A military and cultural history of the infamous World War II firearm documents its notorious use by mobsters and NRA members as well as its ubiquitous presence in Hollywood films, charting its many names and role as a symbol of 20th-century culture.

An in-depth study of the famous Thompson submachine gun. Fielded by the United States and her allies during World War II. This is the third printing of American Thunder; the Military Thompson Submachinegun Guns. The concept of the Thompson originated during World War I, by John T. Thompson. By the time the weapon was designed and placed into production, the war had ended. Post war sales were made to a few law enforcement agencies and corporations, but some ended up in the hands of criminals, earning the gun a sinister reputation. Nearly twenty years later, at the beginning of World War II, there was a desperate need for weapons, and the Thompson was placed back in production. The submachine gun was issued to U.S. and allied military forces and helped win the war. 412 pages, color and black/white photos.

John Taliaferro Thompson had a mission: to develop a lightweight, fast-firing weapon that would help Americans win on the battlefield. His Thompson submachine gun could deliver a hundred bullets in a matter of seconds—but didn't find a market in the U.S. military. Instead, the Tommy gun became the weapon of choice for a generation of bootleggers and bank-robbing outlaws, and became a deadly American icon. Following a bloody decade—and eighty years before the mass shootings of our own time—Congress moved to take this weapon off the streets, igniting a national debate about gun control. Critically-acclaimed author Karen Blumenthal tells the fascinating story of this famous and deadly weapon—of the lives it changed, the debate it sparked, and the unprecedented response it inspired.

Osprey's new Weapon series provides a highly-detailed yet affordable overview of the development, use, and impact of small arms throughout history - from the sword to the machine gun. Learn the true story of one of history's most well travelled weapons. Developed late in World War I (1914-1918) to be a fearsome trench-warfare weapon, the Thompson submachine gun's fame and success came in unexpected quarters. An iconic and innovative design, the M1921 Thompson was soon adopted by Prohibition-era gangs and used ruthlessly on the streets of New York and Chicago. But its military career was relaunched with the outbreak of World War II (1939-1945), used by armies, commandos and resistance groups worldwide. Using expert knowledge and first-hand accounts, this chronicle of one of the world's greatest submachine guns analyzes the Thompson's development, its legacy, and the experiences of the men who used it in combat. Features rare photographs and original artwork by Peter Dennis.

The Trench Broom. The Annihilator. The Persuader. The Chopper. The Chicago Typewriter. The Tommy Gun. The Thompson submachine gun has gone by many names, and for nearly a century the gun's image has been indelibly marked on the popular consciousness. In this broad-reaching cultural and military history, Bill Yenne charts the tommy gun's unpredictable and one-of-a-kind career, from its infamy in the hands of Al Capone and the Chicago mobsters, to its shady days with the IRA, to its indelible place in the arsenal of World War II, and its truly immortal and ongoing role in Hollywood. The tommy gun is without a doubt the most famous, and the most infamous, American firearm of the twentieth century. Since its birth in the aftermath of World War I, the tommy gun has enjoyed a varied career on both sides of the law. Though General John T. Thompson invented it for the American military, it first found notoriety thanks to its part in events such at St. Valentine's Day Massacre. But when the United States entered World War II, the gun's true power as an essential, life-saving weapon made it an iconic weapon of the American GI. Full of incredible stories from the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific, America's gangland, and Hollywood studio back lots, Bill Yenne's Tommy Gun is the definitive story of this unique American icon.