M1 carbine
| M1 carbine | |
|---|---|
|
|
| general information | |
| Military designation: | Carbine M1 |
| Country of operation: | United States |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Winchester Repeating Arms Company |
| Manufacturer country: | USA after 1945 also others |
| Production time: | 1942 to 1960 |
| Model variants: | M1-M3 |
| Weapon Category: | Self-loading rifle |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 904 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 2.48 kg |
| Barrel length : | 457 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | .30 Carbines |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 15, 30 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Bar magazine |
| Cadence : | 45 (M1), 800 (M2 / M3) rounds / min |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | right |
| Closure : | Cylinder lock |
| Charging principle: | Gas pressure charger |
| Lists on the subject | |
The M1 Carbine is an American self-loading rifle introduced during World War II and used by the US military until the 1970s . Some other armed forces and police forces (including the US) still use it today.
development
When the M1 Garand - rifle in 1936, contrary to the original plan, but for the caliber .30-06 Springfield was produced and not for the lighter .276er cartridges, the US Army lacked a lighter, handier rifle again. In any case, there was dissatisfaction in the army with the available submachine guns and rifles, and experience from past and current war events further contributed to the development of a lighter rifle being initiated.
Stage soldiers, paratroopers and frontline soldiers who had to carry other equipment (e.g. paramedics or mechanics) found the older rifles too annoying, but pistols and revolvers were not accurate and powerful enough. Smaller submachine guns like the Thompson were more than sufficient for close combat, but unsuitable for long-range shots and actually not much easier to carry than the old rifles (like the Springfield M1903 or the Garand). They were also much more expensive than other weapons. The same problems also arose with the air transport of soldiers, a concept that received a lot of attention at the time.
Furthermore, in 1941 the US Army was increased from 200,000 to 1,400,000 men; However, there was a lack of adequate training capacities. The lengthy pistol training could be bypassed with a lighter rifle instead of a pistol.
It was decided that a new weapon would be needed for these purposes. This should have an operational range of 300 yards (275 meters).
A carbine version of the standard semi-automatic rifle was considered, but the .30-06 cartridges were too powerful. The M1 carbine was redesigned because it had to be lighter than the Garand and have less recoil . It was intended to be a defensive weapon for soldiers who did not use the infantry rifle as their main weapon.
In 1938 the infantry chief asked the weapons office to develop a light rifle. After two years, this request was formally accepted and in 1941 the contract was put out to the large US arms companies. Winchester Repeating Arms did not initially send a proposal. The company was too busy perfecting their .30-06 rifle. However, after the death of Ed Browning, who had designed the weapon, Winchester hired former black marketeer David M. "Carbine" Williams. It was hoped this would complete some of Browning's unfinished designs. Indeed, Williams linked his concept of a very short-stroke gas piston with Browning's idea. After the navy declared the weapon to be unreliable in sandy surroundings in 1940, Browning's design with a tilt lock was replaced by a design with a cylinder lock - as in the Garand.
In May 1941 the weight of the prototype had already been reduced to 3.4 kg. The weapons office demanded a further reduction to 2 to 2.2 kg, and Major René Studler demanded that a final prototype be produced as soon as possible, which William C. Roemer and Fred Humeston succeeded in a few days. After the first successful tests by the military in August 1941, Winchester began to manufacture the improved model, this prevailed against other candidates and in October Winchester received the order for series production.
Indeed, contrary to popular belief, Williams had little to do with the development of the M1; apart from its gas piston design. He later developed further improvements to his carbine on his own, but none of his changes were carried over in the subsequent M1 production.
ammunition
The prototypes for the US M1 carbine had magazines for a new cartridge size, the .30 M1 . The .30 carbine, a smaller and lighter .30 caliber / 7.62mm cartridge, differs significantly from the Garand's larger .30-06 Springfield in both design and performance. They were more or less a borderless version of the outdated .32 Winchester SL.
The performance of the new cartridges, in terms of their muzzle energy (ME, muzzle energy ) and muzzle velocity (MV, muzzle velocity ), was between the handgun and full-fledged rifle calibers: the MV move, from the 18-inch barrel of an M1 carbine, between 580 and 600 m / s; the ME was around 1200 J. The MV of the M1 Garand was around 850 m / s and the ME around 3430 J. This means that the projectiles still have approximately the same energy as the projectiles when they reach the operational range of 275 meters show small pistols like the Nambu at the muzzle exit (ME about 340 J).
The Israeli army still uses the ammunition (as of 2008) in a modified automatic rifle .
use
The M1 carbine was primarily designed to provide troops with a better defense weapon outside of direct combat action. It was easier to use for inexperienced soldiers than the .30 caliber rifles of the time. The first carbines of this type were delivered to the soldiers in the middle of 1942, first to the troops in the European war.
However, the M1 carbine with its weaker .30 carbine cartridges was never intended as the main weapon for the infantry; Nor was it comparable to the more powerful assault rifles that were later used in the war. Even so, it was issued to infantry officers, machine gun soldiers, paratroopers, and other frontline soldiers (particularly members of the United States Marine Corps ).
The reputation of the weapon in combat varied. As a main weapon, the carbine was not popular everywhere, but as a secondary weapon it was. The air landing units equipped with the foldable version M1A1 also praised him in the highest tones. In addition, the fact that the primers did not cause rust was rated positively, as corrosion was a ubiquitous problem in the Pacific war zones. In Europe, on the other hand, complaints were often made about misfires and the associated failed shots.
While the low weight of the weapon was generally appreciated, the inadequate man-stopping effect was criticized in the Pacific region ; it was also said that the projectiles were too distracted by small trees and jungle scrub. Therefore, many shortened versions of the M1 Garand were worked on, none of which were ever officially adopted.
To increase the firepower, a variant of the M1 that can be switched to fully and semi-automatic mode was introduced in 1944 with the M2 .
M1 and M2 carbines were given to the troops during the Korean War , but were unpopular as they jammed when it was cold, which was attributed to unsuitable closing springs. An official investigation by the US military confirmed this deficiency in 1951 and even took into account soldiers' complaints that thickly clad Korean and Chinese opponents would not fall even after being hit several times at close range.
During the Vietnam War the M1 and M2 were issued again, especially to reconnaissance troops (LRRP). After repeated reports about the unreliability of the weapons in terms of man-stopping effect, they were finally eliminated from the US arsenals.
In the late 1960s, the carbines were slowly being replaced by the M16 , and many of the M1, M2 and M3 carbines were left to the South Koreans. The series of M1 / M2 / M3 carbines was the most-produced weapon in the USA for decades - the M1 in the first place - and is still a popular private weapon in the USA today.
criticism
The introduction of a second type of cartridge .30 caliber for logistics reasons was problematic , as the .30-06 Springfield cartridge was standardized by the US military.
equipment
The M1 was used with the M15 grenade sight to fire the rifle grenades from the M8 adapter, which was loaded with an M6 propellant cartridge, and the M4 bayonet - the basis for the more modern M6 and M7 bayonets. During the Second World War also the T23- came flash suppressor added, which was developed from the previous model of the M1 Garand and reduced the muzzle flash dramatically.
The M3 carbine (initially called T3) was used with the M120 Sniper Scope (initially T120), an active infrared image intensifier , later also with passive systems.
When the M1 / M2 / M3 carbine series was increasingly replaced by the M16 in the 1960s, the accessories also disappeared. Many stayed in countries like South Korea or Israel or were bought by private collectors.
Production and use abroad
Developed by Winchester, it was mainly produced by 2 General Motors production facilities. With a total of 6.25 million copies, the M1 carbine is the most manufactured small weapon in the history of the US military. Producers of the delivered weapons:
- Winchester Repeating Arms Company , 818 059 pieces
- Inland Mfg. Division and Saginaw Steering Gear Division of General Motors , 3,159,309 pieces
- Underwood
- IBM
- Rock-Ola Manufacturing
- National Postal Meter
- Standard Products Co.
- Quality Hardware Co.
There were also various suppliers of individual components.
A variant of the M1 carbine was manufactured by the Japanese manufacturer Hōwa Kōgyō under US supervision shortly after the Second World War . These weapons were issued to Japanese self-defense forces and many made their way to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
Use of the weapon
- The Allies of World War II (1940s),
- United States (1940s to 1960s / 1970s), Armed Forces
- United Kingdom , after the World War the Royal Ulster Constabulary until 1992, the SAS used the M1A1 after 1943
- Bavaria (late 1940s to 1950s, border guard)
- Baden-Württemberg until at least 1964, Karlsruhe water police
- Brazil (to date, BOPE Rio de Janeiro)
- Greenland (until today, police)
- Israel (1945 to 1957, Israeli Defense; 1970s to today, Israeli police; 1974 to today, Masch'az )
- Italy (Carabinieri, until 1992)
- South Vietnam (1960s to 1970s)
- Austria (Federal Army until 1970s; police, gendarmerie, judiciary and customs station until 1980s)
A large number of M1 carbines were used by the Israeli special forces in Palmach during the 1948 War of Independence and by the state defense forces. Schoolchildren were also trained on it. The Israeli vigilante group continues to use the M1.
In the 1950s, M1 carbines were used by the police in Bavaria and the Federal Border Police (now the Federal Police ). The carbines were marked according to the service department. Some of the weapons had even been redesigned, given different paintwork and sometimes with new barrels. The carbine was part of the basic equipment of the Bundeswehr in 1955/56 .
After the Korean War , the carbine was delivered to US allies around the world, such as the infantry and police forces of Korea and Israel.
variants
Carbine, .30 caliber, M1A1
- foldable, 15-round magazine
- used by paratroopers
- Production: approx. 150,000
Carbine, .30 caliber, M1E2
- proposed variant, with improved aiming device (adjustable according to height)
- not manufactured, suggestions for improvement incorporated into new versions
Carbine, .30 caliber, M1E3
- Ironing mechanism, 15-round magazine
- standardized and intended as a replacement for the M1A1, but not produced
Carbine, .30 caliber, M2 (T4)
- Spring 1945
- 30-round magazine, fully automatic (Kit T17)
- Production: approx. 600,000
Carbine, .30 caliber, M3
- M1 or M2 with T3 converted Visierungssockel for an active infrared - night vision device
- Production: approx. 3,000
literature
- Wolfdieter Hufnagl: US carbine .30 M1, weapon and accessories , Motorbuchverlag Stuttgart, 1994, ISBN 3-613-01635-4 .
- Wolfdieter Hufnagl: The M1 carbine. Motorbuchverlag Stuttgart, 2009, ISBN 978-3-613-03010-7 .
- Roy F. Dunlap: Ordnance Went Up Front. The Samworth Press, 1948.
- US Army: Commentary on Infantry and Weapons in Korea 1950–1951. 1951.
- US Army: Catalog of Standard Ordnance Items. Second Edition 1944, Volume III p. 419
- Frank C. Barnes: Cartridges of the World. Krause Publications, Iola (Wisconsin) 2006, ISBN 978-0-89689-297-2 .
- Craig Riesch: US M1 Carbines, Wartime Production. 4th Edition, North Cape Publications, 2002, ISBN 1-882391-23-3 .
- Ian Skennerton: US Carbine .30M1 & M1A1 and M2 & M3, Handbook for Identification, Stripping & Assembly. National Library of Australia, 2004, ISBN 0-949749-50-8 .
- Rainer Lidschun, Günter Wollert, Infantry weapons 1918–1945, Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus 1998, ISBN 3-89488-057-0
- WHBSmith, Joseph E. Smith, Small Arms of the World, The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, PA, 1962
- Leroy Thompson: The M1 Carbine , Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011, ISBN 978-1-84908-907-4 . (82 pages online PDF)
