M1 Thompson (Tommy Gun)

History

The Thompson line of submachine guns (not exactly pistols, but not full-fledged machine guns) were made in 1919 after the First World War. She was the creation of a certain general John Taliaferro Thompson (31 December - 21 June 1860). , 1940), who began working on early forms as early as 1917. Since then, the weapon system has gained prominence during the Prohibition era (it fought for gangsters and police forces), achieved huge combat victories in World War II, and was used in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, The Korean War, the First Indochina War, the Vietnam War, the Chinese Civil War and the Bosnian War, to name a few conflicts.

About 1.7 million examples of this exquisite weapon have been built since 1921 and continue to this day.

Background

General Thompson, the son of a lieutenant colonel, remembered the hard lessons of World War I "trench warfare" tactics. Infantrymen usually get a long bolt-action rifle with a bayonet (hand-fired before using the bolt-rod to fire into the chamber). While this rifle proved worthy of long-range combat, it was of little value in the cramped spaces of a network of criss-crossing trenches.

In hand-to-hand combat, the bayonet mounted on the bottom of these long rifles is difficult to solve for the average soldier, so a better solution is needed. Furthermore, World War I was a battlefield where even the presence of a machine gunand its inherent firepower, not to mention the psychological impactcould make or break a particular offense very well.

So Thompson - with engineering and artillery training and work experience in the U.S. Army Armaments - envisioned a "handheld" version of the machine gun - a portable "ditch sweeper" system that could be operated by a soldier and Optimized for private spaces.

The challenge was to design a system that was relatively easy and safe to use and that would fit in the hands of a standard infantryman.

In 1915, John Bell Blish patented his friction-delayed recoil igniter, which Thompson discovered by accident. The firing method essentially requires the breech to be slowed down by the friction created by two inclined blocks sliding against each other. This operation effectively reduces the cyclic rate of fire of a given weapon system, which seems to be what Thompson is looking for. With funding from Thomas Fortune Ryan, Thompson established his Auto-Ordnance Corporation in 1916. The design was carried out under the name Annihilator One and the U.S. military.

The 45 ACP cartridge was chosen - this is basically the only cartridge available for the Blish shooting action type.

The design was completed in 1918, but with the end of World War I, it missed a potential commission. If it's produced and delivered on time, it would be fun to imagine an Allied soldier scouring Europe's deadly trenches with his Thompson hand. In postwar America, the Annihilator designation has now been replaced by "Thompson Submachine Gun".

Most of the progress will now take place in the commercial market, and the military has little interest in such systems.

German MP18

It should be noted that the first practical submachine gun was actually of German origin, used as an MP18 ("machine gun") in World War I, and its first year of service was 1918. It was developed by Hugo Schmeisser in 1916 and manufactured by Theodor Bergmann under the leadership of Bergmann Waffenfabrik, serving the German army and other units from 1918 to 1945.

Firepower is equal to 500 rounds per minute. The weapon's involvement in the war forced the Treaty of Versailles to limit the future development of the weapon type - although the foundations of the "submachine gun" class were already laid, it was only perfected during World War II.

This shows how many other forces in the world were thinking in the same direction at the time - developing a powerful portable system with the firepower of a machine gun.

M1921 - The First Thompson

The M1921 became the first Thompson model to be produced, with little to be found in the civilian, state and law enforcement markets, many of whom were put off by the model's high cost. Despite some security and military uses, Thompson quickly became popular among Prohibition-era gangsters and the police force responsible for taking them away.

World War II

As the rumblings of World War resounded again, foreign operators such as China purchased the weapon and used it against the Japanese army. The U.S. military officially adopted this weapon in 1938.

Although the M1928A1 was the weapon of choice for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a simplified version was desperately needed to meet the needs of the US military. Thus, simplified versions of the M1 and M1A1 appeared shortly after.

Combat operations have resulted in the weapon being used in both the European and Pacific theaters - proving more effective against the former. The European allies were amazed at the Germans' own massive use of submachine guns and quickly demanded similar weapons with the help of the United States.

Orders came in, and while orders from Yugoslavia and France shifted due to their respective declines, the UK emerged as one of Thompson's key early operators.

The Pacific Patrol soon started using the more powerful BAR LMGs instead of their Thompson. Small machine guns and the .45 ACP Slug proved to be a godsend for close quarters, although this was somewhat offset by the weapon's weight and unique ammunition.

Although issued to the Soviet Army through Lend-Lease, the lack of available .45 ammunition in the country resulted in limited use along the Eastern Front. The weapon is used by the US, UK, Australian and Canadian militaries.

By the end of 1944, the M3 "Grease Gun" line - a cheaper production alternative - replaced the Thompson in service - although many still appreciate the quality of the Thompson.

Thompson appeared in the Korean War and, perhaps more surprisingly, in the Vietnam War. It was also reported to have been used during the Bosnian War (1992 - 1995).

Thompson Details

Thompson maintains a unique image that has never been seen before and has never been repeated. The body has a boxy appearance, with sun visors occupying the upper rear end. The pistol group is centrally mounted under the body, with the "stick" type magazine just in front of it.

The barrel (of the M1) has a fore sight at the end of the barrel and a horizontal wooden foregrip at the bottom. The wood also complements the pistol grip and fixed stock. Slings can use eyelets located on the bottom of the stock and the bottom of the fore grip. The ammo ejection port is located on the top right of the gun, just above the magazine rail.

Rear sight with flip-up adjustable sight.

Variants

"Persuader" and "Annihilator" are both experimental approaches to Thompson's submachine gun design philosophy. The Persuader was essentially a belt magazine that appeared in 1918, while the Annihilator was a box magazine to match the 20- and 30-round magazines that appeared in 1918 and 1919.

Limited production examples of the Type 1919 were made of only 40 units in total. The Model 1919 has no stock or rear sight, is fully automatic, and uses Colt. 45 ammo (although other ammo types have been tested).

Its rate of fire was quoted as an astonishing 1,500 rounds per minute, and it was shown to the U.S. military in 1920, although only a small amount was sold to the NYPD.

The Model 1921 became the first mass-produced model of the Thompson submachine gun, with approximately 15,000 examples in total. The rate of fire was regulated at 800 rounds per minute, making it a favorite of Prohibition-era gangsters and police forces.

The Model 1923 was an attempt by Auto-Ordnance to demonstrate the weapon to the US Army. This model is the same as the .45 Remington-Thompson cartridge, which has a longer range and a stronger range. The Model 1923 also brought a new twist to the Thompson line of submachine guns by introducing a bipod, bayonet lugs, sling, and horizontal forearm. However, by this time the U.S.

Army had adopted the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and the Model 1923 served essentially the same role. Therefore, further consideration is given to the 1923 model.

The Model 1927 was based on the M1921, but had an open bolt assembly and only offered semi-automatic fire mode (although switching to fully automatic mode was easy). The M1927A1 (also known as the "Thompson Semi-Auto Carbine") model was a semi-automatic version produced between 1974 and 1999 for the civilian market. Production was taken over by Kahr Arms in Massachusetts. Auto-Ordnance at West Hurley produced the Model 1927A3, another form of semi-automatic, but containing the .22 caliber cartridge.

Model 1927A5 became the semi-automatic .45ACP pistol version, also manufactured by Auto-Ordnance. Production is still in progress.

The Model 1928 was the first Thompson submachine gun widely used by the U.S. Armed Forces, including the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy. The Navy called for a lower cyclic rate of fire, so the Type 1928 was essentially a Type 1921 with added weight in the actuator.

With the arrival of World War II in Europe, the 1928 model began to receive large production orders.

The M1928A1 Thompson (or rather "submachine gun, Cal. 45, M1928A1, Thompson") was released in 1928 with a delayed recoil system. Issued to reconnaissance and armored units, these weapons feature selective fire settings in semi-automatic or fully automatic modes and detachable buttstocks. Fire selection is via a switch on the left side of the fuselage, while the stock is removable via two screws on the bottom - although the stock is usually tempered to stabilize the target. Also, some don't have a horizontal foregrip, but instead use a vertical foregrip.

The charge handle is mounted on top of the receiver, with fins visible along the barrel. The gun is fed and used from a 20- or 30-round detachable magazine or a 50-round drum. 45 caliber ammo The magazine count also includes a lesser known 18-round magazine and 100-round drum magazine. The rate of fire is between 600 and 725 rounds per minute.

A muzzle compensator was added to the Cutt to deflect the gas upwards and keep the barrel down when firing. This proved to be of limited value and added complexity to the build, as it was omitted in later production examples of the M1928A1.

The M1928A1 retains a length of 33.75 inches and an empty weight of 10 pounds 12 ounces. The barrel is 10.50 inches long with 6 grooves for right-hand twist.

In any case, however, the M1928A1 turned out to be too heavy for the average infantryman to drag around all day, and too expensive to manufacture in wartime. The 50-drum magazine - while sound in theory - has proven to add a lot of unnecessary weight and make too much noise when it needs to be quiet. The M1928A1 was largely based on the previous Model 1921 and served from 1928 to 1934. However, mass production of this type did not begin until 1939. There is a "Navy" version of the M1928A1, which features the use of a horizontal foregrip, muzzle compensator and swivel sling.

Civilian models of the day were known for their vertical fore gripsthen (now) better known by the cops and gangsters of the 1920s and the Hollywood icons of the time.

Production of the M1928A1 was undertaken by Colt Patent Firearm Manufacturing, Hartford, Connecticut, and Savage Arms, Utica, New York, for Auto Ordnance, Bridgeport, Connecticut. The M1928A1 served with the U.S. Army in Nicaragua, and was used for some time by the U.S.

Coast Guard and other Home Guard and second-line forces.

With World War II looming, the M1928A1 proved too expensive for mass production. As such, the M1 and M1A1 appear to be relatively inexpensive replacements for the complex and expensive M1928A1.

Savage Arms Corporation was already producing the M1928A1 at their factory and had to roll out more Lend-Lease orders. Therefore, the M1 was developed to provide a better option for mass production.