M2 carbine - WWII?

[Rebar]

When was the M2 carbine introduced? Was it issued during WWII in the European theater, if so was it common or rare? Did Airborne/Ranger units get more of them, or were they distrubuted equally throughout the Army?

 

[Sven]

Serious scholars of the carbine are encouraged to purchase Scott Duff's (website )M1 Carbine Owners Guide as well as the books "War Baby" and "War Baby Comes Home" which go into a ton of detail on the carbine and its variations.

If nobody posts a reply here when I'm back home, I'll post the answer to your question... don't know the answer offhand.

-s

 

[telewinz]

Larry Ruth has an excellent book on the M1 carbine. I'm too lazy to look it up but I think the M2 was used just during the Korean War and afterwards.

 

[cdbeaver]

I carried both an M1 and M2 carbine in Korea. Don't know whether the M2 was issued during WWII.

 

[Steven Mace]

Production of the M2 Carbine began in 1942.

Steve Mace

 

[dfariswheel]

Production of the M1 Carbine started in 1942.

Production of the M2 Carbine began in 1945. A very few found their way to Europe or the Pacific before the war ended, and few, if any actually saw combat before the war ended.

The M2 was simply a day late and a dollar short for WWII, it's day was Korea, and later Vietnam.

 

[BDM]

I thought the M2 was the select fire paratrooper model,or is that the M3?

 

[dude]

my dad had an M2 in Italy but he did not get there til 45 as the war was ending.........thankfully for me

intrestingly he was on so-called 'peace keeping' duty for a year in Trieste there right on the Yugo border, things don't change much 'eh??


FWIW-- all those M1s in Saving Private Ryan w/ bayo lugs were bogus as the production run of them did not start 'til summer of 44.

 

[SDC]

The M2 was the selective-fire version of the M1 Carbine, while the M3 was the infrared sniper-scope-equipped version; the paratrooper version was just the M1 in a folding stock.

 

[TheeBadOne]

Agreed

 

[Billy Sparks]

Wasn't the paratrooper version referred to as the M1A1?

 

[Rebar]

Thanks, just what I needed to know!

 

[Erik Jensen]

FWIW-- all those M1s in Saving Private Ryan w/ bayo lugs were bogus as the production run of them did not start 'til summer of 44.

waitwaitwaitwait..... the M1 Garand didn't have a bayonet lug until 1944???

 

[Hkmp5sd]

(Though it was the T3 that had the Infared night vision scope.)

The M2 is very rare. As stated above, they were introduced in 1945. They were made by Inland and Winchester. They were marked "M2" on the receiver ring in the same place "M1" was stamped on the M1 Carbine.

Following the war, many M1s, from all manufacturers, were converted to M2s. Most of these have a "2" stamped over the "1" on the receiver ring.

waitwaitwaitwait..... the M1 Garand didn't have a bayonet lug until 1944???

The M1 Carbines did not have a bayonet lug until 1944 when the T4 barrel band was introduced.

 

[Jim K]

Please don't confuse us poor old souls by referring the the carbine as the "M1". The term "M1" alone ALWAYS referred to the M1 Rifle, which some folks call the Garand, a term never used by the troops.

Otherwise, the term "M1" is followed by something else, like "M1 Carbine", "M1 tank", etc. The carbine was always called simply the "carbine" (rhymes with "bean", not "sign"); the terms M1 Carbine or M2 Carbine were not used unless there was some reason to distinguish between them.

The folding stock version was the M1A1 Carbine; they were intended for issue to company grade officers in parachute units, although some others "requisitioned" them.

M2 Carbines, whether original or converted, are machineguns and controlled under the National Firearms Act. A receiver marked "M2" or "M11" is considered a machinegun even though it may not have the parts that allow full auto fire.

Jim

 

[El Rojo]

I wish I had an M2. I need to move to Arizona.

 

[dude]

sorry......did not mean to confuse by refering to the M1 Carbine as the M1!! Even though there were some M1 Carbines in saving Private Ryan with bayo mounts.

I would have never noticed unless my buddy who watches movies with a fine-toothed 'flaw' comb had not pointed it out to me!! The poor guy can never enjoy any movie as he is always setting himself up for dissapointment. Oh well