Inland Division of General Motors, Winchester, and others

The M1 Carbine is a lightweight, magazine-fed, semi-automatic carbine chambered in the .30 Carbine cartridge, developed for the U.S. military during World War II. Designed to provide rear-echelon troops, officers, and non-infantry personnel with a more effective weapon than a pistol, it bridges the gap between a handgun and a full-size service rifle. The M1 Carbine uses a short-stroke gas piston system and fires from a closed bolt. Its lightweight design, low recoil, and 15-round detachable magazine made it immensely popular with airborne troops, vehicle crews, and frontline officers. The select-fire M2 variant, capable of fully automatic fire, was introduced late in the war and saw extensive use in Korea and early Vietnam.