The .30 Caliber Carbine
We never saw this nice little weapon on Guadalcanal, though we had been hearing of it for more than a year. Later on it became the standard arm for all infantry officers of company grade -- and a lot more on the front lines. Most officers carried carbines in place of pistols.
The carbine turned out to be an ace weapon of this war, as far as I am concerned. It was light and handy, powerful, and reasonably accurate. If I had to make my own in hostile jungle, travelling with the lightest possible kit where I should be likely to encounter enemy at any time, the carbine is the weapon I should choose.
The little gun was OK as issued with one exception. It had a long protruding magazine, which caused no disadvantage in use, but a slight unhandiness in carrying. I trimmed one down to six shot capacity, shortening the follower guide in the clip so that the magazine was flush with the trigger guard. With this alteration little gun became the neatest weapon in the world, handier -- as I am concerned -- than the Colt .45 Automatic Pistol.
The development of the carbine had the effect of putting a good offensive-defensive weapon in the hands of the leader and gun crew member, thereby making him the near-equal of an MI rifleman. The cartridge was powerful enough to penetrate several thicknesses of helmet, and to perforate the plates of the Japanese bullet proof vests, which would only be dented by .45 auto slugs. It was flat shooting enough to have practical accuracy at more than two hundred yards. It would be interesting to know how many casualties it created during the war. Certainly more than all the pistols and revolvers our military has ever used.
The great advantage was that it got a gun that could shoot into the hands of the average Infantryman. The pistol, as far as general usage is concerned, is a purely defensive weapon, accurate only when in the hands of an expert. The carbine performed moderately well in the hands of dubs. For many types of offensive fighting such as sneak raids and infiltration tactics, it was often superior even to the MI, penetration being the only point of difference.
The greatest advantage of the carbine was its lightweight, which is the greatest advantage any Infantry weapon can have. Of all the guns we used in this war it is the only one which does not need further reduction in heft. The rest are all too heavy for the job they do.