The trail of U.S. Ordnance technical data

[reconbob]

          The WW2 ordnance drawings for the Thompson  have a note near the title block of the drawing

that says "Ref. A.O.C. dwg #" and then the original Auto Ordnance (NOT U.S. Ordnance) drawing number.

The U.S. ordnance drawing number is marked outside the bottom left of the title block. The prefix to the

drawing number - A, B, C, or D is the size of the drawing.

     Somewhere along the way, the original U.S. Ordnance drawing number had the prefix "65" added, but otherwise

the drawing number is the same.

    In 1957 all of the drawings were "back filed" and this note is also next to the title block. I assume this means that

they realized the guns would no longer be produced and the drawings were archived.

   So all of this WW2 data was stored at the U.S. Rock Island Arsenal (not the commercial Rock Island Armory) and

was available from the government via Freedom of Information Act requests. I requested and received drawings

around 1980. The requested drawings were provided as microfilm "windows" imbedded in the old IBM cards. i do

not know to what extent this was automated since this was years before personal computers were available.

    Sometime during the mid-late 1990's all of the engineering data was transferred to Picatinny Arsenal and

FOIA requests are directed there. However, for whatever reason, not all of the drawings are there. Whether it's

because they were lost in transit, or because they were never available I do not know. But modern technology

now means that the drawings are available in PDF format, and emailed to recipients.

    A good example of a drawing that is missing is the drawing for the M1A1 bolt. M1928A1 bolt, M1 bolt - no problem.

But they do no have the drawing for the M1A1 bolt.

   I don't think there is anything sinister here. These WW2 drawings are 80+ years old now, and the drawings are

requested by drawing number and name. And a guy sitting at a computer searching a database has no idea what

the drawings are for. There are other Thompson drawings missing from the database as well. It's probably just

the inevitable loss over the years. 

Bob