Historical Significance and Tactical Role

Nicknamed the “Tommy Gun,” the Thompson was issued to the 1st Battalion, 48th Highlanders of Canada in 1943 prior to going to Sicily. Designed as a compact source of heavy close-range firepower, it reflects the inter-war push toward a hand-held automatic weapon for trench and urban fighting.

Brigadier General John Tagliaferro Thompson, a U.S. Army Ordnance officer, originally set out to develop an automatic rifle. Rejecting conventional operating systems of the day, he adopted a mechanism developed by Commander Blish, U.S.N. Testing showed the Blish Lock did not work with high-powered rifle ammunition, but it did work with the lower-powered .45-calibre automatic pistol cartridge. Thompson then shifted to a hand-held machine gun concept he called the “Trench Sweeper.”

Physical Description and Technical Design

This replica is identified as a Thompson Submachine Gun (M1928A1) pattern. The operating system is described as Blish Lock or blowback.

Blowback (plain-English): the bolt is held forward by its weight and a spring. When a round fires, recoil pushes the bolt backward, ejecting the empty case; the spring then drives the bolt forward to chamber the next round. The appeal is mechanical simplicity.

Industrial Origin and Manufacturing

The first models were produced in 1921, with parts made by Colt and assembled by Auto-Ordnance. Auto-Ordnance is described as a partnership involving Thompson, Blish, and financier Thomas Ryan, and the weapon was promoted as a police weapon.

In 1939, the French and British governments ordered more than 130,000 Thompsons, and manufacture was taken over by Savage. Savage pushed to replace the Blish system with a simpler blowback approach because it was cheaper and easier to manufacture. Auto-Ordnance resisted; Savage threatened to produce a competing gun with the change, and Auto-Ordnance ultimately agreed.

Canadian Service Context

In Canadian service, the Thompson was first used in 1941 in Hong Kong, and was quickly replaced by the Sten Mk II, largely due to cost.

Despite that, it remained the only submachine gun used by Canadian Forces in the Mediterranean due to logistical concerns about introducing a new cartridge. An advantage of .45 Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP) was that the round was already in Canadian military use through American-made M1911 and M1911A1 pistols purchased during the First and Second World Wars.

The Thompson family accepted both box and drum magazines. This display includes a 20-round Thompson magazine.

Technical Specifications

• Pattern / identification: Thompson Submachine Gun (M1928A1) (replica of automatic weapon) (Auto-Ordnance Corp.)

• Calibre: .45 (11.4 mm)

• Weight: 10 lb 12 oz (4.88 kg)

• Length: 33.7 in (857 mm)

• Barrel length: 10.5 in (267 mm)

• Operation: Blish Lock or blowback

• Magazine: 30-round capacity (50/100-round drum; 20/30-round box magazines)

• Rate of fire: 700 rds/min

• Muzzle velocity: 920 ft/sec (280 m/sec)