Family Experience With M1 Carbine
Thought this might be of some interest to some here......
My dad flew P47's in WWII, then the P51 and F84 on two combat tours in Korea. I recently ran across this note (excerpted) that he had tucked into the back of one of my carbine books.
"Dave-
{I may have been} the only fighter jock in Korea 1951 who carried an M1 Carbine into battle. There was a space beside the left side of the seat where a little rifle would just fit. Knowing what we did of...treatment of prisoners, I was determined to shoot it out if in danger of capture. I carried a Colt 45, a Walther P38 and and M1 Carbine."
Somewhere, I have a photo of him climbing out of a P51, with the carbine, and you can see the P38 holster as well. Guess I inherited the gun bug rightly!!!
As an aside, I remember him always being bemused by the fact that the 45 pistol he carried in WWII was made by Singer Sewing Machine (I think he traded it for a "good one").........wish he'd managed to hang on to that!!!!!