About Me
The Thompson submachine gun was developed between 1917 and 1919, under supervision of General John Taliaferro Thompson, who coordinated the project's materialization efforts.There were 2 military types of the Thompson SMG. One, known as the M1928A1 Thompson had a 20 round Magazine or 50-100 round drums. It had a longer muzzle then the M1A1. Its cocking mechanism was also on the top of the gun. The M1A1, had a short muzzle, 30 round magazine, and the cocking mechanism was on the side. The M1928A1 along with the regular M1928 was the choice of the Marines. The M1A1 was the choice of the Army. Thompson intended the weapon as an automatic 'trench-broom' that would sweep enemy troops from the trenches, restoring infantry mobility. Ironically enough, this concept was adopted by German troops using their own submachine guns in concert with sturmtruppen tactics.[1] Produced too late for WWI, the Thompson would first enter major production in 1921 as the M1921.The M1921 was available for sale to civilians, though its high price resulted in few sales. M1921 Thompsons were sold in small quantities to several police departments in the United States as well as the U.S. Post Office, and minor international sales of the weapon were made to various armies and constabulary forces, chiefly in Central and South America. Thompsons were also acquired by the Irish Republican Army from supporters in the U.S. and were used in the latter stages of the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. The Thompson was also used in limited issue by the U.S. Marine Corps as the M1928 in a series of 'banana war' interventions in Central America, particularly in Nicaragua, where it was popular with the Marines as a point-defense weapon for countering ambush by Sandinista guerillas.However, the Thompson achieved most of its early notoriety in the hands of Depression-era gangsters and in Hollywood films. About this time, Nationalist China also acquired a quantity of Thompsons for use against Japanese land forces, and eventually began producing copies of the Thompson in small quantities for use by its various armies and militias.In 1938, the Thompson submachine gun was adopted by the U.S. military, serving during World War II and later into the Korean War, as well as early stages of the Vietnam War. Other Allied countries purchased the Thompson as well, notably the United Kingdom and France. Modifications to simplify production and reduce cost were commonly carried by both non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers, resulting in the M1 and M1A1 models.The Thompson found particular utility in WWII in the hands of Allied troops as a weapon for scouts, non-commissioned officers, and patrol leaders. In the European theater, the gun was widely utilized in British and Canadian Commando units, as well as U.S. paratroop and Ranger battalions. A Swedish variant of the M1928A1, called Kulsprutepistol m/40 ("Submachine Gun m/40"), served in the Swedish Army between 1940 and 1951.In the Pacific theatre, Australian infantry and other Commonwealth forces initially used the Thompson extensively in jungle patrols and ambushes, where it was prized for its firepower, though its hefty weight and difficulties in supply eventually led to its replacement by other submachine guns such as the Owen and Austen. The Marines also used the Thompson as a limited-issue weapon, especially during their later island assaults. However, the Thompson was soon found to have limited effect in heavy jungle cover, where the slow-moving .45 bullet would not penetrate most small-diameter trees or even pierce Japanese helmets or protective vests. In the U.S. Army, many Pacific War jungle patrols were originally equipped with Thompsons in the early phases of the New Guinea and Guadalcanal campaigns, but soon began employing the .30 Browning Automatic Rifle in its place, especially at front (point) and rear (tail) positions) as a point defense weapon.[2][3]By the time of the Korean war, the Thompson had been withdrawn from service as a standard-issue submachinegun with U.S. forces. It was replaced by the M3/M3A1 submachinegun, and the M1/M2 carbine. Many Thompsons were distributed to Chinese armed forces as military aid before the fall of Chiang Kai-Shek's government to Mao Tse Tung's Communist forces in 1949. During the Korean War, American troops were surprised to encounter Chinese Communist troops heavily armed with Thompson submachine guns, especially during surprise night assaults. The gun's ability to deliver large quanties of short-range automatic assault fire proved very useful in both defense and assault during the early part of the conflict. Many of these weapons were recaptured and placed back into service with American soldiers and Marines for the balance of the war.M1A1
Both sides of the Thompson M1A1The multi-piece firing pin of the M1 was supplanted by a simplified firing pin machined into the face of the bolt. The 30-round magazine was very common. Reinforcement wings were added to the fixed rear sight.The M1A1, formally adopted as the United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M1A1, could be produced in half the time of the M1928A1, and at a much lower cost. In 1939, Thompsons cost the government $209 (2,742 USD in 2005) apiece. By Spring of 1942, cost reduction design changes had brought this down to $70 (878 USD in 2005). In February of 1944, the M1A1 reached a low price of $45 (480 USD in 2005) each, including accessories and spare parts. But by the end of 1944, the M1A1 was replaced with the even lower-cost M3 "Grease Gun".[edit] Civilian ownership in the United States
Due to the perceived popularity of the Thompson with gangsters in the 1920s and 1930s as well as their effectiveness in any hands (among other reasons), Congress passed the National Firearms Act in 1934. Among its provisions, all owners of any fully-automatic firearm (including the Thompson) must register them with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and agree to be subject to severe restrictions on the use, transfer and transport of the weapons, and all prospective buyers must likewise register with the government (registration also carries with it a $200 tax per item, per transfer). This includes submitting to fingerprinting and a thorough background check upon declaration of intent to purchase. Furthermore, after the purchase has been cleared (a process that normally takes at least four months), the owner is forbidden to move the gun out of his or her state of residence without notifying the ATF. The Thompson, as well as all other kinds of automatic weapons, are under a legal ban in at least nine states and the District of Columbia. Notwithstanding the legality of ownership, hundreds, if not thousands of these, and other weapons of World War II are in the possesion of veterans as "bring back" items. With the number of veterans decreasing rapidly these weapons are in the possesion of the families as illegal weapons, usually unbeknownst to them as such. There is an amnesty law in consideration which would make these available to the collector market and made legal, and thus save these historic arms. A pristine M1A1 Thompson sold at auction recently, August 2006, for $28,000.
