Additionally, Germany's use of glider-borne and paratrooper forces to launch surprise blitzkrieg attacks behind the front lines generated a request for a new compact infantry weapon to equip support troops. This request called for a compact, lightweight defensive weapon with greater range, accuracy and firepower than a handgun, while weighing half as much as the Thompson submachine gun or the M1 rifle. The U.S. Army decided that a carbine-type weapon would adequately fulfill all of these requirements, and specified that the new arm should weigh no more than and have an effective range of .Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Paratroopers were also added to the list of intended users and a folding-stock version would also be developed.
Additionally, Germany's use of glider-borne and paratrooper forces to launch surprise blitzkrieg attacks behind the front lines generated a request for a new compact infantry weapon to equip support troops. This request called for a compact, lightweight defensive weapon with greater range accuracy and firepower than a handgun, while weighing half as much as the Thompson submachine gun or the M1 rifle. The U.S. Army decided that a carbine-type weapon would adequately fulfill all of these requirements, and specified that the new arm should weigh no more than and have an effective range of .Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Paratroopers were also added to the list of intended users and a folding-stock version would also be developed.