With more than six million made, the M1 carbine was the most widely produced small arm of World War II. But how did it actually perform in combat? Here are the accounts from the men who used it.
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I’ve been researching and writing about the M1 carbine for some time now, and I’ve concluded that the carbine may be America’s least understood military firearm. Assessments of the M1 carbine are quite literally all over the map. GIs and Marines from World War II through the Vietnam War don’t hide their feelings when discussing the relative merits of the carbine in action.
Full disclosure: I am a huge fan of the little rifle. I’ve happily owned many and shot them in semi-automatic and fully automatic modes. For me, the M1 carbine always delivers. But I never used the carbine in action. I never carried it in combat to defend my life. Consequently, I had to put my personal feelings aside and simply gather as much information from the men who did use it. They provide the only opinions that really count in this case.
