ParadiseRoad
Member
...Police and Fireman’s Day display of a gangster’s car riddled by Thompson machine guns for ten seconds on September 24, 1930...
..."Tuff Muggs"...1930...
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...Police and Fireman’s Day display of a gangster’s car riddled by Thompson machine guns for ten seconds on September 24, 1930...
That ought to make the bad guys think twice.
The sad thing is not many of the .45acp slugs probably went all the way through which is one reason they invented the .38 Super and also why lawmen used BAR's and .35 Remingtons on Bonnie and Clyde. It is however impressive how the .45 slugs made a big hole and spalled off a larger piece of paint!
Jack Flash
Member
It may well be pretty much a stunt for the cameras, but I think it gets the point across. I wouldn't be too eager to test the resolve of the PD after seeing that display!
Colt came out with the .38 Super but Smith & Wesson came out with the 38/44 Heavy Duty.
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45 ACP is a "P" poor performer against steel automobile bodies. BBDT.
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It's not the holes in the car body that count. It's the holes in the "Gangster's" body that make the problem go away!
I believe they caught Clyde outside the car.
Ivan
PS. Clyde didn't have penetration problems, he used BARs and FMJ ammo stolen from the Ohio National Guard!
I believe they caught Clyde outside the car.
Ivan
PS. Clyde didn't have penetration problems, he used BARs and FMJ ammo stolen from the Ohio National Guard!
amazingflapjack
US Veteran
Wow-it still has a wind shield!
Jst1mr
Member
Wow...even if the slugs didn't go through, it would have sounded like the devil's own jackhammer from inside the car...vacated bowels and a hands-up surrender would have likely been the case!
Looks like some nicely controlled double taps and short burst in most places. How much muzzle climb does a real-life (not movie version) Thompson have with longer bursts? Would all have been equipped with the Cutts compensator?
A very quick and dirty hole count makes me wonder if this was the result of a single 100rd drum magazine?
While a 45 acp isn't the best against cars, I doubt anyone would set in a car while somebody else emptied a 7 round mag into it, let alone a stick or drum from a Thompson. You can have my seat.
CLASSIC12
Member
...Police and Fireman’s Day display of a gangster’s car riddled by Thompson machine guns for ten seconds on September 24, 1930...
Bridgeport PD, how fitting
CLASSIC12
Member
Alpo
Member
Jst1mr, the compensator was a factory option. You could get a 1921A (Automatic) or a 1921AC (Automatic, Compensator).
Modt pix I've seen of the '21, very few people opted for it.
Modt pix I've seen of the '21, very few people opted for it.
I fired a Thompson with 20 round sticks and the 50 round drum and it is dang heavy with the 50 round drum and there is very little muzzle climb. The gun I fired had the horizontal forearm and I bet a vertical fore grip would have been even better.
Jst1mr
Member
Great video clip! Seems I had always heard you had to aim low and left to begin, to compensate for the climb, but that clip puts the lie to that. Of course, as Farmer says, all that walnut and steel AND a big drum mag has to be quite a load. Doesn't seem to be much need for a compensator. Thanks for the replies!
Maybe a dumb question, and I understand the vast differences in the platforms, but the angled fore-grip on the Thompson always looked so very "natural", yet virtually all the fore end grips available to be added on to AR style rifles are vertical...any reason for that(?)
Maybe a dumb question, and I understand the vast differences in the platforms, but the angled fore-grip on the Thompson always looked so very "natural", yet virtually all the fore end grips available to be added on to AR style rifles are vertical...any reason for that(?)
Most of the AR-15 vertical grips have a pretty nice feel, I owned a Knights Armament rail and grip and it did serve a purpose it wasn't just a mall ninja accessory add-on. I think the vertical grips are superior for full auto fire or it you have a top heavy night vision scope I just haven't put one on my current rifle because I was wanting to keep the weight down.
How I miss those days!!!!
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
Many folks are not well informed about the days of the "automobile bandits", roughly 1930 to 1940. Cities and towns throughout the Midwest and southwest states were plagued by armed gangs arriving by automobile and looting entire towns, usually armed with automatic weapons.
Many communities erected fortified bunkers manned by local police armed with Browning Automatic Rifles and Thompson Submachineguns, usually located in town squares or at highway access points. Occasionally effective in stopping or deterring such assaults, there were also a number of horrific incidents of engagement with completely innocent parties.
During the days of very limited telephone or telegraph communications it was difficult to deal with such assaults. Local populations were terrified and frequently relied upon volunteer guards or irregular militia units for protection. If a message was received that Bonnie & Clyde, or Pretty Boy Floyd, or any number of other desperados were in the area, or had struck other towns in the vicinity, it wasn't unusual for entire communities to go into "lockdown" mode for days.
Local law enforcement was minimal in staffing, training, equipment, and every other means of dealing with organized gangs. National Guard armories, VFW posts, and other assets were relied upon for local defense. J. Edgar Hoover, Melvin Purvis, and the G-Men were in a totally responsive and defensive mode, usually able to respond only days after an assault.
The effects of the Great Depression (massive unemployment, widespread dislocation of populations, general dissatisfaction with government in general) coupled with the lingering effects of Prohibition, and other factors created an environment in which many young people saw criminal activity as the only possible means of getting ahead in life (not unlike today in many urban settings). Gangsters, by design or by reputation, built huge followings (even without FaceBook or internet connections), and cheerleading crowds were not uncommon (especially for those like Bonnie & Clyde, who liked to rip through bank vaults and burn mortgage papers to ingratiate themselves with local farmers and small business owners).
An interesting period in American history, and not without modern parallels.
Many communities erected fortified bunkers manned by local police armed with Browning Automatic Rifles and Thompson Submachineguns, usually located in town squares or at highway access points. Occasionally effective in stopping or deterring such assaults, there were also a number of horrific incidents of engagement with completely innocent parties.
During the days of very limited telephone or telegraph communications it was difficult to deal with such assaults. Local populations were terrified and frequently relied upon volunteer guards or irregular militia units for protection. If a message was received that Bonnie & Clyde, or Pretty Boy Floyd, or any number of other desperados were in the area, or had struck other towns in the vicinity, it wasn't unusual for entire communities to go into "lockdown" mode for days.
Local law enforcement was minimal in staffing, training, equipment, and every other means of dealing with organized gangs. National Guard armories, VFW posts, and other assets were relied upon for local defense. J. Edgar Hoover, Melvin Purvis, and the G-Men were in a totally responsive and defensive mode, usually able to respond only days after an assault.
The effects of the Great Depression (massive unemployment, widespread dislocation of populations, general dissatisfaction with government in general) coupled with the lingering effects of Prohibition, and other factors created an environment in which many young people saw criminal activity as the only possible means of getting ahead in life (not unlike today in many urban settings). Gangsters, by design or by reputation, built huge followings (even without FaceBook or internet connections), and cheerleading crowds were not uncommon (especially for those like Bonnie & Clyde, who liked to rip through bank vaults and burn mortgage papers to ingratiate themselves with local farmers and small business owners).
An interesting period in American history, and not without modern parallels.
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