Jump to content

rpbcps

Board Benefactor
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1973

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    122

 Content Type 

Posts posted by rpbcps

  3. Interesting photo of 504th PIR troops with M1928A1 before Market-Garden

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted · Edited by rpbcps
    Added link

    On 8/22/2025 at 2:58 AM, Kilroy said:

    You’re right, I spaced while I was typing it. They’re clearly getting into a plane and if I would read the caption it says "504th PIR." 

    Excuse my ignorance, to be honest I was unaware what unit the "504th PIR" were, I just looked it up. The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), was created on the 1st May 1942, as part of the 82nd Airborne. 

    Stationed in North Africa ready for the Invasion of Sicily and Italy, where they saw heavy fighting and resistance from the German army. Early 1944, the 504th PIR were relocated to England and rejoined the 82nd Airborne, prior to D-Day and Op Market Garden. ?

    https://allamericanscp.org/504th-p-i-r/504_regimental_history/

  5. Interesting photo of 504th PIR troops with M1928A1 before Market-Garden

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted · Edited by rpbcps
    Added link to earlier topic & removed "Glider troops? They appear to be wearing parachutes.", since title of topic was changed, my post made little sense to anyone reading it now.

     

    The modified vertical forward grip, attached to the original horizontal forward grip, and the attaching two 30 rnd mags together is a good example of airborne improvisation. 

    I presume the 'white strap' around the mags  is only there for the journey. I could see that causing delays in mag changes in combat. Something airborne troops don't need when they hit the ground. The weight of two loaded 30 round magazines may put extra pressure on the release catch, therefore increasing risk of 'losing' the magazines? 

    Here is a link to an earlier topic, together with some images, of soldiers with modified forward grips on their Thompsons.

     

  9. WW2 “Russian” Shipping Chest Wood Inserts

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted

    I wonder how many of those chests are still around.

    One dealer I knew, imported thousands of Thompsons from the Ukraine in the 2000's. Once he unloaded the contents, for cutting as parts kits for the US market or deactivating for the European market, burnt all the cases 

    He was telling me about this after I met him, long after the Thompsons had all gone, unfortunately. He was about to do the same with Bosnian AK /RPK packing cases, when I asked if I could have a few. He said he had no market for cases, and they took up to much storage space, hence his solution was burn them, which he did once I took out 1/2 a dozen Bosnian cases. I had no where to store more than that ?

  10. Gordan Herigstag spare parts kit

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted · Edited by rpbcps
    Added discovery of 2004 link in post

    On 4/10/2025 at 1:37 PM, Rekraps said:

    There was an extensive earlier thread on this topic, covering the tin's.... I got one on ebay if you can believe it! 

    This one? 

    It would be good to keep all the GH SPK numbers in one place.

    Just found a link in a post, in that topic to another topic on the same subject from 2004.

    It'd be good to link these all together, if possible ? 

  15. North China Marines & their Thompsons

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted

    On 6/25/2025 at 12:50 AM, ACARLG said:

    BLUF - posted for the photo collectors & Marines out there.

    Saw this on gunboards, original poster indicates that he bought it for resale.

    M1928 or M1921/1928 Overstamp (USN) Thompsons.

    happymarines-jpg.4351064

    (6) China Marines.....in Shanghai, China......just prior to WWII, | Gunboards Forums

    "M1928 or M1921/1928 Overstamp (USN) Thompsons".

    As these photos were taken in the 1930's they would be M1921/1928 Overstamp. No Model of 1928's were manufactured as such until Maguire took over AOC and contracted Savage to begin manufacture of the Model of 1928s.

    All Thompsons prior to that would have originally been manufactured as Model of 1921s by Colt in 1921/1922, and subsequently modified to create Models of 1923, 1927 and 1928s.

    • Like 1

  16. M1 Thompson autographed by Bill Guarnere (Band of Brothers)

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted · Edited by rpbcps
    Typo

    5 hours ago, ACARLG said:

    I think the Thompson smg bracket might have been a prewar (Louisiana Manuevers) <-> early war (Kasserine Pass) thing and may not have been popular.

    I thought about this and went looking for an M2 halftrack (earliest practical service) load plan and found this

    Half-track Car M2

    While the images may not be complete, restorationists would have picked out details like the bracket.  ?‍♂️

     

     

    That is interesting reading, thanks. Last night I scoured the internet for pictures of halftracks, hoping to find the TSMG frame in place, without success. Perhaps the frame is a rarer piece than I thought.
    Perhaps they were like the British transit chests produced for the UK / Commonwealth Thompsons in the early days, when they were planned to be distributed as unit weapons. At that time, unit weapons, such as Vickers, Lewis and Bren, were all stored in transit chests, as they were nobody's personal responsibility and were issued to whoever ‘signed for them’, from the units armoury. In June 1941, the decision was taken that the Thompson guns would be issued as a personal weapon and therefore the chests were no longer required, and became rarer items to find on the collectors market.

     

  23. Thompson 1928A1 kit builds

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted · Edited by rpbcps
    Added M40 photo and text

    3 hours ago, Cbod82 said:

    Richard,

    Thank you! I definitely have a lot of reading up to do! I find this especially interesting, because everything I’ve managed to read so far on the lend-lease guns says almost the exact reverse! I have zero doubt your sources are far superior, but what I’ve gathered is that most 1928A1s (except maybe some very late lend lease) were shipped to Britain with the vertical foregrip, hence the litany of articles and forum posts I’ve seen debating which side of the vertical grip the brits liked to install their own sling swivel. It’s also my generally uninformed understanding that the horizontal grip was a specific development for the M1, which of course is a later “upgrade” to the A1, but for US forces use. So while there may have been some mixing of available parts for the later lend leases, wouldn’t the vast majority 1928 A1s used during the war have been issued, (at least initially), with the vertical grip?

    *New note: Since the M1 wasn’t adopted until April 1942, I have to imagine everything produced by Savage or AO that made it to the Brits was issued with the vertical grip, since the M1 horizontal grip was a completely new design and didn’t exist as a production item when the lend lease guns we’re made (or at least most of them). I believe even the early US forces issued M1A1s had the vertical grip, or at least I’ve seen it in plenty of period photos. Again, probably a mix/match situation as the design changed, but I really do think the “non-M1” 1928A1s like mine (at least the ones Savage produced for lend lease), were almost universally issued with the vertical grip. Please correct me if I’m completely off base!

    In typical fashion, I can no longer find the excellent article I read online the other day that really detailed out every specific Savage model variant that was sent over during lend lease. If I can manage to rustle it up, I’ll post the link. Of course it’s a gross understatement that you can’t believe everything you read online, so it would be great if you or any other group members can confirm any of this within your many leatherbound collector books in your study smelling of rich mahogany haha. I have a few comprehensive texts on order myself!

    Thanks again!

    Jared

    Jared,

    The Horizontal grips were around a long time before the M1 was even thought about.

    See attached the 1929 AOC catalog insert, for the new Model of 1928, and a page from the January 1929 4th edition of the AOC Handbook.

    Also see attached picture from Swedish Manual for their M40, which were 500 of the last Model of 1921's, modified to 1928 specifications, shipped in 1940, all with horizontal foregrips.

    Looking at your photos again, is the compensator missing the retention pin?

    Richard

    Title Page & Insert US Navy 1928.jpg

     

    AOC Handbook 4th Edition Jan 1929.jpg

    Swedish M 40.jpg

  24. Thompson 1928A1 kit builds

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, colt21a said:

    i CAN'T IMAGINE IF IN 1971 TILL AT LEAST 1980 THIS BOARD WAS AROUND AND I WAS POSTING ON IT WITH ALL THE STUFF.EVEN MY 1975/76 ADS FROM SHOTGUN NEWS. Yikes would i hear the tales and you can't do that is that gun real and a Colt's not worth $2,500

    but i only had Earl and a few other guys to deal with.wow it was simpler times....post-504-0-21564400-1602523699_thumb.jpg

    There were a lot of those German SMGs in Bosnia, in the 1990's, still in full working order, Around Sarajavo, a lot of the Bosnian Muslims were using them in the early days.

    • Like 1

  25. Thompson 1928A1 kit builds

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted · Edited by rpbcps
    Typo, as usual

    Jared,

    Thanks for posting those pictures.

    I suspect the furniture, at least the vertical fore grip, was not on this 1928A1 when it left the Savage factory. To my understanding, all lend lease Thompsons were originally fitted with horizontal fore grips.

    The earlier pre-lend lease, 'cash and carry' period guns are the ones that were usually shipped to the UK with the vertical fore grips, as well as some with the horizontal grips. 

    The US army specifications I believe, correct me if I am wrong, were for the 1928 A1's to be issued with horizontal grips? 

    This may have been influenced by the original USMC specifications for the Model of 1928's, following their experience with the Model of 1921's in the banana wars?

    But I digress

    So the lend lease Thompsons, being US Property, followed the US Army Specifications for the 1928A1, with the horizontal fore grips.

    You'll find more info on British Lend lease guns, and the 'cash and carry' orders,  in Tom Davis's book 'Great Britain - The Tommy Gun Story'. It is an excellent read and I named my display at a local museum in July,  after it. See the VE Day topic, if you have not already read it.

×
×
  • Create New...