M-220 TOW: Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided missile, 6 Photos

Download a larger version:
2000x1584 pixels (1.8MB file).

Download fee: $1.00 [Help/FAQ]

The M-220 Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missile system is the most widely deployed anti-tank missile in the world with about one-half million manufactured. It is designed to defeat armored vehicles and other targets such as field fortifications from ranges up to 3,750 meters.

The TOW system was released for service with the U.S. Army in 1970. The photos in this montage are from various field trials and prototype exhibitions in the 1960s, plus one of the M-825 upgrade of the M-151A2 jeep as a TOW platform in 1984. The six hi-resolution photos are combined on one sheet, each with a caption telling what is known about the photo.

The TOW is shown with two types of jeep, the M-274 Mule, the M-113 APC and a tripod mount. (Since the TOW is heavy -- approx. 200 pounds depending on model -- the tripod is rarely used.)

Today in WW II: 8 Feb 1940 Germans establish the first large Jewish ghetto in Poland in the city of Lodz. More ↓

8 Feb 1941 US House of Representatives passes the Lend-Lease Act [265 to 165].
8 Feb 1942 Battle of Sarimbun Beach begins, the first stage of the Japanese assault on Singapore.
8 Feb 1942 Japanese Offensive in Burma begins [8 Feb-2 May].
8 Feb 1945 Battle of the Reichswald: British and Canadian forces under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery begin Operation Veritable [8 Feb-11 Mar].
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.