The Thompson was developed as an alternative for the bolt-action rifles of the 1800-1900s, and it was intended initially to be a semi-automatic weapon. It was, however, an automatic submachine gun that was issued after the Great War.
Almost two million Chicago Organ Grinders were produced, with large batches being bought by notable groups such as the Irish Republican Army (IRA), who fought against British occupation of Northern Ireland. They were used in the Irish Civil War from 1922 to 1923, but only caused death in a third of the people hit.
The popular stereotype of gangsters or members of the Mob carrying guns in violin cases was popularized by the rise of the Thompson. Criminals often used this weapon during the rise of the Prohibition Era, which saw the rise of organized crime. In 1938, the U.S. Army adopted the Thompson for domestic and overseas use.
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| A Thompson in a violin case, with "L" drum magazine visible. Stock and foregrip are detached. |
3 comments:
Very interesting to read about the advancements of technology after the pressures of war. Something to look into further would be how the rise of the Mob mentality affected American society?
It's pretty cool to see the origins of one of WWII's more prominent weapons. You might want to look further into how many variants of the Thompson were made. The one in the image is an M1A1, the ubiquitous WWII version, but there were MANY more variants. Something else to look at is the British and Australian equals to this gun, the Sten and Owen guns, respectively. Each one of them is unique in their own fascinating way.
I agree with Malik, it was very interesting to read about the origins of a weapon that was widely used in WWII. I found it particularly intriguing that the Thompson was frequently carried in a violin case. I've heard of the stereotype, but I never knew how it came about.
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