Jump to content

Introduction


Recommended Posts

Had a weak moment and bought a M1 Thompson circa Fall 1942. My son and I are big WWI and WWII history lovers and my father (deceased) served in 3rd Army during WWII and carried a Thompson.

 

I’m currently in the transfer process with my class 3 dealer. Will be a while given what I’ve been told before it’s truly mine and in my possession. I have seen and handled it. So trying to educate myself while waiting. Figured having a go to place for questions is in order, so I joined this board. I was recently at the Cody Wyoming BB museum and saw several Thompson’s there. A big recommend if you are ever near Cody Wyoming and want to see the history of armaments.

 

I also M1 Garand circa 1940 in hand with a bayonet.

 

Any insights you have are much welcome.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome!

 

I was in Cody a few months back and second your recommendation. There is a Ruger made Thompson there - did you see that one?

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the board Dadswwii . You definitely came to the right place for answers. The amount of knowledge members here have is astounding.

 

Three weeks ago I was also in Cody. Great museum and displays. While there I had a sit down with the former Curator, Ashley Hlebinsky; who was fascinating to chat with. They do have several Thompsons on display but there are a few errors in their Thompson displays/arrangements. I may address the errors at a later date with them.

 

 

Pictures of your M1 are always welcome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dadswwii,

Welcome to the Thompson forum. And congratulations on your new M1 Thompson.

 

I recommend purchasing a copy of Frank Iannamico's book, American Thunder III, to learn more about your M1 Thompson. Frank's book is the authority on World War II Thompson guns and is available on Amazon.com.

 

You may also want to join one or both of the Thompson collector associations. Search the forums for more information about The American Thompson Association and the Thompson Collector's Association. Both are great organization with yearly Show & Shoots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome!

 

I was in Cody a few months back and second your recommendation. There is a Ruger made Thompson there - did you see that one?

Yes. I was flabbergasted at their overall collection. I mean what were people thinking with some of the sizes....I was just amazed. I think it actually what tipped me over for the Thompson.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My father was also in Patton's 3rd Army. Pop passed away last year at 92. His folded flag holds the high ground in my office. Glad to hear you're sharing "your old man's" legacy with your son. Some moments of weakness are worth it.

 

Welcome to the board.

Edited by 2ndArmored
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome. You will definitely find answers to your questions here and I would say pictures of your M1 are surely welcome. Do you know what division your dad was in?

 

@2ndArmored

In regards to your nickname, I suppose your father was in the 2nd armored division? They rolled by not far from where I live on september 4th 1944. Here are a few pictures of them passing through town: https://retrorixensart.com/2018/09/11/genval-liberee-septembre-1944/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glad to have you here. The knowledge here is tremendous. I second TD's recommendation for "American Thunder III." It not only covers the weapons but parts and accessories like magazines and slings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe Frank may have copies of his book for sale that he would ship to you directly. It’s an excellent source of information. He frequents the boards so will let him reply or you could PM him to see what he has available.

 

He has also been known to sign the books if asked nicely!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome! There is never a "weak moment"! What is your M1 serial number range? We really wanna see pictures! R

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ll try get some pics this weekend. Work has been busy.

First question. Any special cleaning kit for this and what oil(s)? Anything else? My guess is Frank’s book covers cleaning and routine maintenance.

 

As far as cleaning and lubrication goes, there's a different answer from every Thompson owner/shooter. I use Hoppe's 9 for cleaning after shooting with 3"X3" patches. A weapons cleaning brush comes in handy for hard to reach places. I use Hoppe's oil and smear a bit of white lithium grease on the underside of the bolt at the sear notches before shooting. Some use plain motor oil. Really any commercially available cleaning rod of suitable length will work, A brass GI rod is usually under $25 and is threaded 8-32 for jags and brushes. Before storing, I wipe the outside down with Birchwood Casey's "Sheath" or "Barricade." The wood can be wiped with a light application of linseed or tung oil maybe once a year. I also picked up a few spare extractors for "just in case."

Edited by LSU Tiger
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Sorry I haven’t posted back with pics but here it is:

 

http://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/14144-wwii-cr-bridgeport-m1-thompson/

 

im still waiting for it to clear...sigh....but I’ve got 2000 rounds waiting to be shot. can’t wait. Sure COVID is slowing the process. Not a museum piece but birthdate is right around the time my Dad served.

I will try to post more often. I’m sure once I have it in hand I will have tons of questions. I did go over and see the gun from class 3 dealer who has it.

I was totally blown away on how heavy it was. Cudos to troops carry this during their service. My M1 Garand seems lighter.

Edited by Dadswwii
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I own serial number 309380, also made by AOC. It too is marked M1 and has the early unprotected sight. Interestingly, Frank talks about these unusual M1s on page 268 of American Thunder II.

 

Mine has a mismatched trigger frame as well, in fact, it is Savage made.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The results of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request may show some early similarities in the registration history of each Thompson. Most likely, each gun went their separate ways after the initial registration on the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Board member av8tr can file a FOIA request today. Dadswwii will have to wait until he has possession and the registration process is complete. The results could be very interesting.

 

All good stuff!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I own serial number 309380, also made by AOC. It too is marked M1 and has the early unprotected sight. Interestingly, Frank talks about these unusual M1s on page 268 of American Thunder II.

 

Mine has a mismatched trigger frame as well, in fact, it is Savage made.

Interesting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome. You will definitely find answers to your questions here and I would say pictures of your M1 are surely welcome. Do you know what division your dad was in?

 

@2ndArmored

In regards to your nickname, I suppose your father was in the 2nd armored division? They rolled by not far from where I live on september 4th 1944. Here are a few pictures of them passing through town: https://retrorixensart.com/2018/09/11/genval-liberee-septembre-1944/

My dad kept a diary and I’m in the process of moving it to digital media and adding pictures and information to it. If anyone is interested in reading what I have so far PM me your email and I will send it to you. It’s interesting if you have an interest in WWII. He was in the 529th Engineer Light Pontoon Company.

 

I also hired a research to get more info on his service....it’s a long story to put here but I can’t wait until he completes the research. Apparently every unit had a person who was required to write what happened each day. So, the information could be quite large.

 

what’s odd after doing some of my own research, my Dad must have been assigned initially to 3rd Army but his unit was transferred to 7th Army. I’m hoping the research gives me more info on this. I have all his medals and insignias. He has both 3rd Army and 7th Army patches. Deep mystery.

 

I also have some booty he came home with. Two Nazi flags he got at Nuremberg, a collar label badge from the Hermon Goring Division (I think), a Nazi party pin.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The results of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request may show some early similarities in the registration history of each Thompson. Most likely, each gun went their separate ways after the initial registration on the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Board member av8tr can file a FOIA request today. Dadswwii will have to wait until he has possession and the registration process is complete. The results could be very interesting.

 

All good stuff!!!

Cool...I’d be interested on any info of this gun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...