Alcatraz Colt Navy TSMG That Killed Fred "Doc" Barker?

[Arthur Fliegenheimer]

 

Quote

"Doc Barker's Last Escape" Brian Hunt

 Officer Ditmar reached the armory. He checked out a Thompson submachine gun and walked from the northwest side of the island to the southeast, approaching the Road Tower. He scanned the beach for any sign of movement. The fog prevented him from seeing much. The wind picked up, cleared some of the fog away and gave him a glimpse of the shore, then the fog crept back in and erased his view. He couldn’t even see the water at times, though he could always hear it.

Around 4:10 a.m., the fog cleared, Ditmar saw two white figures down by the water. “I knew they were men by the way they were moving.” He was about 75 feet above them. He yelled at them to stop. He fired five warning shots into the water in case they did not hear his voice over the wind and water. It didn’t stop them. Both men kept moving toward the water. Ditmar considered them warned.

Weinhold and Faulk had started canvassing the shore again, this time by the lower road. They stood on a point of rock overlooking the cove and beach. Weinhold saw “some faintly white shadows” and not waiting to discern if they were guards, officers, or the prisoners, fired several shots at them. Ditmar stood opposite them and did the same

Doc Barker got hit first, in the leg. He straightened up to relieve the pain in his legs and then another bullet hit him in the head and he fell to the ground. Stamphill got hit in the leg and dropped down. “[W]hen I finished firing the last shot they were both down,” Ditmar said, “so I quit firing.” By that time, Ditmar heard Weinhold and Faulk shooting down into the cove as well."

information is taken from the FBI’s Arthur R. “Doc” Barker file, 76-4175, which is available to the public online via FOIPA

 

Colt Navy#5678 on display at Alcatraz Island Museum

 

[TD.]

Very nice Arthur. Thank you for posting. No doubt NO 5678 would have many stories to tell if it could talk.

[Got Uzi]

Where is that on display? I was on Alcatraz a few months ago and the only “Thompson” that was there is an AO parts kit welded up for display purposes.  

[Arthur Fliegenheimer]

4 hours ago, Got Uzi said:

Where is that on display? I was on Alcatraz a few months ago and the only “Thompson” that was there is an AO parts kit welded up for display purposes.  

All the items as divided into categories are shown on the National Parks Alcatraz Museum website.  Did you do the 2 1/2 hour tour that includes round trip ferry to the island, prison grounds, inside prison, and the chopper ride from Alcatraz over the prison, Golden Gate and Bay Bridge. 

https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/alca/imgGal.html 

[Got Uzi]

Yes the GF and I spent several hours on the Rock and went through everything that was there.  We didn't do the fly over but did the bay cruise.  I've got a pile of picutres that I'm going to put on here or in the TCA newsletter....if I can ever get around to it.

[giantpanda4]

When I was there in 2-12 IIRC. No serial number visible. 

 

[Arthur Fliegenheimer]

1 hour ago, giantpanda4 said:

When I was there in 2-12 IIRC. No serial number visible. 

 

 

The TSMG in the case has a crossbolt stock while #5678 does not yet both stocks have WWII type sling swivel. 

[Centrifugal Arms]

Here’s a few photos I took about a year ago of the 28a1 currently on display at Alcatraz.

[Merry Ploughboy]

8 hours ago, Centrifugal Arms said:

Here’s a few photos I took about a year ago of the 28a1 currently on display at Alcatraz.

They misspelled Ordnance as Ordinance.  A rather common error.

MHO, YMMV, etc.  Be well.