1928a1 W M1a1 Barrel

[Z3BigDaddy]

The Brits did intercept some shipments of '21s which had been on their way to the IRA. IIRC, these were proofed, packed away, and kept for service use.

 

One of the first "bust" so to speak was aboard the S.S.Baltic November 27th 1921, when a random search uncovered ten (10) Thompsons. These guns were being shipped from New York to Dublin via Liverpool. At the time the Irish had agreed to halt arms imports so it was a little bit of a PR disaster as well. I'd be surprized to find that enough arms were confiscated to be able to rat hole them for later use.

 

 

Edit for further discussion.....

 

Also addressed is how ineffective the Thompson was for the type of warfare being waged..... Saying that pistols, shotguns, and especially the use of explosives was the real bastion of guerrilla warfare in Ireland.

 

"Revolutionary logistics followed the same pattern, as we have seen. In gun-running, as in killing, handguns and gelignite were clearly superior. While shipment after shipment of Thompsons and their ammunition were being captured, hundreds of pistols, revolvers and hundreds of sticks of explosives were quietly smuggled into Ireland from Britain, on package at a time. Such shipments were almost never intercepted: a result, not of G.H.Q. planning, but of the ability of small tight-night groups....."*

 

*The Irish Sword Vol. XIX Summer 1995 "The Thompson submachine gun in Ireland revisited" by Peter Hart

 

I had to buy my book on ebaY and someone here held back their bidding, thank you, so I could aquire it. Most of book can be seen here.

 

I guess it is up to TSMG to clear this up for us.......

Edited January 10, 2008 by Z3BigDaddy

[TSMGguy]

TSMGguy,

Do you have any idea where you may have heard the British "proofed, packed away, and kept for service use" any of the IRA Thompson they intercepted or confiscated during their war with the Irish Republican Army? I would be very much interested in any source you may have for that statement. Thanks,

 

Z3BigDaddy,

 

Thanks for finding the quote. I knew I had seen it somewhere. What I have not come across is the total number of TSMGs involved. I've seen other pictures through the years of what appear to be '21s in British army hands. I can't imagine that these were later contract '28s or '28A1s with the comps removed and ring front sights retrofitted, as British contract guns were pulled from USGI production runs. These contracts all specified the comps, at additional expense.

 

I should have probably said, "eventual service use", as some of those guns would not have seen the light of day until 1940.

 

Let's reverse logic this question. The photos exist of what appear to be M1921 TSMGs in British army hands early in WWII. The British purchased no '21s under military contract. The guns had to come from somewhere!

Edited January 10, 2008 by TSMGguy

[Hawkeye_Joe]

Anyone remember the late war picture of the GI squatting, holding a 1921 with an L drum and no stock? I always thought he'd probably "acquired" it from a Brit.

[Balder]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/Balder_/WW2/thompwalcheren.jpg

[anticus]

A new book "The Earliest Commando Knives" by Dr. William Windrum has a much clearer version of the photo at the top of this thread.

The barrel in question is definitely finned.

[Z3BigDaddy]

A new book "The Earliest Commando Knives" by Dr. William Windrum has a much clearer version of the photo at the top of this thread.

The barrel in question is definitely finned.

Chance of a really good scan?

[FireMerc]

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q304/class3nfa/Commando_edited-1.jpg

 

This was on the net, I cleaned it up some in PhotoShop but if I enlarge it any more it just gets grainy.