The Thompson submachine gun (nicknamed the Thompson or Tommy Gun) is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1918, that became infamous during the Prohibition era and its use with the U.S. Army.
Some of the crew of Fury use M1921 model GI Thompson submachine guns, including Boyd Swan and Grady Travis.
History and Description
The Model 1921 (M1921) was the first major production model. Fifteen thousand were produced by Colt for Auto-Ordnance. In its original design, it was finished more like a sporting weapon, with an adjustable rear sight, a blued, finned barrel and vertical foregrip (or pistol grip) and the Blish lock. The M1921 was quite expensive to manufacture, with the original retail price around $200, because of its high-quality wood furniture and finely machined parts. The M1921 was famous throughout its career with police and criminals and in motion pictures. This model gained fame from its use by criminals during Prohibition, and was nicknamed "Tommy gun" by the media.
The Thompson was a common sight in the media of the time of prohibition, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals. The Thompson was also known informally as: the "Tommy Gun", "Trench Broom", "Trench Sweeper", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", "Chicago Style", "Chicago Organ Grinder", and "The Chopper".
The Thompson was favored by soldiers, criminals, police and civilians alike for its ergonomics, compactness, large .45 ACP cartridge, reliability, wood and metal design and high volume of automatic fire. It has since gained popularity among civilian collectors for its historical significance. However, back in war-time it was very expensive and complicated to make, similar to the Luger P08, so it was replaced by the cheaper and simpler M3A1 "Grease Gun", similar to how the Luger was replaced by the cheaper and simpler Walther P38 in the German army.