The Thompson Gun in Spain

[rpbcps]

For a while I have been looking for evidence of the use of the Thompson gun during the Spanish Civil war.

Today I stumbled by chance on an article in Spanish, with a photo given definitive proof that there was at least one Thompson in Spain at the time.

"The Thompson submachine gun has little history in Spain. The truth is that few units arrived in the Iberian country, since the weapon came on the market in the early 1920s. The first model present in our country was the M1921. This submachine gun appeared in newspaper advertisements of the time, in which its value in the defense of farms and properties was promoted. This first version was not very successful as a military weapon, which is why the Auto-Ordnance Company attempted to sell their weapon, in many countries around the globe. For example, the first country to use it in a war was Ireland, in its civil war.

In the 1930s, the Thompson reappeared on the Spanish scene. The government of the Generalitat of Catalonia bought several batches of the Model of 1928, to arm the Mossos d'Escuadra. (Also known as the Policia de la Generalitat de Catalunya and informally as Mossos, which is the regional police force in the autonomous community of Catalonia).

According to testimonies of the time, they remember having seen the typical drum magazines in the arsenals of the Palace of the Generalitat. There is a photograph, taken in Catalonia and published by the military expert Artemio Mortera Pérez which is famous. In it you can see Miguel Badia, head of the youth of Estat Catalá and former chief of police of Catalonia. He is travelling by vehicle in the streets of Barcelona, during the uprising of October 1934. In the front of the vehicle is a bodyguard armed with one of those Thompson submachine guns of the Generalitat.

Once the Spanish Civil War began, these weapons would have been used at the front in Catalonia and Aragon. Obviously, these weapons were not very decisive due to their small numbers. However, the government of the Second Republic, desperate to acquire weapons with which to equip its growing People's Army, set its sights on the United States. Their contacts with the United States almost bore the expected fruits, and a possible purchase of 5,000 submachine guns was promised; it is assumed that would be Thompsons.  Unfortunately, the U.S. Congress denied the sale to the Second Republic and these weapons never arrived."

Text translated by myself, and the photo...

https://www.gehm.es/tag/guerra-civil-espanola-2/

Obviously, the SMGs which appeared to be more prolific in that war, were the Estonian copy of the MP18, the Tallinn Model 1923, and the MP28. Which I suppose is logical looking at the proximity of the respective countries of origin.

 

 

 

[TSMG28]

Richard,

Very interesting!  The Thompson in the pic is sporting a C-drum, which is interesting if is indeed a 1928, since all of the Auto-Ordnance literature of that time indicated that the C-drum could not be used with the 1928. Of course, we all know it can. I guess A-O was willing to sell any combination the buyer wanted, as long as it made the sale.

The gun also has the original vertical foregrip, which it seems was preferred by most users other than U.S. Ordnance.

Nice history.

[inertord]

It appears that the guy standing on the left may be carrying some type of TSMG Web Gear? 

Edited May 5 by inertord

[Arthur Fliegenheimer]

 

This modified Colt TSMG (#11749 no G.H. record) is in the Spanish Army Museum.  The museum states it was owned by guerrilla Juan Fernandez Ayala “Juanin.”   His  activities were significant during the Spanish Civil War and subsequent resistance against the Franco regime. He was shot on April 27, 1957 after a brief confrontation with the Guardia Civil.

[dalbert]

Thank you for posting the new information.  Hopefully this will become an area worthy of further research.

David

[TD.]

Arthur,

Great research. Thank you for the picture. Colt NO 11749 appears to be one of the 3000 Colt's shipped to the French government during World War II. Note what appears to be a Berthier rotating sling swivel attached to the vertical fore grip. Note the space between the loop of the sling swivel - see green arrow.

Below is a close-up of a Berthier sling swivel from documented French Colt NO 10374, as pictured in my story about this French Colt in, A Thompson Compendium.

NO 11749 fits perfectly in the known serial number range of these French Colt's. NO 11749 makes 25 I have identified. Not many from a shipment of 3000 guns!

Again, great research. Thank you for sharing!

[rpbcps]

Makes sense, following the civil war many Republicans left Spain and settled in France, many joining the French Foreign Legion.

During WW2, other veteran guerillas  of the Spanish Civil War, took to the Maquis to fight the Germans as Partisans. No doubt some of the Thompsons that were supplied to the Groupes Mobiles de Réserve fell into Partisan hands during the war.

That is a nice improvised folding stock, fitted to No. 11749.