Customer Reviews

THE M1 CARBINE: Classic American Small Arms at War (The American Firepower Series #1) (v. 1)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is not another attempt to tell the production history
or variations of the carbine. There are many other books available that cover that. This is a refreshing approach to presenting the carbine, and done in a very professional manner.

I have been a researcher and collector of the M1 carbine for more than 30 years and have I believe every book published to date. But this is the first book that focuses on the carbine in action, behind the lines and on the front line. The 154 photos are US Signal Corp or National Archive for the most part. Reproduction is flawless, and printed on high quality paper in Europe. If you want to get to know the carbine as it was used in both Europe and the Pacific, as well as Korea, this would be a good edition to your library. The only negative, and why I rated it 4 stars, is the price. But this is a low volume, high quality production, and they didn't cut any corners. That kind of product doesn't come at bargain basement prices. And the cost is only about $ .28 per photo with more than half being full page size.

If your a serious collector or interested in this fine weapon I don't think you will be disappointed with this book. I wasn't

This first volume in the 'Classic American Small Arms at War' series deserves a spot in any authoritative military history library collection: it reflects the author's love affair with the M1 carbine and packs vintage black and white war photos from the US National Archives on every page as it cover the carbine in action during WWII and in Korea. As a photo odyssey of the carbine's impact and role, it provides powerful historical images.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Too much of history is not illustrated. What is needed is a better sense of what the history-makers looked like, what they wore, and in this case, what weapons they used to make history.

This book is an excellent collection of photographs, each showing the classic M1 Carbine in use. Especially interesting is the peripheral detail in the pictures, most of which are clear and sharp. Any admirer of this firearm should have this book. One thing I found fascinating was the greater use of the carbine by the Marines over the Army, given the Marines' image of "riflemen all." Perhaps this can be attributed to the Marines' use of crew-served weapons; the crews of which would be armed with the carbine. The weapon is no doubt less cumbersome than the iconic M1 Rifle, but many found the carbine lacking when it was used against a determined enemy. My father was a rifle platoon leader in the Army during four Pacific campaigns. Standard TOE determined his weapon to be a carbine, but it failed to stop a charging Japanese officer on Leyte. Dad recalled seeing the man's shirt jumping from the bullets' impact. ASAP, he found a Thompson submachine gun, which by the way is far heavier than the carbine--and the M1 rifle as well.

I digress. This book is nicely printed on quality stock, with excellent reproductions of the photos. Hence the high price, which determined my four (rather than five) star rating. Perhaps a soft cover edition may be printed someday to reduce the cost.

I would welcome more books in the series, such as one on the Thompson, the .45 pistol, or any of the many arms used to win WWII.

Lots of new unpublished pictures.