Thompson Submachine Gun - In The Movies

#ww2
An overview of the Thompson Submachine Gun as seen in Gangster/WW2 Movies
More War Movie Content: / johnnyjohnsonesq
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Movies featured:
Untouchables 1987
Home Alone: Angels with Filthy Souls 1990
Dick Tracy 1990
Michael Collins 1996
O Brothers, Where art Thou 2000
Moonwalker 1988
The Phantom 1996
Road to Perdition 2002
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow 2004
The Highwaymen 2019
To Hell and Back 1955
Bridge on the River Kawai 1957
Star Trek 1968
Johnny Dangerously 1984
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1984
Miller’s Crossing 1990
The Rocketeer 1991
Star Trek: First Contact 1996
Wind Talkers 2002
Kung Fu Hustle 2004
Che 2008
Kokoda 2010
The Big Red One 1980
Kelly’s Heroes 1970
Saving Private Ryan 1998
Band of Brothers 2001
The Pacific 2010
Aliens 1986
New Kids Turbo 2010
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood 2019

[@darianthescorpion1132]

Not many firearms can consider themselves a triple threat. The Thompson is a War Hero, a Criminal Mastermind, and a Hollywood Star. 👍👍

[@OohhKilledYou]

Interesting thing about the Thompson, when the National Firearms Act was being written, the price for the tax stamp was chosen to be the price of the Thompson, because the idea was that all criminals were running around using the Thompson, despite it being one of the worst selling firearms at the time. The idea was that it would prevent them from getting them by making them too expensive, but the ironic thing was that the gangsters became one of the few groups that could still afford to buy the Thompson after the NFA

[@edmundcharles5278]

Actually the 1934 NFA was spurred on by the 1930s Depression Era criminal gangs that roved through the mid-west and not that of the 1920s Chicago or New York City organized crime gangster- whose main victims were other gangsters and not ordinary American citizens. The Press and general public took glee in reading about city gangster knocking one another off, but when the 1930s gangsters started to affect everyday Americans, fear took hold and the 1934 NFA was passed as a result. Unfortunately, the Hollywood Studios did not lobby Congress for an exemption for their movie studio arsenals for an NFA Act exemption, too many US Film companies were left with either a limited supply of old NFA firearms or US made weapons that had to be faked to look. like other types of automatic weapons.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

I read somewhere that Capone's hoods never actually owned any Thompsons - they hired them from a sporting gunsmith's in Chicago and returned them when finished with!

[@jackstecker5796]

Another thing to consider is, what submachine guns were around in the 1920s? Off the top of my head, all I can come up with is the Thompson, and the Bergmann MP-18.

[@peefrimgaar5095]

@@jackstecker5796 The guns nobody used in bf1 lol

[@KageMinowara]

It's almost as though gun laws don't stop criminals from acquiring guns.

[@michaelmacek9433]

I had an opportunity to shoot a Thompson model 1928 years ago. I quickly learned firing long bursts from the shoulder resulted in muzzle climb and twisting motion getting it off target quickly. Firing from the hip made the weapon more controllable. A really cool old school weapon.

[@sagerosevideography]

I just shot a model 1928 about a month ago! I’ve never had so much fun shooting any other gun my entire life😂

[@grast5150]

Forgotten Weapons did a live firing test of the original M1921 at 900 RPM versus M1928 at 650-700 RPM. He found the faster 900 RPM was more controllable for long burst. I have never had the opportunity myself. Later

[@panthercreek60]

I discovered the same thing. Interesting

[@Wailwulf]

For my birthday in 2018, I went to a gun range in Las Vegas where one could rent guns to fire. I did the "Saving Private Ryan" package that included : Springfield M-1903A3, M1 Carbine, M-1918A2 BAR, Colt M1911, M1 Garand, and Thompson M1A1. I am not a gun owner, but have with friends and family fired 22s, hunting rifles, shotguns, and pistols probably a dozen times before that birthday. The BAR was nice, but I wouldn't want to carry it. The Garand was sweet, the 1911 great. I had ordered extra clips for both the 1911 and the Thompson. The package came with two clips for each gun, but for the 1911 and Thompson I had a total of five clips. So last gun was the Thompson. As the safety instructor was showing me how to load the clip, another customer went into the stall next to me with two machine guns he had rented. I started firing, (had to fire from the shoulder, no hip shooting). I ended up firing in two to four bullet bursts _Bap Bap Bap_. Half way through the first clip my neighbor fires his first clip _BRRRRRT!_ Full auto. I finish my 1st clip, reload under the instructor's attention. Fire in bursts again. Just felt right. _Bap Bap Bap Bap_ Neighbor goes _BRRRRT!_ again, and again. I reload, fire again, just enjoying the feel. Reload the third clip, _BRRRRT!_ Before I fire, I hear the guy yell enough for me to hear, "That was awesome!" and then he and his instructor leave. I fire the Thompson, reload and repeat. Load, aim at the target, _Bap Bap Bap_ My instructor lightly touches my shoulder. I take my finger away from the trigger as I had been told to do before entering the range. He leans in and says: "You are on your last clip!" He leans back and takes his hand away from my shoulder. I realize I had been having so much fun in firing the Thompson in bursts, I forgot about going auto. I take aim. Squeeze the trigger. *BRRRRRT!!* Yeah, that is a great gun to shoot.

[@brinsonharris9816]

Wasn’t the 1928 what Sgt. Saunders used in Combat!? Think it had the finned barrel, plain horizontal handguard and Cutts compensator.

[@4thmonitorion731]

Thompson in a nutshell: We we're bad (Mafia stories), but now we're good. (WW2 stories)

[@exudeku]

The Sex Off....the Gun Offender shuffle

[@WalkaCrookedLine]

In early WWII the British called Thompsons "gangster guns" and resisted buying them because of that association (and because they were freaking expensive). Somehow they got over their resistance when we offered them as lend-lease items. Eventually they made Stens at less than a tenth the cost of a Thompson, and used those as well as giving oodles of Stens away to various resistance groups.

[@imadrifter]

Kinda like the Italians in Ww2 Were bad Jk were good

[@Dan_the_afol]

@@exudeku I’m grateful someone beat me to it

[@bigblue6917]

@@WalkaCrookedLine I had forgotten about the 'gangster guns' reference. Thanks. Interestingly when Trenchard wanted to have bullet proof glass used to protect the fighter pilots he was initially opposed on the grounds of costs. His reply was that if American gangster can have it then to could his pilots. They got it.

[@maxrieker1591]

Family friend was SF in Vietnam and he ended up using a 1921 throughout his time in service and has nothing but praise about it’s overall performance. He even got his hands on a few drum mags but said he never used them all that much, due to how much noise they made, whiled being carried.

[@visassess8607]

Weird how he used the 1921 version with a box magazine instead of the M1A1. Presumably he'd have access to pretty much any gun he could want and there were probably more M1A1s in stock than the older, non-military variant. I'm guessing he used it because of its higher rate of fire? Even still he'd run out of the 20 or 30 rounds he had faster.

[@maxrieker1591]

@@visassess8607 From what he told me, is they started out with Car-15s and M16s mostly, along with M60s. After the first few firefights, he ditched his M16 because in his words “it got good men killed” due to the unreliability of ammunition and lack of cleaning kits at the time. He then switched to an M14, but do to the short engagement distances, it over penetrated on combatants and was an issue. During this time, other unit members started using, Swedish Ks, MAT49s, grease guns and whatever other SMGs they could scrounge up. Eventually he got his hands on the Thompson and never looked back. He like the high rate of fire and the caliber. Said the effect on target was extremely effective. Ammo wasn’t too big of a concern as they were resupplied 2-3x a week via airdrops from UH-1s. As the war went on the arms and armament they used became more and more unique, like Stoner 63s, chopped M60s, RPDs and AKMs for example.

[@krossen4]

@@maxrieker1591 I didn't know they chopped down the M-60 and Stoner 63. Just looked at some pictures of both guns taken from Vietnam. Very impressive!

[@dannylojkovic5205]

I find that interesting that he liked the box magazine and not the sticks. The sticks, from what I have heard, also led to less jamming. The PPSH, I know, was notorious for jamming with the box magazine

[@edmundcharles5278]

Very interesting as the 1921 TSMG was rare to be found even in the US Army/Navy/Marines during the 1940s, since only 15,000 1921s were ever produced and records show that a scant amount went to the US military; to have a 1921 in Vietnam would be super-rare as it was no longer found in the US Ordnance inventory, nor were spare parts for the 1921 in the supply chain.

[@griz312]

The history of the Thompson is very interesting. What’s really sad though is the Inventor John T. Thompson regretted making the SMG because of the bad publicity from the Media Sensationalizing the use by the Mob. He never got to live to see US Troops use the weapon and nor his kin.

[@DefunctYompelvert]

He died in 1939 if I remember correctly, so at least he got to see it officially adopted by the army in 1938

[@Perfusionist01]

Here's one for the history buff: look at the WW2 Tables of Organization and Equipment (TO&E) for a standard US Army infantry regiment in WW2 and you won't see the Thompson SMG in line companies! It's a common fact that GIs "acquired" Thompsons (or M3 "Grease Guns") to add to their firepower. Look at Robert Mitchum in "The Story Of GI Joe" - he carries a Thompson instead of the carbine that a company commander would be issued. The classic Sgt Saunders from "Combat" always managed to have an M1928A1 - no matter how many times he lost his weapon, by the next week he had another M1928A1. The paratroopers always had "Tommy Guns" assigned, partly because their original TO&E didn't have the BAR (too big and heavy to jump with, but the BAR WAS authorized before the Holland jumps). The extra SMGs were also authorized to a parachute rifle company to boost their firepower since that didn't have as many heavy weapons as a "leg" infantry outfit. The Marines always seened to have SMGs around .

[@wbertie2604]

I've seen late 1944 paratrooper TO&E and still don't see the BAR in them, but there is the M1919A6. It seems that many movies show the BAR in paratrooper use before Market Garden, though, and there is some photographic evidence of this. You don't see sniper rifles in the TO&E either, but you rarely see grenade launchers on rifles in movies set in or around D-Day, despite them being issued at two per squad for the M1. Before D-Day it was primarily the M1903 Springfield that was for launching grenades, and you don't see that either.

[@K-Nyne]

Yes the only American infantry formations that had standard issue Thompson were the (marine) airborne and rangers. Otherwise, like you say, they would acquire them from vehicle crews or supply bases themselves. I think the widespread use of the Thompson in films and videogames has made people believe it was standard issue everywhere (I used to in the past)

[@wbertie2604]

@@K-Nyne at the start of WW2, even the MP-40 was primarily issued to vehicle crews. Thompsons were also issued to US Army mortar crew, although mostly before the M1 carbine. In many ways I would have thought an M1 rifle would have been better there than the Thompson, as it would have been about the same weight with a few clips and longer-ranged. Officially chemical (smoke) mortar men got M1917s, which is an odd choice given their limited standard status. I doubt they often issued them, and the only WW2 photo of US forces I've seen with an M1917 was a Marine iron sights sniper.

[@WalkaCrookedLine]

@@K-Nyne U.S. armored infantry (the halftrack riding infantry in the armored divisions) had standard issue Thompsons from the beginning. The 1942 TO&E used for the operation Torch landings specified one Thompson per halftrack, officially issued to the driver, apparently intended as self defense if he was operating the vehicle alone. Rifle squad sergeants quickly modified that arrangement, picking the Thompsons up themselves or assigning them to column point men. The drivers usually wound up with M1 carbines. Which they generally liked, as they were a lot lighter to tote around than a Thompson. Usually there were three rifle squads but five halftracks per platoon, so some rifle squads actually wound up with two (the MG squad and mortar squad having little use for them).

[@K-Nyne]

@@WalkaCrookedLine I know, that is why I mentioned vehicle crews. Halfway through 1944 these Thompsons were replaced with M3's but the Thompson stuck around wherever they'd been swapped

[@zionisme4life828]

Just love the fact that one of the first and last scenes you show is from New Kids Turbo. Those movies are just so ridiculous and you have to love them for it.

[@jackdaw3822]

Yeah we Dutch are really proud of those movies

[@longtabsigo]

M1928 is what my father carried in Korea ‘52-54 and his first tour in Vietnam ’60-62. I actually was a firearm instructor teaching certain Central American dudes on its use and maintenance; I also have one in my personal collection.

[@at1970]

The best thing about the Thompson is that it never misses when pointed at criminals or Nazis.

[@MIMthegreat]

Or commies :))

[@IceAxe1940]

@@MIMthegreat The Communists have the PPSH.

[@pykemid3954]

lol ask how many gi died in hand of thompson in korean war lolzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz😂

[@jelly.212]

@@MIMthegreat hmmm somebody got offended when Nazis were mentioned 😉

[@cartoonraccoon2078]

@@jelly.212 They just added to the list. No idea why you would assume anyone was offended.

[@rongendron8705]

In the great, made on a set, 1943 movie "Bataan", nearly every one of the 13 soldiers depicted, carried a Thompson sub-machine gun, (highly unlikely)! However, this morale building film, set a the very start of WWII, showed the effectiveness of the "Tommy-Gun", against the Japanese carrying only rifles! The scenes, firing this weapon for extended periods, were some of the most awesome, ever filmed! Don't miss it! p.s. I was in the Army National Guard with the son of one of the stars of this movie, i.e. Lee Bowman!

[@billhuber2964]

Thomson was one bad ass weapon. In our old neghiborhood we had a couple of ww2 army vets who sang praises about the " Tommy gun".

[@makukawakami]

Lt. Spiers' mad dash in Foy will always be iconic

[@noneofyourbusiness9489]

Always good to starts off with Kelly's Heroes. That and Where Eagles Dare are my all time favorite movies.

[@bobcohoon9615]

The first 10,000 1928's ,a batch made just before the war, were supposed to go to France but France fell before they could be delivered, so England took them . This gave them a powerful smg to use while the STEN was starting to be mass produced.There is a famous picture of Churchill with one of those first batch ones

[@remy1234ish]

One of my elementary school teachers was a B25 pilot in the CBI theater in WWII. He told a story about his group of pilot trainees being taken to the range and firing a number of different weapons. One of them froze on the trigger of a Thompson, the barrel climbed straight up, everyone hit the deck except the range sergeant, who hit that Lt. in a flying tackle.

[@Nonsense010688]

A fun fact about the Thompson: one reason the British army didn't want to use it (pre war, because in war they found out that not having sub machine guns was bad), was because its image of a gangster weapon. Now they did anyway, because they desperately needed weapons in the first years of the war.

[@eugenegilleno9344]

My father was an RN Commando from 1942-45 and often used the Thompson, but disliked it because of the weight and inaccuracy at longer distances.

[@TheSuspectOnFoot]

Kinda funny because the image of Winston Churchill holding a Thompson was used in German propaganda to depict him as a gangster or a crook.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

It was actually referred to as 'the gangster gun' - and a more pressing reason pre-war was the cost! Tommys were expensive, Britain was broke and the gold/pound/dollar exchanges extortionate. BSA did consider looking into acquiring the licence to make them here, but its association with the IRA deterred them (Oh, we're all off to Dublin, in the green, in the green, where the helmets twinkle in the sun, where the rifles flash and the bayonets clash, to the rattle of a Thompson gun......")

[@edmundcharles5278]

Well there was an interesting incident which occurred in the early 1920s in which about 400 TSMG Model 1921 were going to be smuggled into Ireland to the IRA as part of an arming scheme for Irish Independence. The 400 TSMGs were discovered aboard a freighter by a crew member and the 400 TSMGs were returned back to Auto Ordnance with scratched out serial numbers- these versions called Irish Shears. Over the years, 1921 TSMGs did make their way into the IRA and this symbol and weapon spoiled the taste of the British for the firearm, along with Hollywood movies. WW II changed all of that and with the Germans well- armed with MP 38/40 SMGs, they wanted a SMG as soon as possible, reputation and image be damned.

[@SidneyBroadshead]

Some of the Thompsons issued in North Africa in the beginning of the war were French contract and the manuals were in French. When France fell, they were re-routed to England. They were given to the ANZACs, who took out the Blish lock and replaced it with a hex bolt and welded the peepholes in the magazine shut to keep out the sand. One of the big complaints the British had was how the Type L 50-round drums would often jam, fail or break. They were replaced by the Type XX 20-round magazine. The 30-round magazine was available in late 1942 but didn't get into common issue until after D-Day. The big problem was finding webgear ammo pouches for the 30-round magazines.

[@Gneeznow]

I work in an Irish museum, and we were able to date certain photos because the guys in them were carrying Thompsons, which meant they were either taken at the very end of the war for independance or, more likely, during the civil war of 1922. Being able to identify the guns in the pictures has been a huge advantage sometimes.

[@josephbuckley1574]

Let's face it, for an entire generation of men alive today, the quintessential Thompson character was Sgt. Chip Saunders played by Vic Morrow in the TV series 'Combat!!!'.

[@matrox]

He used the 1928 model with the 30 round mag. The M1A1 ver. later became the standard.

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

Never understood why Johnny doesn't use clips from Combat, Rat Patrol, Hogan's Heroes, 12 O'clock High, etc, etc...

[@randycheow4268]

If I’m not mistaken, drum mag Thompsons also saw some use by the US military during the war but were limited. It was commonly saw in the hands of British or commonwealth troops

[@hasmatyre5293]

love seeing kellys heroes recognized as a great movie

[@skylaneav8r902]

My grandfather carried one across France in Patton’s 3rd Army. Shortly before the Battle of the Bulge it was “suggested” by his captain for anyone with a Thompson to turn it in and draw a new grease gun per some memorandum. He said he looked at the cheap stamped grease gun, turned right around, and stayed out of sight thinking “there is no way I’m giving up my Thompson for that POS!” No one ever mentioned it from then on and he hung onto it until he was wounded during an artillery attack near the end of the Battle of the Bulge.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

To be fair, the M3 Grease Gun is excellent in its own right. Equally reliable, lighter, and a slower rate of fire for easier control.

[@mikem6176]

@@huntclanhunt9697I’ve seen them jam. And the slow rate of fire, ~450 rpm, makes it effectively a fast semiautomatic.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

@@mikem6176 They didn't jam any more often than the Thompson. You seeing them jam does not change what I said in the slightest.

[@mikem6176]

@@huntclanhunt9697 Well, good for you. But calling the M3 “excellent” is an exercise in hyperbole. It was an Uber-cheap wartime replacement that wasn’t expected to stick around long. By the time I carried one it was over 40 years old, and much like the dino-tanks I trained on, definitely showing its age.

[@TitusCastiglione1503]

@@mikem6176 It wasn’t old when issued though.

[@mikimr8676]

Thompson M1921 is my favourite.

[@cyberleaderandy1]

In "Dads Army" the UK home guard comedy series set in ww2 they get a Thompson with the pistol grip front and drum. This is played as a big event and they all want to hold it ( one doing the typical gangster impersonation) but it would have been undoubtedly a big event getting such a weapon at a local defence level at that time.

[@stephensmith4480]

The Thompson`s that The Royal Marine Commando`s used had their Sling Swivels moved onto the Side of the wooden Furniture, front and rear but I don`t know why.

[@richardcaves3601]

Famous Churchill photo carrying one

[@Curtissaviation]

​ I'm thinking it lies flat across their back when the crawl or swim.

[@matrox]

One of the coolest looking guns ever made.

[@laniemon]

The Thompson & Uzi pretty much introduced me to firearm via film in my childhood.

[@Agent77X]

You can buy it from the Sears Catalog in the 1920-1930s.

[@MaximilianoAedo]

The Tommy gun is just as iconic as the AK-47 and the M16.

[@Gearparadummies]

The Thompsons 1921-28 sold poorly in the civilian market. There were about 8,000 of them around. They were very expensive to buy and fairly hard to come by. That didn't prevent anti-gunners from using it to pass the NFA of 1934. They never change.

[@jameswolf133]

Needed scenes from classic gangster flicks.

[@dukecraig2402]

The first 50 Thompsons were made for the NYC police department, they had the highest firing rate of any Thompsons ever made at 1,500 rounds per minute, I've often wondered if they have any left in their arms rooms.

[@Ed-ig7fj]

Okay, one more post. I wasn't there, but my buddy Robert was in Vietnam and obtained a Thompson. Once when they were taking fire from somewhere he opened up with it on a suspicious stand of bamboo. He said it was great: fronds were flying, and stalks of bamboo were thrashing around from the bullets. When he stopped shooting, this little VC popped out of the brush way off to one side with his hands up yelling, "Chieu Hoy!" He had been terrified by the Thompson's effect on the bamboo, even though he was nowhere close. Xin loi, Pal! --Old Guy

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Excellent story Ed! Love hearing this experiences. Nice ending for everyone there too.

[@jasonsantos3037]

The Thompson sub machine gun is the most iconic machine gun of all time.

[@jordanandrew2786]

Famous quote from Ian McCollum at Forgotten Weapons - "The Thompson was obsolete by WW2".

[@edmundcharles5278]

...but it was readily available and that is all that mattered.

[@jordanandrew2786]

@@edmundcharles5278 Hardly. It was expensive to manufacture, and the US military had relatively small stockpiles of them since they were still somewhat skeptical of the concept of the SMG. They began phasing them out of service as quickly as possible.

[@mikem6176]

@@jordanandrew2786Well, they tried to. The M1928 design was made obsolete by simpler and cheaper weapons, and was itself officially replaced by the M1 & M1A1, but its days were indeed numbered. But production delays meant that there would never be enough M3 & M3A1 subs to permit the Thompson’s retirement until after the war, by which time the US had produced over 1.5 million of them.

[@popzom4440]

Also fun fact in the ambush for Bonnie and Clyde you’ll see that most of the officers were using Browning automatic machine guns and heavier calibre semi rifles for the exact reason that the thompson could not penetrate car doors very well

[@BHuang92]

I was very lucky to hold a Thompson when I was a kid. Loved it ever since! ❤

[@sgtjarhead99]

I know the Tommy is dated and from a practical point of view, there are better SMGs these days, but I would LOVE to have such a piece of history. Especially one of the WWII models.

[@matrox]

I have one...get your own kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3PdpIeoqriBmZI

[@thatcampingmann9543]

Auto ordinance makes a version but it is an sbr

[@mineduck3050]

Get into airsoft

[@Ponen77]

for 7:08 the scene may be considered as a revealing error, since the mock tigers were built upon t34's, they probably had to remove the t34 drivers hatch to allow the fake tiger viewport to be installed and probably didnt install the mock bulletproof glass blocks so that the driver could see better. The viewport becomes even more glaring during the bridge scene where cpt Miller is firing his colt 1911 at the tank. when the tank drives up its clearly a mocked up t34 with open unarmoured viewport but after cpt Miller fires his last round the tiger is clearly a mocked up dummy that looks nothing like the tank that was just shown split seconds earlier, probably plywood, you can see they even added a fake viewport with what looks like black paint, maybe to simulate the bulletproof glass? when the tank explodes that plywood or sheet metal viewport spins to the bottom revealing it was just a flat piece, and the debris looks very much like wood, probably plywood.

[@imadrifter]

Yeah, if only they had destroyed a real tiger 1 for the movie

[@Ponen77]

@@imadrifter Oh no that would have been too expensive, maybe if the movie had been made back in the 50's like that 1955 Czech film The Tank Brigade, then maybe they could have done it, back then the Czechs had access to huge amounts of actual leftover tanks from the war. At the time SPR had been made that would have been too wasteful and expensive so a better idea could have been a sheet metal mockup like the replica cheap diy tanks that folks like omeyfilms or hobbyists make.

[@Wailwulf]

Shooting through the slots of a tank is a war story trope. I remember a Sgt. Fury comic book where they take out a tank by the squad pouring lead into a German tank through any opening at point blank range.

[@user-gr1or4lj6z]

Actually, the Thompson continued to be used by the U.S. Navy in Vietnam. We had a couple as well as M16s aboard our boats in I-Corp out of DaNang in 1969 and 1970.

[@kayakdan48]

USN Submarine Squadron 12 (all diesel-electric boats)...we used Thompsons as late as the early 70's. Our arms locker had both Government .45's and Thompsons...anything that fired a .45 ACP. I never got to fire an m-16 all through the Vietnam War. With Guppy Conversions, all the fleet boats lost their deck guns (we were Balao Class Guppy IIa) so for surfaced combat, small arms were all there was available facing down Cuban gun boats on patrol while surfaced.

[@wcharliewilson7004]

You've done your homework... The M41A Pulse Rifle: a tricked-out M1A1

[@CrossOfBayonne]

Another well known movie the Thompson SMG appeared in was Who Framed Roger Rabbit where it was used for short time on screen by the Weasel toons, 1940s Los Angeles was full of criminal activity and it was also depicted in Gangster Squad

[@jamesturner9651]

Watched this video the other day and forgot to comment. It’s such an iconic weapon. Even in non American movies of this period. I just can’t imagine an automatic .45 and the destruction is caused.

[@yveaux500]

I can't believe you put New Kids Turbo in there. You were already in my coolbook Johnny but now you're ice cold! Bravo!

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

The people need more New Kids Turbo lol. And thanks man 🙏

[@Agent77X]

Thompson still the most reliable submachine in the history of submachine guns!

[@fuckinantipope5511]

There are plenty of SMGs as reliable or even better than the Thompson while also being more practical. If it's supposed to be open bolt, the Sterling comes to mind. Closed bolt, the MP5 will be superior in every way

[@huntclanhunt9697]

The Thomspon works great for hip firing. The shape of the stock and positioning of the grips allow a very comfortable hold on it to control sustained fire for suppression or close quarters.

[@theanimalguy7]

No wonder every gangster hip fire this.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

@@theanimalguy7 Close quarters it wouldn't much matter either. Recoil is easier to control with hipfire the ways the gun is shaped.

[@historythings6939]

I got to shoot one at a reenactment in my town two weeks ago. It’s very smooth and surprisingly quiet.

[@thekhoifish0146]

2:00 the best tommy cameo

[@ramonaraneta2044]

I remember this is the kind of weapon Sgt Saunders (Vic Morrow) uses in the Television series Combat.

[@gregoryfilar1783]

And Kirby’s BAR, Hanley’s carbine, the Garlands and MP40. I think I also saw an episode where the Germans were using a Browning machine gun

[@matrox]

Yeh...I watched that show from season 1 til the end when I was a kid. Some now on YT.

[@YOUSEFTECALB]

Would love you to do a video on the PPSH.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

I should be able to do that in the near future :)

[@rolfagten857]

Cool summary of images Johnny! The Shootout / IRS scene in "Mobsters" (1991) was also memorable!

[@esbam2002]

Two observations: First, any automatic weapon should be fired in short controlled 3-5 round bursts. Second, for the Capt Miller kill through a view port there was actually a guy at Arnhem, Major Allison Digby Tatham-Warter shown roughly as Maj Harry Carlyle in the movie A Bridge Too Far, that incapacitated the driver of an armored car by shoving an umbrella through the view port. Hitting the driver in the eye.

[@christophersnyder1532]

Tomorrow will be Remembrance Day, for our fallen, and our serving, lest we forget. Take care, and all the best.

[@claiborneeastjr4129]

I have Kahr version, semi-auto, and it is smiles all around when firing it. I do have a drum mag, but use the stick mag instead. Gets lots of attention at the range - everyone wants to shoot it. It has never jammed or failed in any way, and shoots to point of aim.

[@ordinaryman1904]

In the 2005 movie King Kong the dude who owns the boat opens up a wooden crate to reveal a bunch of Thompsons. That was a great scene.

[@zonk4718]

Yo thanks for mentioning Kokoda, underrated movie

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Seconded

[@streetgato9697]

In the original Dawn of the Dead film, one of the leaders of the biker gang who attacked the shopping mall was armed with a 1928 Thompson with a drum magazine. He was spray shooting that tommy gun for fun until he got shot by the main character, then he let off a short burst before he got overwhelmed and eaten by the zombies lol!

[@unclecreepy4324]

As a kid growing up in the 1960s the most famous Thompson was carried by Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) in the TV show Combat!

[@anthonyfoutch3152]

My dad said he carried a Thompson in WWII. He wouldn't talk much about the war but he fought in the same engagements as Major Audi Murphy.

[@dragonstormdipro1013]

Fun fact, Tommy guns were in use with Indian police in Kashmir up until 1995, even that the M1921 and M1928 versions, which actually is the first SMG issued to British Indian army.

[@westernunionmotors4401]

Thanks Sir! The fun and interesting video 💯

[@CoolSmoovie]

Fun fact, the Thompson was heavier than the Garand

[@Bmuenks31]

Honestly I think the Thompson and it's movie variants (like the pulse rifle) are the most beautiful SMG's to exist shame there so expensive

[@salinagrrrl69]

The M1921 w/ drum mags were miscast in the final ambush scene in 1967s "Bonnie & Clyde". Miscast because the actual lawmen used BARs.

[@charles1964]

@salinagrrrl69 Actually Bonnie & Clyde used BAR's that they stole from an Armory. Texas Ranger Frank Hamer and his posse used Remington Model 8 Autoloaders in .35 Caliber with 15 Round Magazines to Ambush the Infamous Couple - but you're right about no Thompson's being used, except in the movies....

[@salinagrrrl69]

@@charles1964 I probably misrecall the docuu I saw. But I do recall from it Clyde had 1r2 BARS in the car with one with stock sawed off. Ezr to fire from fleeing car window?

[@cartoonraccoon2078]

Our military advisor worked with a firearms company to make a pulse rifle shell over a Thompson when we were in production on Aliens: Colonial Marines. I never fired it, but got to hold it, and it was stupid heavy.

[@diegorincon4673]

Using it in controlled bursts in video games works really well.

[@kobeduyver8087]

I love that you added a clip from new kids

[@caralho5237]

the thompson condom thing has the potential for so many safety jokes

[@visassess8607]

I love the look of the M1A1 version

[@CrossOfBayonne]

M1928 for me

[@darkphoenix4568]

This SMG talks the talk and walks the walk.

[@jamesgeorge960]

i love these War movies

[@joshuabessire9169]

A sailor story I heard once so take it with a grain of salt: 50 sailors were all going to qualify on the Thompson at once. Just as the range instructor was about to shout "FIRE!" A seagull landed down range right in the middle. Firing commenced, 50 sailors passed, and 50 targets lived to see another day. 1 target did not.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

I used to order the small arms munitions for an RAF station, and the armoury sergeant told me this story. A group of new recruits were being given training in the use of sub-machine guns when a WRAF girl walked past. The sergeant invited her to try firing one of the weapons, but 'forgot' to tell her the correct way to stand, feet apart to brace the recoil. She pulled the trigger, started being spun around like a catherine wheel, and, my informant said, you had never seen a dozen squaddies dig a slit trench so rapidly.........

[@krossen4]

I was hoping you wouldn't leave out "Miller's Crossing" Nice!

[@M_Alistair]

I always liked how punchy they sounded in Band of Brothers

[@51Yeti]

My Grandfather was an interpreter in WWII (a Cajun who spoke French and English) and he carried a Thompson as basically a officer's aide. He was a NCO.

[@the_real_frost]

not only is the thompson drum mag not militarily good but it loads from the side and empty loaded into the gun it clanks

[@petergarofolo9385]

Sgt. Saunders in the tv show Combat had a love affair with his Thompson. Good video. 👍

[@MichalKaczorowski]

Thanks for pointing out the Tiger scene from Saving Private Ryan. It always pissed me off. Just like opening the hatch from the outside to throw grenades.

[@georgeskinner2474]

My Dad was with the 101st in WW ll. He made it all the way from Normandy to the end of the war. He said he sure liked his Thompson.

[@chaosncheckt9356]

During my military service, I had the opportunity to train with a carry a Thompson as well as a 1911 pistol and at one point a M3A1 grease gun. I'm 6'2" and averaged in the day 210-220 and I'll tell you right now, to carry enough ammo to justify carry a Thompson or M3A1 you had a workout. The .45 round as a low velocity - many a day on the range you could stand to the side and actually see the round go down range. The effective range was listed at 100 yard and while you may hit a target at that distance, your point of aim for a human size target would be a full body height higher. Yep, the drop in the .45 trajectory was huge. Second, the .45 quickly lost muzzle velocity. Actually saw .45 round bounce off cardboard targets set at 75m. Now, if you are conducting Close Quarters Combat the .45 with either the Thompson or M3A1 is a good weapon. Close range it has some awesome knock down as well as penetration power.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Excellent! This is just the sort of insight I look for on here. Thanks so much for adding this. Your experience is spot on with my understanding of the weapon.

[@WalkaCrookedLine]

I've never so much as touched a Thompson, my expertise is all theoretical. I have read a basic load in WWII was typically 210 rounds, a 30 round stick in the gun and 6 more mags on the belt in two triple pouches. How does that match up with your experience?

[@garyolivier792]

Agreed. CQB, nothing beats it.

[@chaosncheckt9356]

@@WalkaCrookedLine WWII issue was seven magazines and was the standard load during training when we carried the Thompson. If you want real fire power, we had a few .45cal drum magazines. Been far too many years to remember how many rounds one held, but I remember doing jungle training and immediate action drills and our point man who was carrying the Thompson laid waste to heavy jungle vegetation.

[@craigthescott5074]

Ok I’m calling BS here I actually own a 1928 Thompson and 45 rounds are not bouncing off cardboard at any distance. Yes 45 is slow and heavy but aiming 6 feet above a target at 100 yards it’s also BS. I regularly shoot 45 out of pistols at 100 yards and you have to aim about a foot high. Your repeating wifes tales other idiots with no experience are telling you.

[@gavin8651]

There is a tv show called world on fire and at the Dunkirk evacuation you can see a french soldier holding an m1a1 but it has the top mounted bolt everything else looks like an m1a1

[@galesams4205]

While serving in vietnam highlands enemy contact i took a Thopson Machine gun from enemy vc. Yes american made. AK 47 and SKS and mol-sun Nagnants were the standard arms for the vc. All arms had to be destroyed per 4th inf. div.10th armored calvery.

[@george217]

You used to be able to buy the 1921 in the Sears and Roebuck catalog. Some of the first federally purchased ones were for the US Postal Service.

[@vortega472]

The Chicago Piano makes for a great movie star.

[@henrykrecklow817]

Talking about the weight of the Thompson, in the TV series Combat, Vic Morrow carried a fake Thompson when not having to shoot because he didn't like carrying that heavy gun around.

[@edmundcharles5278]

Correct, and as stated previously, the TSMG was not a firearms to be carried long distances, if at all possible, by straight leg infantry. If an alternative higher weapon was offered up, it was usually taken up by the infantry and paratroopers who had to hump with everything on their persons, unlike those in the armored divisions.

[@breezybmetal8646]

I was waiting to see “ combat” with Vic morrow shown I think he used a 1928 I love that series

[@frickpoo6644]

awesome!!!! love this channel!

[@samalvey8168]

I remember this weapon from the video game of Peter Jackson's King Kong film. It can mow down anything short of a V-Rex in seconds...........which is probably why the first level where it can be used is the one where you first encounter a V-Rex. 50 drum mag did nothing more than piss it off!

[@longuecarabine8103]

ACCURATE (THE VIDEO, NOT JUST THE THOMPSON!). WELL DONE. WORTH THE TIME! THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT.

[@MyHentaiGirl]

I always like the millitary one more than the gangster

[@bobafettslaundryroom755]

Great job! Very cool!

[@clevlandblock]

Pretty meticulously selected clips. JJ must be a serious film buff. I would have added or even highlighted the gun's most notorious moment in history as lavishly depicted in the 1967 movie, "The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre".

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

I thought about it forsure. Despite the subject matter I really try my best to make these videos a bit light hearted.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq You've got so many classic movies to pick from, though, from the original Paul Muni "Scarface" through to "Some like it Hot." "What this (a Tommy) in your golf club bag?" "Oh, gee, dat's mah macchie......"

[@PatrickJDoyle-bw3fu]

I own a semiautomatic Thompson, manufactured by Kahr Arms, model T1 (1927A-1) 13lbs with a 30 round stick magazine, I have a greater respect for the GI'S who carried this to the fight.

[@orange8420]

The only pain is When you draw a ppsh 41 and your partner say it's a tommy gun

[@nursestoyland]

The trench shotgun was the real trench broom!

[@trevorblanton4863]

I love these videos your a great historian definitely subscribed! I have a request for future videos and i cant believe you haven't done them yet. Mosin Nagant in the movies and Kar 98k in the movies.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thanks man! Will do. Those are big projects so you just have to give me some time.

[@trevorblanton4863]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq yeah no doubt! Looking forward to it!

[@Agent77X]

Sgt. Sonders Thompson was customized to shoot at 1/2 the speed of a regular WW2 Thompson to save on blanks!😮 His Thompson was a 1929 model with a compensator attached!

[@doomguy349]

Great video as always! Can you do one of these for the M14?

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Absolutely on my list but give me about a month 🙏

[@doomguy349]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Amazing, I love this channel!

[@davidturcotte5677]

I had a replica Thompson in 9mm at one time. The thing jammed every third shot so I got rid of it. Wish I hadn't. It would have made a great wall display.

[@cliffpeebles9705]

The only memorable omissions I can think of was Sargent Saunders from the TV show Combat, and Warren Zevon's Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner (although that was a song). Cool video.