Development
Brigadier General John T. Thompson, who spent most of his career in the ordnance department of the U.S. Army, was the original inventor and … See more

Operating characteristics
Early versions of the Thompson, the Model 1919, had a fairly high cyclic rate of fire, as high as 1,200 rounds per minute (rpm), with most Model 1921s at 800 rpm. This rate of fire, combined with a rather heavy trigger pull and a … See more

Canada
All variants and modified versions of Thompson submachine guns (even semiautomatic-only … See more

• Tommy Gun: How General Thompson's Submachine Gun Wrote History
• List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation SNL A-32 See more

Because of their quality and craftsmanship, as well as their gangster-era and WWII connections, Thompsons are sought as … See more

Prototypes
Persuader and Annihilator
There were two main experimental models of the Thompson. The Persuader was a belt-fed version developed in 1917/18. It was partially built, but never completely finished. The … See more

• Algeria Used by the National Liberation Front
• Argentina: M1928 and M1 Thompson
• Belgium: Used by the Belgian Army and Gendarmerie post-WW2, and it remained in service with the Gendarmerie until 1971. See more