One of the most iconic weapons of the early to mid-20th century was the Thompson Submachine Gun or the Tommy Gun. Designed to be used in trench warfare, the gun was developed too late to see any use in World War I. With the end of the war, the draw down of the services was such that the thought that such a weapon would be needed was so low, that the company was unable to make any major sales to the US military. Though some were bought for testing by a number of military arms, none were interested. So sales to anyone with the cash to buy, what was not only an innovative, but also rather expensive weapon was the only way that the company, Auto-Ordinance, could stay afloat.

As a result, a lot of guns were bought not only by enthusiasts, but also by the criminal element, who saw the gun as a way to 'one up' the local police force. This is somewhat ironic as Auto-Ordinance was rather heavily pushing their gun as the perfect weapon for law enforcement, though few police departments could afford such a weapon. The result of its use by 'the mob' was such that some departments did purchase these guns just to stay on an even keel with the criminals.

The 1920s and 30s were a time of general lawlessness in the United States with criminal syndicates pretty much running the major cities. Law enforcement was unable or unwilling to do much about it. It wasn't until the Bureau of Investigation got involved that crime was eventually brought under control. Much of this was done with the Thompson, as the bureau's top cop, J. Edgar Hoover, saw the benefit of the gun and purchased it for his men.

On the military side, it was the looming war that finally got the US military interested. The British were also interested in the gun and thanks to WWII, the fate of the Thompson was sealed, with  hundreds of thousands of guns being bought and used. It seems that there were never enough of these guns to go around and despite simplified construction to speed up the manufacturing process, they were always in short supply.

In this book on the Thompson, author Martin Pegler covers the development, early years and modifications done to the gun. It also covers the use of the Thompson by both civilians and the military. Finally, a look at the impact of the gun is covered. I guess we could easily say that thanks to Hollywood, most people of the time knew about this weapon.

It is a superb book that is fascinating to read. A great start to a new series and one that I am positive you will enjoy. Highly recommended.

September 2010

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