiness problems. Recording inspection results connected the condition of individual vehicles with maintenance work and unit readiness reporting.
History of Military Use
Both the M108 and original M109 saw combat in the Vietnam War. The M108 served with two U.S. Army field artillery battalions. The M109 served with Army and Marine Corps units, with the 2nd Battalion, 35th Artillery arriving in Vietnam in June 1966 as the first Army M109 unit. These howitzers supported troops from firebases and other firing positions. Their rotating turrets were valuable when a position needed artillery coverage in several directions.
Ideal For
This manual fits a period reference library about tracked artillery and military equipment inspections. The three vehicle applications make it useful for research across the M108 and early M109 family, while the updated reprint is of interest to collectors following revisions in the Army's technical manual series.
- Army technical manual collectors
- M108 and M109 restoration researchers
- Cold War and Vietnam historians
- Military museums and reference libraries
Approx length 9.5", Approx width 7", Approx height .15", Approx weight .2lbs.
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