Quote Originally Posted by BrianQ View Post
For the most part that is unsubstantiated internet myth.....
Not exactly. The later, formal justification for the carbine specifically referenced the inadequacy of the pistol, as shown by statistical surveys of Germanicon casualties after the end of WW I, and the carbine was promoted as a solution to that problem, since hard facts were available to make the case. The justification was (as is not uncommon) a little deceptive, since there were other reasons too, but if you are asking people to commit large sums of money to the development of a new weapon, you need a lot more than some officer's opinion that it would be a nice idea. The "internet myth" results from people taking the stated justification at face value, and silly things like the flip sight and the carbine "lineman's" holster may have had similar origins.

Once adopted, the carbine ended up being used much more broadly than originally imagined, which is why so many were made, and why an adjustable sight was deemed a useful enhancement. Which is what I was saying in the previous post.