The M1 Carbine may never have been produced were it not for the unauthorised use of the Winchester Model 1907 Self-Loading Rifle during the First World War. The low weight and convenient operation of this weapon was much appreciated by soldiers. A number of attempts were made, before and during World War II, to produce an official 'intermediate' weapon by adapting and/or scaling down standard-issue rifles - but none of these projects met with practical success.   

During the Autumn of 1937, the U.S.A.'s Chief of Infantry and his aides studied the storm-trooper tactics employed by Germany in the later stages of the First World War and the 'Blitzkrieg' doctrines then being tried out in that nation's military exercises. They may have also considered the results gained by Britain's experimental armoured forces. Ironically, the British tankers' efforts were undermined by conservative senior officers and budget-conscious politicians, but the German Army had paid keen attention and eagerly adopted their concept of independent tank divisions supported by their own mobile infantry and artillery. 

In past conflicts, support elements had generally been relatively immune to attack when positioned well 'behind the lines', so little thought was given to arming these soldiers with anything more effective than service pistols. However, with remarkable foresight, the U.S. Army's planners anticipated that future fast-moving, mechanised wars would inevitably feature contact between the enemy's forward spearheads and  American rear echelon troops.

Note: When the Nazis unleashed their well-coordinated, Panzer-led assaults at the start of World War II, many Allied support units were surrounded and captured by deep, penetrating thrusts and pincer movements . The Germans used their mobile forces well and they were aided by the fact that many Allied strategists were still using tactics which had served them well in 1918. The  run of success enjoyed by 'Blitzkrieg' methods was only halted when Russia's armies (helped in no small measure by the vast expanses of the U.S.S.R.) developed the ability to 'defend in depth'.

Though persistent legends suggest that much of the design work on the M1 Carbine was done by David M. 'Carbine' Williams whilst serving a sentence for 2nd Degree Murder, Williams was, in fact, just one of a number of people working for Winchester who had a hand in the development of the weapon. He'd devised a ground-breaking short-stroke gas piston system and it was utilised in the M1. Williams then began a solo project  - working on a carbine which was neither accepted for military use or related in any way to the gun which this website describes.    

The M1 Carbine was conceived in response to the Army's perceived need for an adequate weapon for second-line, communication or service personnel who might find themselves drawn into direct combat by unexpected enemy movements. The .30 cal. Carbine was more effective (in terms of range and stopping power) than the standard .45 automatic pistol, but lighter and smaller than a rifle.

Initially intended to be issued to company-grade officers and NCOs, the M1 Carbine proved to be such an effective weapon that it was also carried for protection by heavy and light weapons teams. Airborne troops and vehicle crews were issued with the M1 because the weight and dimensions of the Carbine made it handier than a rifle in confined spaces or in conditions when every ounce of equipment had to be justified; the introduction of a folding buttstock (M1A1 - May, 1942) made the weapon more convenient for such soldiers (though it was actually a quarter of a pound heavier than the wooden-stocked version).

When fully automatic M2 was made available (in 1944), paratroopers found it a more than viable alternative to the Thompson Sub-Machine Gun - the M2 Carbine was lighter than the venerable 'Tommy Gun', plus it was more accurate (by virtue of its quite minimal recoil forces) and soldiers armed with it could carry more ammunition. The standard 15 round magazine was supplemented by a 30 round magazine when the M2 arrived.

The M1 Carbine was eventually issued in 4 different versions (the list below does not include models which were only factory prototypes):