Thompson (submachine gun)
| Thompson submachine gun | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Civil name: | Thompson Gun (Tommy Gun) |
| Military designation: | Thompson Cal. .45 M1928A1 Submachine Gun / Cal. .45 M1 (M1A1) Submachine Gun |
| Country of operation: | United States , British Forces |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | John T. Thompson , Auto-Ordnance Corporation, New York / Colt / Savage Arms / Auto-Ordnance Corporation Bridgeport, CT. |
| Manufacturer country: | United States |
| Production time: | 1921 to 1944 |
| Model variants: | M1919, M1921A, 1921AC, M1923, M1927, M1928A, 1928AC, M1928A1, M1, M1A1 |
| Weapon Category: | Submachine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 852 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 4.9 kg |
| Barrel length : | 267 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : |
.45 ACP .45 Remington-Thompson .45 automatic Peters-Thompson Shot cartridge |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 20, 30 (50, 100) cartridges |
| Cadence : | 600-700 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | optional continuous and single fire |
| Number of trains : | 6th |
| Twist : | Right |
| Visor : | Open sights |
| Closure : | delayed ground connection , M1, M1A1, ground connection |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Thompson sub machine gun , also known as the Thompson Sub Machine Gun or Tommy Gun , is an American submachine gun developed by John T. Thompson during the First World War , which was used in large numbers by the Allied forces during the Second World War .
The Colt-Thompson submachine guns were the forerunners of this weapon .
History, technology
During the First World War, the Auto-Ordnance Corporation founded by General John T. Thompson developed submachine guns. The closure was designed with a view to the patent for the blish closure . The first prototypes of the Thompson were manufactured in the production facilities of the Auto-Ordnance Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio , these weapons, later called the Model of 1919 , had two pistol grips, but no butt stock.
The first Thompsons had a two-part delayed closing mass shutter , in which an H-shaped intermediate piece made of bronze was used for the delay. The magazines were bar magazines for 20 or drum magazines for 50/100 cartridges, rate of fire 800 rounds / min.
Start of production at Colt
In 1921/1922 Colt's Patent Firearms MFG Co. manufactured 15,000 Model of 1921 Colt-Thompson submachine guns in .45 ACP caliber on behalf of Auto-Ordnance . They came onto the market under the following names:
- Model of 1921 (later 1921A)
- Military Model of 1923 (longer barrel, only experimental models )
- Model of 1921 AC (C for Cutts muzzle brake)
- Model of 1927 ( modified for single fire )
- USNavy Model of 1928 (weapons for the US Navy, lower rate of fire, predecessor of the M1928A1)
Thompson submachine guns from war production
Thompson Cal. .45 Submachine Gun, M1928A1
The military version M1928A1 manufactured by Savage and Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport corresponded largely to the M1928. The pistol grip under the barrel was replaced with a wooden fore-end. Later weapons were simplified, the visor was no longer adjustable. They are stamped “S” for Savage and “AO” for Auto-Ordnance in front of the serial number. Production lasted from 1940 to 1943, and 526,511 units were made.
Cal. .45 Submachine Gun M1
The Thompson was further simplified with this model. The delayed ground lock was replaced by a ground lock, the clamping lever was attached on the right side and the piston was no longer removable, but screwed tightly to the lower frame part. In addition, drum magazines could no longer be used, 30-round rod magazines were issued as a replacement. The cadence of the weapon was 600–700 rounds / min. Production 1942–1943: 285,480 units.
Cal. .45 Submachine Gun M1A1
In this weapon, which was still simplified, the movable firing pin was replaced by a fixed protrusion on the breech block. Production 1942–1944: 539,143 units.
The Cal. .45 Submachine Gun M1 and M1A1 could only be XXfired with the 20- round and XXX 30-round rod magazines. The names XX, XXXenter the magazine capacity in Roman numerals on.
Prototypes, trials
- In 1940 Auto Ordnance produced a Model of 1940 with a ground lock in the 1928A1 housing.
- Under the designation M1A2 , the US Navy Auto Ordnance presented an M1 with a housing made of stainless steel.
- On some of the M1 weapons manufactured by Auto-Ordnance, the cocking lever could be used interchangeably on the left and right.
- To evaluate the Thompson replacement weapon, the Auto-Ordnance developed a fully loaded submachine gun with a tubular breech block and ground lock, the T2 Thompson , which was unsuccessful compared to the Grease Gun .
- In early 1941, Savage Arms manufactured 40 M1A1-Thompsons with a light alloy body and plastic handles.
- In October 1941, Savage Arms received an order for 12,000 9 × 19 mm M1A1 Thompsons . Interestingly, like the Thompson with a delayed ground lock, the loading lever is on top of the lock housing and not on the side. The cam magazine holds 30 cartridges. Some of these weapons were manufactured, but no further information is available.
use
From the beginning of the Second World War, the Thompson was mainly used by the Commonwealth of Nations, especially command units and the SAS were equipped with it. Later they were also used as standard submachine guns by the US armed forces , and large numbers were also given to other Allied armies. Many Thompson were shipped to the USSR . They were also used as prey weapons by the German Wehrmacht . With the start of production of the M3 ("Grease Gun"), production of the Thompson was discontinued towards the end of the war. After the Second World War, the submachine gun was used in the Korean War and unofficially in the Vietnam War.
In the United States , the Thompson was also used by civil government agencies. She worked for the FBI until 1976. The state-owned Thompsons have been destroyed or sold to collectors and museums, and a few are still used for educational purposes. Due to its rarity, its manufacturing quality and its history, an original Colt-Thompson Model 1921 or 1928 is a sought-after collector's item .
Post war production
The Numrich Arms Corporation , West Hurley, NY, purchased 1,951 spare parts remainders of M1928A1- and M1A1 models and put it guns for police forces and other public services here. In 1974 she launched a semi-automatic version of the Thompson in calibers .45 and .22 lfB .
The Kahr Arms company , Worcester, MA, also manufactures various semi-automatic weapons such as the 1927 A-1 Commando , the Chicago Typewriter and other variants for the private market in its Auto Ordnance Division under the name Thompson Carbines . To comply with American law, the barrels of these weapons must be at least 16 inches (about 41 cm). All of these weapons have a shooting mass lock and the lock mechanism only allows single fire.
literature
- Frederick Myatt: Modern Handguns, Machine Guns, and Anti-tank Rifles - An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Famous Military Firearms. 4th edition, Verlag Stocker-Schmid Dietikon Zurich, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-7276-7033-9 .
- Martin Pegler: The Thompson Submachine Gun , Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011, ISBN 978-1-84908-654-7 . (82 pages online PDF) ( Memento from May 15, 2018 in the Internet Archive )
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Munition .45 automatic Peters-Thompson Shot cartridge in Philip B. Sharpe: THE THOMPSON SUB-MACHINE GUN (accessed on February 6, 2010) ( Memento from August 16, 2000 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Ian V. Hogg and John Weeks: Military Small Arms of the 20th century . 5th edition. Arms & Armor Predd, London 1985, ISBN 0-85368-708-0 , pp. 114 (English).
- ↑ FWA Hobart: The Submachine Gun The Story of a Fully Automatic Gun . 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1974, ISBN 3-87943-324-0 , p. 34 .
- ↑ Reiner Lidschun, Günter Wollert: Infantry weapons Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world until 1945 . Parragon Books, Königswinter, ISBN 978-1-4454-3816-0 , pp. 538 .
- ^ Ian V. Hogg: Milestones in the history of weapons . 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-613-01325-8 , p. 245 .
- ^ WHB Smith: Small Arms of the World The Basic Manual of Military Small Arms . 6th edition. The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, PN, S. 650 (English).
- ^ Georg Markham: Guns of the Elite Special Forces Firearms, 1940 to the Present . Arms & Armor Press, London 1987, ISBN 1-85409-013-5 , pp. 27 (English).
- ^ Karl R. Pawlas: Weapons Revue No. 14 Sept-Nov. 1974 Thompson M1 A1 submachine gun . Journalistic Archive for the Military and Arms, Nuremberg 1974.
- ^ AJ Barker: The British and American Infantry Weapons of World War II . 2nd Edition. Motorbuch Verlag, ISBN 3-87943-327-5 , p. 15 .