Thompson submachine gun

Thompson Submachine Gun, Caliber .45
Colt Model 1921A Thompson with a 100-round drum magazine.
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1921–present[1]
Used by	See Users
Wars	West Virginia coal wars Irish War of Independence Second Honduran Civil War[2] 1924 Estonian coup d'état attempt[3] Irish Civil War[4] Basmachi Conflict[5][6][self-published source?] Banana Wars[7] Castellammarese War Chaco War[8] Revolution of 1934 Spanish Civil War World War II[9] Indonesian National Revolution Iran crisis of 1946[10] Chinese Civil War[11] First Indochina War[12] Greek Civil War[13] Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 1948 Arab–Israeli War[14] Malayan Emergency[15][unreliable source?] Korean War[9] Cuban Revolution Algerian War Vietnam War[9] Bay of Pigs Invasion Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation The Troubles[16] Araguaia Guerrilla War[17] Turkish invasion of Cyprus[18] United States invasion of Panama Somali Civil War[19] Yugoslav Wars[20] Iraq War[21] Russian invasion of Ukraine[22]
Production history
Designer	John T. Thompson
Designed	1917–1920
Manufacturer	Auto-Ordnance Company (originally) The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited Colt Savage Arms RPB Industries
Produced	1921–1945
No. built	Approximately 1.75 million of all variants,[23] including: 562,511 M1928A1 285,480 M1 539,143 M1A1
Variants	See Variants section
Specifications
Mass	10.8 lb (4.9 kg) empty (Thompson M1928A1)[24] 10 lb (4.5 kg) empty (Thompson M1A1) [25]
Length	33.7 in (860 mm) (M1928A1 with compensator)[24] 31.9 in (810 mm) (M1/M1A1)[25]
Barrel length	10.52 in (267 mm)[24] 12 in (300 mm) (with Cutts compensator)
Cartridge	.45 ACP (11.43×23mm) 10mm Auto (limited quantity of FBI conversions)[26]
Action	Blowback, Blish lock
Rate of fire	900 rpm (M1921)[27] 600–725 rpm (M1928)[24] 700–800 rpm (M1A1)[25]
Muzzle velocity	935 ft/s (285 m/s)
Effective firing range	164 yards (150 m)[28]
Feed system	20 or 30 round box magazine, 50 or 100 round drum magazine[24] (M1 and M1A1 models do not accept drum magazines)

The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy gun", "Chicago typewriter", "trench sweeper", or "trench broom") is a blowback-operated, selective-fire submachine gun, invented and developed by United States Army Brigadier General John T. Thompson in 1918. It was designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare of World War I, although early models did not arrive in time for actual combat.

The Thompson saw early use by the United States Marine Corps during the Banana Wars,^[29] the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Irish Republican Army, the Republic of China, and the FBI following the Kansas City Massacre.

The weapon was also sold to the general public. Because it was so widely used by criminals, the Thompson became notorious during the Prohibition era as the signature weapon of various organized crime syndicates in the United States in the 1920s. It was a common sight in the media at the time, and was used by both law enforcement officers and criminals.^[30]

The Thompson was widely adopted by the U.S. armed forces during World War II, and was also used extensively by other Allied troops during the war. Its main models were designated as the M1928A1, M1 and M1A1 during this time. More than 1.5 million Thompson submachine guns were produced during World War II.^[31]

It is the first weapon to be labelled and marketed as a "submachine gun".^{[32][self-published source?]}

The original selective-fire Thompson variants are no longer produced, although numerous semi-automatic civilian versions are still being produced by the manufacturer Auto-Ordnance. These models retain a similar appearance to the original models, but have various modifications in order to comply with US firearm laws.