Original Items: Only One Group Of 2 Available. U.S. Army Technical Manuals, commonly known as 'Army manuals,' are part of a series of official U.S. military manual publications intended to be instructive and informative for all branches of the military.

Army manuals also included a number of so-called "enemy" manuals. These are manuals, which are official U.S. Army publications concerning enemy equipment or forces. The letter E in the manual number indicates that a particular manual is an enemy manual. For example, Technical Manual TM E9-803 on the German Volkswagen appears just after Technical Manual TM 9-803 on the Jeep. A number of enemy manuals about foreign forces are included, like TM E30-420 Handbook of the Italian Military Forces, like one of the examples in this group.

The two Technical Manuals Included:

- TM 30-420 Handbook On The Italian Military Forces: “The purpose of this handbook is to give United States military personnel a better understanding of the principal characteristics of the Italian Army. No attempt has been made to give complete details of any subject discussed in this handbook, a balanced, general picture of the Italian Army being considered of paramount importance. More detailed information regarding individual units, campaigns, and commanders is provided in a special study of the Order of Battle of the Italian Army. On the other hand, Fascist as well as military elements are set forth. The effects of 20 years of Fascist organization of the social, industrial, and economic structure of Italy cannot be expected to disappear at once with the dissolution of the Party. A considerable part of the Italian armed forces bears the stamp of Fascist education and training. It is therefore imperative, regardless of recent events, that the Fascist Militia and its component services, which for so long have dominated the life of the Italian people, be given an integral place in the text.
A discussion of the Italian Air Force is included in this handbook, for no adequate idea of a modern Army can be given without recognizing the close cooperation of all arms. The Italian Air Force must therefore be considered an integral part of a single military organization.

On its first (and sometimes later) use, any important Italian term or name is usually followed in the text by the English equivalent in parentheses. Likewise, in cases where the Italian equivalents might be helpful, they are also given in the same manner. Certain Italian terms and names, such as raggruppamenti, célere, Bersaglieri, and Alpini, which are in common use in their Italian forms, are generally used in this form throughout the handbook. There is often no exact English or American equivalent, as, for instance, for the ranks of marescialli. In these cases translations are sometimes given, but not used throughout the text, as they would be more misleading than helpful.”

- TM-E 30-451 Handbook On German Military Forces: “The purpose of this handbook, which is a revision of TM 30-450 (17 December 1941), is to give both officers and enlisted men of the U.S. Army a better understanding of their principal enemy in Europe. In order to fight the Germans successfully, it is vital for the U.S. soldier to know at least in broad outline the manner in which the units of the German Armed Forces are trained, equipped, and organized, as well as something - about the chain of command and the method of close cooperation between the various branches.
No attempt has been made to give complete details on any of the subjects discussed in the handbook. Further information on the individual arms or branches of the German Army is available in the numerous special publications which have been published or are in the course of preparation by the Military Intelligence Division. Moreover, this handbook does not concern itself with individual units, locations, campaigns, and commanders; these are dealt with in the Order of Battle of the German Army.

The German Air Force is given considerable attention, for although this handbook is intended primarily for the use of U. . ground forces, no handbook on the German Army alone would give an adequate picture of the enemy that the U.S. soldier will encounter. The basic principle of the German military system is unity of command and close cooperation of all arms. It is imperative, therefore, that the Air Force be considered with the Army as an integral part of a single and closely-knit military organization.

Where there is an English equivalent for a German term or where the translation of German words gives to the reader a clear picture of their meaning, both the English and the German terms are often given. However, in the case of German ranks that have no exact equivalent in the U.S. Army, no translation is given, since it would actually be more misleading than helpful.”

Both handbooks are in great condition, but show definite signs of use and wear, which is expected with technical manuals!

Both come ready to read and display!