The M1 Carbine entered operational service in the middle of 1942. After some use, work began on another variant - the M1A1 (US Carbine, Caliber 30, M1A1) - which brought about use of a folding metal wire stock. This addition was of particular importance for it provided a much more compact and lighter firearm for paratrooper forces already burdened by drop gear and basic supplies. The weapon could be conveniently rested along the body (by way of the aforementioned shoulder sling) and made ready to fire in seconds upon landing, the paratrooper-turned-infantryman. In all, some 5,510,000 M1 Carbines were produced in addition to 150,000 M1A1 models. The M1A1 also went on to see general issue to non-airborne elements within time. The M1A3 was another form though fitting a folding Pantograph stock.
In practice, the M1 Carbine gave a good account of itself though it notably lacked range from its pistol-originated cartridge. The weapon was only realistically effective to about 200 yards which, in the hands of frontline units, limited its tactical usefulness to an extent. After some time, it was requested that a weapon with automatic fire capability be developed and this produced the newer "M2 Carbine" mark of 1945. The M2 was, therefore, nothing more than the M1 revised with selective-fire capability - now allowing for semi-automatic and full-automatic fire actions by way of a selector on the left side of the receiver. To compensate for the voluminous fire of the new weapon, the magazine was appropriately up-sized to 30 rounds. Approximately 570,000 M2 Carbines were produced. M2A2 were refurbished models.
Additional in-the-field service ultimately led to the more specialized M3 Carbine variant (based on the preceding M2). The M3 introduced mounting hardware for infrared scopes for low-light usage. The original iron sights were deleted. Their specialist nature assured that only 2,100 to 3,000 examples of the type were ultimately produced and began service in 1945.
Beyond its operations with American troops during World War 2, the M1 Carbine was also used by British forces in the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) and by French forces in the in Indochina. British SAS, French Legionnaires, Israeli special forces and Belgium units also made use of the type. The weapon was featured in the Suez Crisis, Cuban Revolution, Cambodian Civil War and the Angolan Civil War as well as other notable regional wars. America retained the M1 Carbine in its inventory through the Korean War (1950-1953) and most of the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Some M1 Carbines were even reconstituted for Germany Army service in the event of capture during World War 2 and these were designated as "Selbstladekarabiner 455(a)" - the "a" signifying their American origins ("Amerika"). Overall, operators were numerous and went on to include Algeria, Austria, Burma, Cambodia, West Germany, Greece, Italy, Laos, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Uruguay to name a few (see operators list for full disclosure).
Production required massive efforts and the M1 was manufactured by Inland Division (General Motors), Winchester Repeating Arms, Irwin-Pederson, Saginaw Steering Gear Division (General Motors), Underwood Elliot Fisher, National Postal Meter, Quality Hardware Mfg Corporation, International Business Machines, Standard Products, Rock-Ola Mfg Corporation and Commercial Controls Corporation. Inland Division managed 2,632,097 examples alone, making it the largest manufacturer of the M1 Carbine. Additional post-war production was added through the Japanese Howa concern under US supervision during rebuilding.
Success of the M1 Garand in wartime brought about its availability in the civilian market in the decades following.
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