Error creating thumbnail: File missingWorld War II Era M1 Carbine, with Dark Walnut Stock, 'L' peep sight and no bayonet lug - .30 Carbine - correct for most of WWII, shown with khaki sling and oiler and a period twin magazine pouch for buttstockError creating thumbnail: File missingKorean War Era M1 Carbine, with Birch Stock, Adjustable sight, bayonet lug, and twin magazine pouch - .30 Carbine. Most of the World War II variations of the M1 Carbine were sent back to the Military Arsenals and retrofitted with the Bayonet Lug and adjustable rear sight. This is the version seen after late 1945 and all the way until the 1960s. This version is seen most often in World War II movies, despite being anachronistic for most World War II battlesError creating thumbnail: File missingKorean War Era M1 Carbine, with M4 bayonet and twin magazine pouch - .30 CarbineError creating thumbnail: File missingThe Modern Manufactured version of the M1 Carbine, with standard stock, from Auto-Ordnance (affiliated with Kahr Arms and Thomson Arms) - .30 Carbine
The M1 Carbine was a lightweight, intermediate cartridge firearm, developed and adopted in 1941, as a supplement to the then standard Issue M1 Garand. The M1 Carbine was to take the place of pistols for vehicle drivers, members of crew served weapons, NCOs and other secondary roles to the frontline infantryman. Despite its lack of 'knockdown' power, it was popular, primarily due to its handiness and lightweight and was seen in front line usage in both the European and Pacific Theaters of World War II.
Contrary to what movie and TV viewers see, the M1 Carbine did not have a bayonet lug during World War II. There is no photographic evidence of any soldiers carrying or using the M1 Carbine or M1A1 paratrooper Carbine between 1942 and early 1945, with a bayonet lug. The version with the bayonet lug, and the replacement of the "L" peep sight with the adjustable windage rear sight was an undesignated upgrade to the model and was not given a separate model number. This upgrade officially started in late 1944, but were only seen in the field in late 1945, in the very last months of the war. Occupation troops did, however, get this version of the gun. The upgraded version was used extensively during the Korean conflict and into the early years of Vietnam. The M1 carbine could still be found in US National Guard, Army or Air Force reserve unit armories on into the early 1970s, in addition it was a common police weapon from the mid 1950s into the late 1970s. Surplus M1 Carbines were widely exported to US allies, and it remains a popular weapon among Israeli police to this day.
The M2 Carbine was a select fire upgrade of the M1 Carbine that was developed in late 1944/early 1945. No examples of the M2 Carbine were issued before the surrender of Nazi Germany, however, there were some field conversion kits for altering M1 Carbines sent to units for field testing before the end of the war. Though not impossible, it would be very rare to see an M2 in any sort of action prior to Germany's surrender (however they do show up in late war Combat photographs in the South Pacific). The M2s were common among the occupation forces and U.S. Forces in Korea (1950-1953). M2 Carbine along with the M1 Carbine were used by the Army of The Republic of Vietnam as well as the Vietnamese police. US Army soldiers and Marines also used solely the M2 Carbine in extremely small numbers. A small number of M1 and M2 Carbines were captured by the National Liberation Front, also known as the Vietcong who used them against anti-communist forces.
Note: Just because an M1 Carbine is seen with a 30 round magazine, it doesn't automatically make it an M2 carbine. In Movie Armories and in real life, there were many more M1 Carbines built than M2s and many forces still used the M1 Carbine all around the world, as well as law enforcement into the 1970s. There must be a visible selector switch or the weapon must be seen firing fully automatic to declare it to be an M2 Carbine.
The M3 Carbine was an M2 Carbine fitted with an early night-vision scope and active infrared sight. By the end of the Korean War, a forward pistol grip had been added to aid in handling the M3's increased bulk. An external power source for the infrared sight had to be carried in a backpack.
