War Department Livres

Identification of German Aircraft (Basic Field Manual Military Intelligence FM 30-35)

From 1936 to 1958, the M1 Garand served as the standard U.S. service rifle. It is a .30 caliber, gas-operated, 8 shot clip-fed, semi-automatic rifle. With an effective range of more than 600 yards, the Garand was the weapon of choice for the Marines during WWII. The weapon also saw action in the Korean conflict and even in Vietnam. It is widely used today for military drill teams and honor guards, and by civilians for hunting and target shooting. Named after the Springfield Arsenal’s brilliant weapon designer John Garand , the gas-actuated M1 took 15 years to perfect. General George S. Patton praised the Garand, proclaiming that it was “the greatest battle implement ever devised.” Over 5.4 million Garands were produced during WWII. Produced by the U.S. Army in late 1942 , this technical manual was created for ordnance maintenance personnel. It contains detailed instructions for the disassembly, assembly, inspection, maintenance and repair of the U.S. Rifle Cal .30, M1, as well as the associated Bayonet M1905, Bayonets Scabbard M3, Bayonet Scabbard M1910, and Gun Sling M1907.

Created in 1940 by the Chief of Ordnance of the War Department, this technical manual provides detailed information about propellants and military explosives. Compounds examined include smokeless powder, black powder, trinitrotoluene (TNT), ammonium picrate (Explosive D or Dunnite), nitrostarch, amatol (TNT + ammonium nitrate), lead azide, and others. Chapters include: manufacture and granulation of smokeless powder, inspection of smokeless powder, compound propellants and black powder. Originally restricted, this text was declassified long ago. This high quality reprint has been slightly reformatted, with care taken to preserve the integrity of the original text.