TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook

TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook
AuthorHeadquarters, Department of the Army
GenreMilitary technical manual
PublisherUnited States Department of War
Publication date
1969
Publication placeUSA
Pages256
The handbook in PDF format (click to access)

The TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook is a 256-page United States Army technical manual intended for the United States Army Special Forces. It was first published in 1969 by the Department of the Army. Like many other U.S. military manuals[1] dealing with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unconventional warfare, it was declassified and released into the public domain as a result of provisions such as the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and is now freely available to the public in both electronic and printed formats.

The manual explains how in unconventional warfare operations, for logistical or security reasons, it may be impossible or unwise to use conventional military munitions as tools when conducting certain missions. Starting from this consideration, the manual describes the manufacture of various types of ordnances from readily available materials, from junk piles, common household chemicals and supplies purchased from regular stores.[2]

The manual was mentioned in news reports by various media after it was seized from people suspected of planning guerrilla or terrorism activities.[3][4][5][6][7]

The manual is one of the best official references on improvised explosive devices (IEDs) manufacturing, and some of the weapons described in it have been used against U.S. troops by foreign troops. For example, the hand-grenade-in-a-can trap was used against U.S. troops in Vietnam.[8] Furthermore, the manual was found in many abandoned safe houses of various Islamist groups, for example in Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif and Kandahar (Afghanistan), as well as in destroyed training camps.[9]

The TM 31-210 manual was subject to considerations regarding the repercussions of easy public access to information on the artisanal manufacturing of weapons and explosives.[10]

The manual has also been mentioned in scientific literature, used as a reference for works dealing with topics such as ballistics,[11] forensic investigations,[12] security engineering[13] and counterterrorism.[14][15]

Sections

The TM 31-210 manual consists of seven main sections:

The miscellaneous section deals with the production of various types of trigger mechanisms (pressure, pressure release, traction, etc.), a makeshift precision balance, electric batteries, makeshift bulletproof barricades and more. The manual ends with two appendices, which briefly deal with the properties of some primary and secondary explosives.

The TM 31-210 manual appeared as an "Easter egg" in the 1995 CGI animated film, Toy Story. In the scene where Woody is trapped under a blue plastic box in Sid's bedroom, it's possible to see behind him a document titled "TM 31-210 Improvised Interrogation Handbook", a clear reference to the actual document.[16][17]

References

  1. ^ Other publicly available U.S. military manuals dealing with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unconventional warfare include:
  2. ^ Nye, Logan (April 29, 2020). "This is an actual Army guide to creating an entire arsenal". We Are The Mighty. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  3. ^ "Couple's Cardiff home 'like bomb-making factory". BBC. 21 December 2018. Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  4. ^ "Norwich man found guilty of terror offences". BBC. 17 February 2023. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "Coalville 'weapons hoarder' jailed for 10 years". BBC. 27 January 2020. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Far-right Army reject convicted of collecting terror documents". The Scottish Farmer. February 17, 2023. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  7. ^ "Norwich: Man, 25, goes on trial for terror offences". Norwich Evening News. 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  8. ^ The hand-grenade-in-a-can trap used by the Viet Cong against U.S. soldiers depicted in TC 5-31 Viet Cong Boobytraps, Mines, and Mine Warfare Techniques (1969), p. 4-8 is the same as the one depicted in TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook (1969), pp. 79 - 80.
  9. ^ Hiro, Dilip (2002). War Without End: The Rise of Islamist Terrorism and Global Response. Routledge. p. 463. ISBN 9780415288026.
  10. ^ Larabee, Ann (2015). The Wrong Hands: Popular Weapons Manuals and Their Historic Challenges to a Democratic Society. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 92, 94, 101, 166, 169, 203. ISBN 978-0-19-020117-3.
  11. ^ Templeton, Douglas; Baker, Ernest, eds. (September 2011). Ballistics 2011. 26th International Symposium on Ballistics. DEStech Publications, Incorporated. p. 347. ISBN 9781605950525.
  12. ^ Beveridge, Alexander (2012). Forensic Investigation of Explosions (2 ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group. p. 535. ISBN 978-1-4665-0394-6.
  13. ^ J. Anderson, Ross (2008). Security Engineering. A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems (2 ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. pp. 230, 988. ISBN 978-0-470-06852-6.
  14. ^ C. Goodrich, Daniel; L. Edwards, Frances (2020). "Transportation, Terrorism and Crime: Deterrence, Disruption and Resilience" (PDF). Mineta Transportation Institute Publications. San Jose State University: 6, 52. doi:10.31979/mti.2019.1896.
  15. ^ Baca, Larry (2016). "Analysis of Alternative Convoy Route Patrol Procedures for Countering Improvised Explosive Devices Deployed During Asymmetric Warfare in Afghanistan-like Rural Settings". University of Central Florida. p. 4. 5293. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  16. ^ "Toy Story (1995) - See for example minute 58:56 to minute 59:17". archive.org. 1995.
  17. ^ "20 Things You Somehow Missed In Toy Story". WhatCulture. 23 October 2020. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.