Chipotle Publishing LLC

American Thunder - Third Edition

Military Thompson Submachine Guns

Designed by U.S. Army Brigadier General John T. Thompson for use in WWI’s trench combat, this iconic weapon came along too late for use in that conflict. However, the weapon soon became synonymous with many conflicts and actions in its lengthy history. Along the way, the Thompson gun earned many nicknames; the Tommy Gun, the Chicago typewriter, the Trench Broom,  the Chopper, the Gun that made the Twenties Roar, and others. 

Despite missing the “Great War”, General Thompson’s gun (first manufactured by the Auto-Ordnance Co.) was quickly adopted by the U.S. military, seeing action in various low intensity brushfire conflicts of the 1920’s. The gun also saw extensive use in protecting U.S. mail, combatting crime (it was used by Prohibition agents, as well as by the bootleggers they opposed), the IRA, and it saw use by various foreign nations. Several notorious criminals of the 20’s and 30’s made full use of the Thompson gun’s firepower, such as during Chicago’s infamous St Valentine’s Day massacre of 1929.

The Tommy Gun was widely used during the Second World War, issued to U.S. forces including tank crews, and a great many were provided via Lend-Lease to nations including Great Britain and the USSR. After WWII, the Thompson gun soldiered on world-wide, with various nation’s armies and insurgents alike. Some examples even surfaced in Iraq during the action there.

This in-depth study of the Thompson Submachine gun is the Third Edition of this work, first copyrighted in 2000.

Vital Statistics

Format - hardcover, portrait format

Page Count - 412 high gloss pages

Size - 8.75”x 11.5”

Photos - Black and White, Full Color

Tables / drawings / diagrams - many production and technical specification tables, some labeled component diagrams

All text and captions are in English.

What's between the Covers?

Above - the Table of Contents, very sensibly laid out contents.

In the introductory chapter, predecessors and contemporaries of the Thompson gun are briefly discussed, giving context to the guns introduction. The author does a clear and concise job with his text throughout this book, the information presented is quite easily read and understood, despite its high level of detail.

The author examines Thompson guns from all manufacturers, as well as the variants that were developed over the gun’s service career. Above we see some examples produced by Hartford, Connecticut’s famed Colt factory as well as the Auto Ordnance company.

Above - This volume is chock full of terrific images of all variants and components of the Thompson gun.

Above - Throughout this book, the author makes very good use of period military documents, training materials, diagrams and commercial advertisements to accompany the text. These materials are all well reproduced and are quite legible (note those prices upper left, when these firearms were legal for civilian purchase!).

The Thompson gun was quite popular with our British friends in WWII, they made good use of them. The author provides a vast amount of information on the Thompson in world wide WWII use, accompanied with a large amount of interesting period photographs. Above right side, Prime Minister Winston Churchill reportedly loved this weapon, never missing a chance to be photographed with one in his hands.

Above - the items used with / associated with the Thompson gun are all well discussed and photographed. The image above shows British equipment associated with Thompson’s in British service.

Above - a typical chapter opening page on the right, a production table is reproduced on the left. Photos, tables, etc. are blended seamlessly with the textual material throughout the book by the author. 

Above - an extensive examination of the magazines that fed the Thompson’s is made, both drum magazines and the stick mags are discussed and pictured in detail.

Above - Quite a few Thompsons made their way to the Chinese in various ways and times (WWII Lend-Lease, Korean War capture), the Chinese converted many to chamber the common 7.62 Tokarev pistol cartridge. 

Not forgotten in this comprehensive study of the Thompson gun is the legendary cartridge it was originally chambered in, the man-stopping  .45 ACP. While the cartridges penetration thru hard surfaces or body armor wasn’t that great, the big, slow, heavy bullet was quite effective against soft targets.

Above - variations of the distinctive Cutts compensator pictured.

Above - photos of elderly Thompsons found in far flung theaters of war; Vietnam of the 60’s and Iraq of the 2000’s.

Conclusions

The above review has only barely scratched the surface of what is contained in this incredibly well researched and presented book. The depth of this study is quite impressive, making it quite likely that only the most devoted Tommy gun fan will ever need another reference on it. The writing throughout this volume is clear and crisp, the photographs are quite well chosen for detail and interest. 

The only very minor complaint that I’d register is that the pages are rather thin, and in some cases “ghost images” show up on the other side of the page. However, this isn’t a huge problem as the print of text and photos remains clear and sharp on the pages you’re viewing.

If you’re interested in WWII (and beyond) small arms, this book is well deserving of a place in your library.

Highly Recommended!

Thanks to David Doyle Books

Reviewed by Chuck Aleshire, AMPS Chicagoland

AMPS 2nd Vice President, Midwest Region

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