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Cold War Carbines In USAF

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Lupus Dei View Drop Down
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    Posted: Dec 21 2015 at 8:30pm

January 2016-G

PDF

“COLD WAR” CARBINES IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

(Newsletter 383 contained a detailed report on carbines in the US Army Air Forces during WWII.
Below are reports contributed by Carbine Club members, which feature carbine use in the postwar
USAF.)

The below item is a one-sided 3x5” Weapon Receipt Card for what would have been a Rock-Ola M1
Carbine, serial number 4608058. The only date listed is the form date of April 1959, so it is probably
from the early 1960’s. It assigned the Carbine, along with several other items to Airman Third Class
Gary G. Ough of 354th Operations Squadron, Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina. It would be
from prior to 1967, because “AFR 39-36 on 19 October 1967 renamed Airman Third Class, Airman
Second Class,” according to Wikipedia. Apparently, Air Force enlisted ranks went through a lot of
changes in the 1950’s and 60’s.
David Albert






The Post Office cancellation date on this postcard appears to be 1961. The photo on the postcard is out
of focus, so it cannot be determined if these are M1 or M2 Carbines.





Security detail with an M2 Carbine for a B-52 at an unknown Strategic Air Command (SAC) base. In
the lower photo, note the unusual way that the carbine is being held at Sling Arms.
Vance Vasquez






The term “Cold War” can have more than one meaning!




This USAF Small Arms booklet was published in July 1951 and reprinted in April 1952 by the USAF
Extension Course Institute, Gunter Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama.
The preface states “The purpose of this course is to give the student the information he will need to
become familiar with the operation, care, and capabilities of the small-arms weapons employed by the
United States Air Force for defense against ground attack.”



The Introduction chapter delivers basic marksmanship instruction. The first page, shown below,
discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the three small arms featured in this book: The M1/M1A1
carbine, the M1911/M1911A1 pistol, and the M3 submachine gun. (Apparently, at the time this
publication was written, neither the M2 Carbine nor the M3A1 submachine gun were in the USAF’s
inventory.)



The Table of Contents is shown below. The chapters specific to each weapon were copied verbatim
from previous Technical Manuals. There is nothing new to learn there. However, the Marksmanship
chapters contain weapon-specific tips for best performance. The 3-page Carbine Marksmanship chapter
is shown on the following pages.









Note sentences (9) and (10). Although marksmen will agree that a cant is desirable when firing any
military rifle in the offhand/standing position, this is the first official mention of this tip, as far as I
know. I had never before seen any reference to “lefties” (left eye dominant shooters) in any military
manual either.

Louis Dey
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote crashtestnewbie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 03 2016 at 12:09pm
Nice work
Make everyday a good day
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Marty Black Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 03 2016 at 12:17pm
Thanks Crashtest Newbie. That article was a compilation of work by David Albert, Vance Vasquez, Marcus Rust and myself. Four heads are better than one! Regards, Marty Black
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 03 2016 at 7:11pm
Thanks for posting the weapon card from my collection. I have some more Air Force Carbine documentation that I recently acquired, but it may be up to 2 weeks before I can get it posted.

David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com
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Past Pres., The American Thompson Association
Amer. Society of Arms Collectors
OGCA/TCA/Carbine Club/GCA/IAA
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Author - The Many Firearm Designs of Eugene Reising
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lupus Dei Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 05 2016 at 7:27pm
Dave, Good stuff!
If you have enough info maybe make an article for next round!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 06 2016 at 7:40pm
Originally posted by Lupus Dei Lupus Dei wrote:


Dave, Good stuff!
If you have enough info maybe make an article for next round!


Lupus Dei,

Thanks! I will see what I can do!

David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com
NRA Life Member
Past Pres., The American Thompson Association
Amer. Society of Arms Collectors
OGCA/TCA/Carbine Club/GCA/IAA
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Author - The Many Firearm Designs of Eugene Reising
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kar6666 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 14 2016 at 9:48am
Having lived in area of the country with several missile sights. I can still remember seeing the Air Force pickups with the carbines in a rack in the rear window.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RClark9595 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Dec 31 2017 at 8:45pm
I was in the Air Force from June 1966 to April 1970, during my first two years we had to qualify on the firing range, we had just gotten the new M-16's, but that doesn't matter for now, it could have been carbines. What I want to point out is how the range and targets where setup.

If you look at the firing range picture above, you see no numbers or anything telling the airman what position on the range he occupies. Add to that as you looked down range at 100 yds there are maybe 50 white silhouettes shoulder to shoulder, also with nothing to ID which target was yours. I know many Airman Qualified by other shooters, shooting their target. Other Airmen didn't qualify because they where shooting someone else's target, what a cluster. After 1967 we no longer had to qualify on the firing range, that requirement was eliminated. I can see why.
Ron

USAF 4535 CCTS
F4 Combat Crew Training
Vietnam era Vet.
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