Interesting M2 fact

[imarangemaster]

I have an original ROTCM 145-30 "Individual weapons and Marksmanship" July 1958 that my dad gave me. In the section on carbines on P170, it states the Carbine M1 has been replaced in service by the full automatic M2. It also only gives operating and dis-assembly instructions for the M2.

Great manual, as it has Carbine, Garand, 1911, M3 Grease Gun, BAR, and 22 bolt trainer.

Information

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[grits]

can't be true. while on guard duty in 1962 during cuban missile crisis we carried M1's. No M2's were available.

[imarangemaster]

can't be true. while on guard duty in 1962 during cuban missile crisis we carried M1's. No M2's were available.

I was merely quoting what the ROTC manual said. I know National Guard and maybe Reserve Units still had M1s, but don't know about active duty. I also think Air Force kept M1s. Were you Active or Reserve? Anyone else with first hand knowledge?

[phil441]

AF still issued M1s until I left in early '65.
Never saw an M2 while on active duty 1961-1965. Even during the Cuban Missile crisis.
During the 1963-1964 era when I was assigned to Key West NAS to keep an eye on Cuba, our guys were still issued M1's for temporary guard duty.
Methinks the book is in error.

[Tired Retired]

I love how you guys make me feel so damn YOUNG!!!!!

Hey, be sure to save me some social security money for when I get there!

Seriously, I would love to sit down and pick your brains for the changes you all saw during those years

[Bill Hollinger]

Like any government agency, nothing happens over night. I have seen manuals, memorandums, addendums, you name it listing changes years before they ever really happen. We have been training for semi-auto pistols for over a year and haven't seen one yet! Probably won't either, not with the California budget the way it is.

[imarangemaster]

Like any government agency, nothing happens over night. I have seen manuals, memorandums, addendums, you name it listing changes years before they ever really happen. We have been training for semi-auto pistols for over a year and haven't seen one yet! Probably won't either, not with the California budget the way it is.

+1
I think the ROTCM manual was for strictly Army, but it was written before the M14 was fully adopted. It was probably a plan in re the M2s that would be in effect before the ROTC members would see active duty. The adoption of the M14 may have made a pending plan to adopt M2 as the standard carbine irrelevant. I do know from talking to vets that many of the M1s had been modified to M2s in Korea.

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Two of us had carbines on my boat. Mine M-2, the other M-1. That was Viet Nam 1968. We didn't get a choice, just how they were issued.

Tired Retired, I hope I make it to SS. Still a year and a half away.

FYI to on the ground Viet Nam vets. I read that starting next year, "Heart problems" are going to be attributed to agent orange for disability compensation. I know after bypass surgery I will be checking into it.

[DaveHH]

I saw every conceivable weapon the Army ever used. There were M14s that most of us had, grease guns, carbines both M1 and 2, and even some Thompson SMGs. M16s were so new and few that only Infantry Battalions were being issued them. Pistols .45 and .32 autos. The Army still carried lots of stuff on the books for issue, I read the book one time and it was neat. Like a gun Sears catalog. The Korean troops and most of the Mike force guys used M1 rifles and BARs typical Korean war stuff. Our Machine guns were .50 M2s and M60s, but there were 1919s around as well. The enemy weapons were very diverse at first as the PAVN troops and their front line weapons were just arriving in force. Typically, if you were shot in spring of 66 it was with a US carbine or a Mauser. Some SKS were around and very few AKs, there was even an in-the-box new MG34 captured complete with saddle mags and tripod for AA use. By fall of 66 and into 67 everything changed as NVA troops started to get involved at places other than hard on the Laos/Cambodia border. AKs became very common and RPD machine guns and the like. Mostly Chinese made. I was thrilled to be in a Signal Battalion and run convoys down HWY 1 instead of looking for trouble up at the Dets up near the border. Those mobile Infantry Battalions had a bad deal in 66 and 67 up in the highlands. When I went up into those bases at Pleiku and An Khe it was very weird knowing that you were in country with a 15 year history of dead men, shot up convoys and bad vibes. HWY 19 ran though this area and west of An Khe the Viet Minh had wiped out a huge French convoy in 1954 up there. We saw lots of jungle junk left over from the French war.

[kr6ng]

in 1962-63 we had M2 carbines in Vietnam also M1A1s converted to automatic