Description
TM 9-3004 - 8-Inch M2 Howitzer, M1 Carriage and M5 Heavy Carriage Limber - June 1953
Item Overview
TM 9-3004 is a Department of the Army technical manual for the 8-inch M2 howitzer, M1 carriage, and M5 heavy carriage limber. Dated June 1953, it documents the operation and care of a major American heavy-artillery system during the Korean War era. It is a useful period reference for artillery collections and restoration libraries.
Identification and Features
Key details identify the publication and the equipment it covers:
- Publication number: TM 9-3004
- Publication date: June 1953
- Issuing department: Department of the Army
- Weapon: 8-inch M2 howitzer
- Carriage: M1
- Transport equipment: M5 heavy carriage limber
- Coverage: Operation and organizational maintenance
Manual Contents
The manual covers equipment descriptions, controls, operation, lubrication, painting, preventive maintenance, and troubleshooting. Component sections address the tube, breech, firing mechanism, recoil system, elevating and traversing mechanisms, bogie, wheels, tires, brakes, and limber. Further sections cover sighting and fire-control equipment, subcaliber equipment, ammunition, shipment, and limited storage. These subjects connect routine crew duties with the care of individual assemblies.
Documented End-Item Application
The M2 howitzer was mounted on the M1 carriage for towed heavy-artillery service. During travel, the two-wheel M5 limber supported the trail ends and connected the assembly to a towing vehicle. This equipment relationship makes the manual relevant to preserved howitzers as well as separate carriage and limber collections.
Publication History
The publication's cover identifies it as formerly TM 9-335A. Its title page states that it replaced the portions of TM 9-335, dated May 1, 1947, that dealt with the equipment covered here. The June 1953 issue therefore belongs to the Army's postwar revision of technical guidance for an established artillery system.
Equipment History
The M1 carriage came from an Army effort to use a common carriage for the 155mm gun and 8-inch howitzer. Engineers found that the weapons placed similar stresses on their supporting equipment. That decision linked the carriage development of the 155mm Long Tom gun family with the heavy howitzer documented in this manual.
Parent Weapon-System Background
American development of this heavy-howitzer family grew from artillery needs studied after World War I. The Army sought better range and gun movement than older equipment allowed. Work continued through the years before World War II, with the final design settled in 1939. Later Army records identify the M2 cannon as armament for the complete towed weapon known as the M115.
History of Use
The towed 8-inch howitzer family served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Its long service also extended overseas. One M115 preserved at Rock Island Arsenal was overhauled in 1977 and sent to Iran. Iraqi forces captured it during the Iran-Iraq War, and U.S. forces recovered it during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. This example shows how the system remained in use well beyond this manual's publication date.
Ideal For
This manual suits a reference collection focused on American heavy artillery. Its operating and maintenance coverage can help researchers interpret components, compare equipment names, and prepare accurate museum labels. It also adds period documentation to a howitzer restoration archive.
- Army technical manual collectors
- M2 howitzer and M115 researchers
- M1 carriage and M5 limber restorers
- Korean War artillery collections
- Military museums and historians
Approx length 6", Approx width 9", Approx height .5", Approx weight 1lbs.
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