Quote:
Originally Posted by copeab
From what I've read in multiple sources, there was a rifle grenade adapter issued for the M-1 carbine in WWII.
|
I stand corrected (boy did I drop the ball on this...LOL).
The M-8 grenade launcher was standardized on 11 February 1943. Design refinements slowed production and the inital production run of 50,000 was not completed until February 1944. Initial issue was to units in the Pacific some time in December 1943. It did not appear in the ETO until January 1944.
Demand proved to be much higher than anticipated and production was resumed in late 1944 with the first production batch being completed in January, 1945. Total manufacture was 387,165.
In spite of problems with the stock cracking/splitting when firing rifle grenades (the M-1A1 was to only be used as a GL in case of emergencies as the recoil force would bend the metal stock), the M-8 was more popular than the M-7 since it could still fire standard ball rounds with the launcher in place.