Description
This Technical Manual TM 9-314 covers the 57-mm Rifles T15E13 and M18 and the 75-mm Rifles T21 and M20 (T25). Technical manual index records list this publication as TM 9-314, 57-mm rifles T15E13 and M18, 75-mm Rifles T-21, and M20 (T-25), March 1949, making it a strong early post-World War II / early Cold War ordnance reference for collectors of U.S. military technical manuals, recoilless rifle documentation, antitank weapon references, and dated government publications.
Issued in the years immediately following World War II, this manual reflects a period when the U.S. military was preserving, updating, and standardizing technical literature for recoilless rifle systems developed during the late-war period. Manuals like this were official working documents, intended to support identification, inspection, maintenance context, and ordnance reference for the equipment they covered. That makes this publication especially useful for collectors, historians, researchers, restorers, and museums looking for authentic military reference material rather than general background information.
The T15E13, M18, T21, and M20 Recoilless Rifles
The 57mm T15E13 and M18 and 75mm T21 and M20 (T25) belong to the broader family of U.S. military recoilless rifle and infantry support weapon development. These systems represented an important postwar ordnance category, bridging World War II-era development with the early Cold War period.
The M18 57mm recoilless rifle was part of the late-World War II development line of lightweight recoilless weapons. U.S. Army Materiel Command historical material identifies the 57mm M18 system as weighing 44 pounds and notes its World War II service in both European and Pacific theaters.
The 75mm T21 / M20 side of the manual is equally important. Army Materiel Command material describes the development of the 75mm Rifle T21, with the final T21E4 configuration furnished to troops in the European Theater in March 1945 and later standardized as the 75mm M20.
For collectors, this gives TM 9-314 added appeal. It documents both 57mm and 75mm recoilless rifle systems in one manual, tying together experimental and standardized designations including T15E13, M18, T21, M20, and T25. It fits especially well in collections focused on World War II ordnance development, early Cold War weapons documentation, recoilless rifles, antitank equipment, and U.S. Army technical manuals.
What This Manual Covers
As a technical manual for the 57-mm Rifles T15E13 and M18 and 75-mm Rifles T21 and M20 (T25), TM 9-314 served as an official Army reference for these recoilless rifle systems and their ordnance-support context. A public listing of the manual describes it as providing operator maintenance instructions for the 57-mm recoilless rifles T15E13 and M18 and the 75-mm recoilless rifles T21 and M20.
In practical collecting and historical-reference terms, a manual like this is especially relevant for:
- nomenclature and identification reference
- 57mm and 75mm recoilless rifle documentation
- T15E13, M18, T21, M20, and T25 designation research
- U.S. Army ordnance reference collections
- post-World War II antitank weapon history
- early Cold War infantry-support weapon documentation
- maintenance and inspection-support context
- archival and museum documentation
- historical reference for recoilless rifle collections
That makes it useful not only as a collectible, but also as a practical reference for anyone studying how the U.S. military documented recoilless rifle systems during the transition from World War II into the early Cold War period.
Historical Significance
The date March 1949 places this publication in the early postwar period, when the U.S. Army was organizing and updating technical documentation for weapons and support equipment developed during the Second World War. The manual’s subject matter is especially significant because it covers both 57mm and 75mm recoilless rifle systems, including designations that connect experimental development with later standardized equipment.
For collectors and historians, this manual is especially relevant to subjects such as:
- post-World War II U.S. Army technical manuals
- early Cold War ordnance publications
- 57mm M18 recoilless rifle documentation
- 75mm T21 and M20 recoilless rifle references
- T15E13 and T25 designation research
- U.S. Army antitank weapon development
Because it covers multiple recoilless rifle models rather than a single common rifle, vehicle, or artillery piece, this manual adds strong technical depth to collections centered on U.S. ordnance development, recoilless weapons, antitank equipment, and official Army technical publication history.
About This Manual
This listing is for Technical Manual TM 9-314 for T15E13, M18 57mm Rifles and T21, M20 (T25) Rifles, dated March 1949.
It is especially well suited for:
- U.S. Army technical manual collections
- recoilless rifle reference collections
- World War II and early Cold War ordnance displays
- T15E13, M18, T21, M20, and T25 research collections
- U.S. Army antitank weapon documentation displays
- museum exhibits on recoilless rifle development
- researchers studying U.S. infantry-support and antitank equipment
This listing is for the manual only unless otherwise stated. No recoilless rifle, ammunition, parts, tools, mounts, accessories, or additional equipment are included unless specifically shown or noted.
Why This Manual Matters
Many military manuals focus on standardized rifles, pistols, vehicles, artillery, communications gear, or general maintenance equipment. This one documents a more specialized and historically important subject: the 57mm and 75mm recoilless rifle systems that helped define a new class of lightweight military ordnance in the late World War II and early Cold War period.
For collectors, it is a strong stand-alone technical manual with a focused recoilless-rifle subject. For researchers, it offers a useful reference point for how the Army documented both experimental and standardized recoilless rifle designations after World War II. For museums, it helps support displays that explain not only the weapons themselves, but also the technical literature, support practices, and ordnance documentation that surrounded their military service.
Because manuals were working documents, surviving examples are valued not only for their content, but also for their connection to real military documentation, inspection, field support, maintenance practice, and postwar ordnance administration.
Ideal For
This manual is a strong fit for:
- U.S. Army technical manual collections
- M18 57mm recoilless rifle reference collections
- T21 and M20 75mm recoilless rifle displays
- early Cold War antitank weapon collections
- World War II ordnance development research
- U.S. Army Ordnance Department publication collections
- museum and archival reference libraries
- ordnance historians and recoilless rifle researchers
Approx length 9", Approx width 6", Approx height .5", Approx weight 1lbs.
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