Page 62 - American Rifleman (February 2020)

U. S. T3 CARBINE

or countless centuries, ghting men have used
the cloak of darkness for concealment from their
adversaries. Various methods were devised to

counter this advantage, including torches, ares,
rockets and, later, searchlights, but these proved to be
ineffective for a variety of reasons. World War I resulted in
renewed interest in the development of night-vision tech-
nology, but no notable advances were forthcoming by the
time of the Armistice.
Early in World War II, the Germans developed some
rather rudimentary night-vision devices, but, due to the
size and weight of the equipment, their use was initially
restricted primarily to tanks and other vehicles. The Soviet
Union also experimented with night vision circa 1942, but
little progress was made by the time the war ended.
When the United States entered World War II and our
troops were deployed to the Paci c Theater, it became pain- scope added rather signi cant weight and bulk, and a car-
fully apparent that the Japanese were masters in nighttime bine tted with the relatively cumbersome infrared sight
in ltration tactics. It was equally apparent that effective would be easier to handle than a heavier ri e, such as the

night-vision devices would be extremely helpful in combating M1 Garand.
this very real threat. In June 1943, the Army Ground Forces Headquarters had
To that end, in 1943, the U.S. Army Engineer Board at developed a carbine tted with a telescopic sight to deter-
Fort Belvoir, Va., began development of an infrared sight mine the feasibility of a lightweight sniper ri e. The Inland
to provide night-vision capability to our troops. The Army Mfg. Division of General Motors fabricated a carbine with
engineers devised a rather rudimentary instrument con- integral scope mount brazed onto the receiver and tted
sisting of an electronic telescope and sealed-beam light, with a Weaver M73B1 telescope as used with the Remington
somewhat similar to an automobile headlight, tted with M1903A4 sniper ri e. The prototype “sniper carbine” was
an infrared lter. A lead-acid battery to power the device designated the M1E7. Extensive testing was conducted at
was carried in a canvas knapsack. An improved version of Aberdeen Proving Ground from early November 1943 to
the infrared sight was designated as the T120. January 1944. The results were not impressive, and the
The Army eventually decided that an M1 carbine with M1E7 telescopic-sighted carbine was not recommended
a suitable mount to accommodate the sight would be a for further service testing or adoption. However, it was
satisfactory platform for such use. Since night shooting recognized that the basic design of the modi ed “sniper
would typically be at relatively close range, the .30 Carbine carbine” would be ideal for use with the infrared sight.
cartridge was believed to be adequate. Also, the infrared Inland was selected to develop a carbine based on the
experimental M1E7, with an integral receiver mount to
accommodate the infrared sight. The modi ed carbine

The 1950s-era
T3 carbine
with an M3
infrared scope
was issued in
a storage chest
and came with
a backpack
carrier for the
powerpack and
battery.

60 FEBRUARY 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN Courtesy of Rock Island Auction Co.