day we have another first: The first two FMs exclusively available on this site, contributed by a reader! We are very grateful for Scott to have scanned FM 5-31 Use and Installation of Boobytraps (1956) and FM 21-50 Ranger Training and Ranger Operations (1962) from our Missing list, and provided the scans to us. We reduced the resolution of the scans in order to scale them down to a web-friendly sice, but the quality is still way better than most of the MHI-scans of older manuals. So a very big thanks to Scott, and you*ll find both manuals in their respective sections, or with the links above.
Month: January 2026
Yet another batch of field manuals, closing more gaps in the Cold war department. About 20 new manuals, from FM 5-31 Land Mine Warfare (1949) to FM 44-1 Antiaircraft Artillery Employment (1952), bringing the total in Cold War to 1458, if I am counting correctly. Yes, thats not significantly more than before, I had to remove some doublets, too, again. I am sure there are more professional ways to handle a PDF collection like this, but most probably also involve more time than I have on my hands. And it is late, again. Also, I updated the missing list again to reflect the new manuals.
The US Army Field Manual Collection has grown again, and is slowly being enlarged into an Online Doctrine Library . which means other documents than field manuals are being prepared for this year. For now, we had to split the collection into three parts:
US Army Field Manuals 1930 (the year they started being numbered) to 1946
US Army Cold War Field Manuals (1947-2000, the year the numbering system saw massive changes)
This is the main site, which also contains updates and a missing list.
Recent US Army Field Manuals (since 2001, covering the war on terror)
In preparation are sites on US Air Force manuals, US Navy Manuals, and Ukrainian Army Manuals. No fixed timeline for publication, though, as usually. Plus there are a couple of game reports in our inbox, we hope to be able to put those up, too, at some point.
Good news, everyone! There is a new, official, “Europa” game company, formed by some veteran gamers and game designers, which acquired the trademark rights from Rich Banner. I know little more than whats in the announcement, so I will link to it and wish everyone involved a lot of success, for it would be great to take the old lady out to dance once more.
https://classiceuropa.groups.io/g/main/message/9712
I am delighted to see some news at all, look forward to what the company will release, and at the same time are a bit melancholic since I am not sure I will find partners – and time! to play Europa again soon. But this is good news indeed!
And another small round of additions, this time based on another visit of the Ike Skelton Library Website, after a couple of google results showed us documents we had overlooked at our first trawl. The following manuals have been added:
FM 19-20 Criminal Investiation (1945)
FM 44-95 Service of the Piece Multiple Gun Motor Carriages M15 and M15A1 (1944)
FM 6-100 Tactics and Technique of Division Artillery and Higher Artillery Echelon (1944)
FM 6-105 Armored Division Artillery (1944)
FM 6-120 Field Artillery Observation Battalion (1945)
FM 6-130 Field Artillry Intelligence (1945)
FM 6-135 Forward Observation (1944)
FM 6-195 Service of the Piece. 8-inch Gun M1 and 240-mm Howitzer M1 (1946)
FM 6-77 Service of the Piece, 4.5-inch Gun M1 (1944)
FM 6-77 Service of the Piece. 4.5-Inch Gun M1 (1941)
FM 6-95 Field Artillery Field Manual. Service of the Piece. 240-mm Howitzer, M1918 (1940)
FM 6-120 The Field Artillery Batallion (1952).pdf
FM 6-122 Artillery Sound Ranging and Flash Ranging (1957).pdf
FM 6-130 Field Artillry Intelligence (1948).pdf
FM 6-20-2J Division Artillery, Field Artillery Brigade, and Corps Artillery Headquarters (1984).pdf
FM 6-30 The Field Missle Battalion Corporal (1959).pdf
FM 6-38 Field Artillery Missile (Sergant) (1962).pdf
FM 6-50 Tactics and techniques for the Field Artillery Cannon Battery (C1) (1990).pdf
FM 6-91 Service of the Piece 8 inch Howitzer, M2 Truck-Drawn (1948).pdf
FM 101-10 Staff Officers Field Manual. Organization, Technical and Logistical Data (1945)
FM 101-10-2 Staff Officers’ Field Manual. Organizational, Technical and Logistical Data (1965)
FM 21-30 Concentional Signs, Military Symbols, and Abbrievations (1943)
FM 21-45 Protective Measures, Individuals and Small Units (1942)
FM 21-50 Military Courtesy and Discipline (1942)
FM 23-50 Browning Machine Gun, Caliber .30, HB, M1919A4 (1942)
FM 24-75 Telephone Switchboard Operating Procedure (1944)
FM 25-6 Dog Transportation (1944)
FM 30-15 Examination of Enemy Personnel Repatriates Documents (1940)
FM 30-25 Military Intelligence. Counterintelligence (1940)’
FM 31-25 Desert Operations (1942)
FM 31-50 Attack on a Fortified Position and Combat in Towns (1944)
FM 44-59 Service of the Piece–Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M15 and M15A1 (1944)
This brings the World War II manuals up to 403 manuals and 75% of all manuals known to us as existing. Happy New Year everyone!
P.S.:
The Missing List has been updated, as well as the document summary. However, there are currently still a lot of errors in my master List (shouldn’t try doint this late at night all the time), so the missing list is not really reliable right now. We’re working to get things in order.
Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov
Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov, Air Marshal of the Soviet Union, in 1944
Defending Sicily in Second Front
An Europa-map of the island of Sicily, assembled from maps 26 and 27 from Second Front.