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Post by alburg on Mar 12, 2009 19:09:25 GMT 1
Hello,
I was wondering which Thompson where used by the british army during the 2nd WW.
A friend of mine has a M1928A1 (all serialnumbres matching)with a broad arrow on it beneath it you can see a grown followed by 77 E.
So I presume that this is a quite early Thompson that didn't fall under the lend and lease act, because the U.S Property stamp is missing.
On photos you can quite othen see that the M1928A1 was used with the adjustable Lynman sights.
Now you can also find M1928A1 without the adjustable sight, if I understood it right those M1928A1 a war production ones. Am I correct?
On some photos you can also see the usage of the M1, now comes the problem I have. What are obvius difference between an M1 and a M1A1?
Which of the Thompson where officially aquired by the british government?
Is there any good book out there that covers the Thompson?
Thank you for your help and cheers!
Sven
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Post by woodsy on Mar 12, 2009 19:55:10 GMT 1
The British purchased the M1928A1 Thompson in large numbers (about 300,000) but only about 100,000 actually made it across the Atlantic. The rest are on the bottom! The early guns were left over commercial guns by Colt and many had the vertical front grip. As the war progressed the external finish got a bit rougher and by 1942 the rear sights were the simplified stamped out affairs. The barrel fins were also eliminated on the later M1928A1's. The M1 was only in production for a short while before the introduction of the M1A1, and many unfinished M1's were restamped and left the factory as M1A1's. There is no obvious external difference between them other than the model stamp. The M1 had a separate hammer and firing pin, while the M1A1 had a one piece bolt. I will post some pictures over the weekend. The best books on the subject are 'Thompson, The American Legend' by Collector Grade, and 'American Thunder II' by Frank Iannamico. The former covers the whole Thompson story and the latter covers the WW2 guns. Both are very good and complement each other.  |
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Post by alburg on Mar 12, 2009 20:32:49 GMT 1
Thanks
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Post by alburg on Mar 13, 2009 18:20:30 GMT 1
So if I was offered a M1 Thompson for a good price I should buy it, because its more rare then the other two mentioned?
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Post by woodsy on Mar 13, 2009 22:45:18 GMT 1
Yes, but you should check that it still has the bolt with the separate firing pin and hammer. many of them were upgraded in the field to the later one-piece bolt without restamping the model designation.
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Post by missingsomething on Mar 14, 2009 2:15:26 GMT 1
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Post by alburg on Mar 14, 2009 8:24:04 GMT 1
Thanks for all the infos. I'll try to get some photos of my mates M1928A1. To me this one looks like the M1 bolt doesn't it? Just ordered American Thunder II hope it arrives sometime next week  Cheers  |
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Post by woodsy on Mar 14, 2009 10:15:48 GMT 1
Here is my 1928a1. Reportedly it was sold to France before the outbreak of WW2.... Your gun is definitely a WW2 manufactured gun by Savage as indicated by the S prefix on the serial number. It is also probably a British purchase gun because of the position of the sling swivels. The guns were delivered with the swivels underneath but the British changed them to the top so the gun could be fired while slung. Savage made their first Thompson in April 1940 and your gun was made about March 1942. |
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Post by woodsy on Mar 14, 2009 10:19:56 GMT 1
Alburg, that is definitely an M1 Thompson. ;D It is a pity about the barrel holes.  |
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Post by missingsomething on Mar 14, 2009 19:53:25 GMT 1
Thanks Woodsy..... The gun came out of Vietnam before being converted to Semi-Auto in England. The story of it being a French gun comes from the dealer in the UK that picked them up. Makes the story plausible as the gun could have been used by the French Foreign Legion in the region (french indo-china)... If nothing else, it makes a good story  |
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Post by woodsy on Mar 15, 2009 20:42:45 GMT 1
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Post by alburg on Mar 24, 2009 15:29:13 GMT 1
Hi woodsy nice Thompson collection It's a shame but in Germany the easiest way to collect MPs and MGs is to buy them deactivated. You probably could apply for a red WBK, but before you'll get the permit to collect MPs you'll need a good and near complete collection of pistols, revolvers and rifles. So as you can see you'll need a lot of money and some space ;-) Thanks for the tip about the books I received my copy of American Thunder II yesterday. That book is great it covers everything that is of interest to me and only costs 30 $. Thanks and Cheers Sven |
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Post by woodsy on Mar 25, 2009 0:53:54 GMT 1
Hi Alburg
I am hoping to visit Germany next year with some other Kiwis to exhibit our wares at IWA in Nurnberg in March. I will be bringing Welrods, De-Lisle Carbine, Lewis & Browning replicas to see how they will sell. I am looking forward to the trip.
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Post by 84railsplitter on Apr 18, 2009 19:04:47 GMT 1
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Post by alburg on Feb 17, 2011 3:31:01 GMT 1
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