Description
This Technical Manual TM 9-325 covers the 105mm Howitzer M2A1, 105mm Howitzer Carriages M2A1 and M2A2, and Combat Vehicle Mounts M4 and M4A1 and is dated May 1948. Technical manual reference listings identify this 1948 edition as a Department of the Army technical manual for the Howitzer M2A1 105-MM, the M2A1 and M2A2 carriages, and the M4 / M4A1 combat vehicle mounts. The manual is described as containing technical information required for the identification, use, and care of the howitzer, carriages, combat vehicle mounts, ammunition, and accessory equipment.
Issued in the early post-World War II period, this manual reflects a time when the U.S. Army continued to maintain and update technical literature for major artillery systems that remained important after the war. Manuals like this were official working documents, intended to support identification, inspection, servicing, maintenance context, field reference, and ordnance documentation 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 M2A1 105mm Howitzer and Carriage System
The M2A1 105mm Howitzer belongs to one of the most important U.S. artillery families of the mid-20th century. Rock Island Arsenal historical material identifies the M101 105mm howitzer, previously referred to as the M2A1, as the standard light howitzer deployed with the U.S. Army during World War II. The same source notes that more than 10,000 were produced, with production running from 1941 through the end of the Korean War in 1953.
The included M2A1 and M2A2 carriages are an important part of the manual’s subject matter. These carriage systems represent the support, transport, positioning, and field-service side of the howitzer system, making this manual relevant not only to the gun itself, but also to the artillery carriage equipment that supported its use and maintenance.
The M4 and M4A1 combat vehicle mounts add another layer of collector interest. These mounts connect the manual to combat-vehicle-mounted 105mm howitzer installations, including self-propelled artillery applications. The Army Historical Foundation notes that the 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7 used the 105mm Howitzer M2A1 on the M4 mount, tying this manual’s subject matter to both towed and vehicle-mounted artillery history.
For collectors, this gives the manual strong appeal. It represents the technical documentation behind a major artillery system and fits especially well in collections focused on World War II artillery, postwar U.S. Army ordnance, Korean War-era field artillery, 105mm howitzer equipment, combat vehicle mounts, and Department of the Army technical manuals.
What This Manual Covers
As a technical manual for the 105mm Howitzer M2A1, Carriages M2A1 and M2A2, and Combat Vehicle Mounts M4 and M4A1, TM 9-325 would have served as an official Army reference for the howitzer system and its support equipment.
In practical collecting and historical-reference terms, a manual like this is especially relevant for:
- nomenclature and identification reference
- 105mm howitzer documentation
- M2A1 and M2A2 carriage reference
- M4 and M4A1 combat vehicle mount research
- U.S. Army ordnance and artillery support context
- post-World War II technical publication history
- restoration and display support
- archival and museum documentation
- historical reference for field artillery collections
That makes it useful not only as a collectible, but also as a practical historical reference for anyone studying how the U.S. Army documented 105mm artillery systems in the early postwar period.
Historical Significance
The date May 1948 places this publication in the early Cold War period, after World War II and before the Korean War. During this period, the U.S. Army continued to maintain extensive technical literature for artillery systems, vehicles, carriages, combat vehicle mounts, ammunition references, accessory equipment, and maintenance organizations.
For collectors and historians, this manual is especially relevant to subjects such as:
- post-World War II U.S. Army technical manuals
- 105mm Howitzer M2A1 documentation
- M2A1 and M2A2 howitzer carriage references
- M4 and M4A1 combat vehicle mount documentation
- M7 Priest and self-propelled artillery reference
- U.S. Army Ordnance Department publications
Because it covers both the towed howitzer carriage system and combat vehicle mounts, this manual adds strong historical depth to collections centered on U.S. artillery, field howitzers, armored artillery support, ordnance equipment, and official technical publication history.
About This Manual
This listing is for Technical Manual TM 9-325 for the M2A1 105mm Howitzer, M2A1/M2A2 Carriages, and M4/M4A1 Combat Vehicle Mounts, dated May 1948.
It is especially well suited for:
- U.S. Army technical manual collections
- World War II and early Cold War artillery reference collections
- Korean War-era military paper collections
- 105mm howitzer and carriage restoration research
- M7 Priest and combat vehicle mount reference collections
- U.S. Army Ordnance Department publication displays
- museum exhibits on field artillery and self-propelled artillery systems
This listing is for the manual only unless otherwise stated. No 105mm howitzer, carriage, combat vehicle mount, ammunition, tools, parts, accessories, or additional equipment are included unless specifically shown or noted.
Why This Manual Matters
Many military manuals focus on rifles, pistols, vehicles, communications gear, or general shop equipment. This one documents a more specialized and historically important subject: the 105mm Howitzer M2A1 and its associated M2A1 / M2A2 carriages and M4 / M4A1 combat vehicle mounts.
For collectors, it is a strong stand-alone postwar technical manual with a focused artillery subject. For researchers, it offers a useful reference point for U.S. Army documentation of 105mm howitzer equipment after World War II. For museums, it helps support displays that explain not only the howitzer itself, but also the technical literature, carriage equipment, combat vehicle mounts, and ordnance support system behind its service life.
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
- 105mm howitzer reference collections
- World War II and Korean War artillery displays
- early Cold War ordnance documentation collections
- M2A1 and M2A2 carriage restoration research
- M4 and M4A1 combat vehicle mount reference collections
- M7 Priest and self-propelled artillery displays
- museum and archival reference libraries
- artillery historians and military researchers
Approx length 9", Approx width 6", Approx height .5", Approx weight 1lbs.
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