Who specifically used the M1A1 Thompson SMG during the Vietnam War and with what combination of gear was it used?

Answer 1

The Thompson submachine gun was a semi- or fully-automatic delayed blowback weapon. Known as the "Tommy Gun" the weapon was originally designed by Gen. John Thompson for use in the WW1, but prototype designs built by Auto-Ordnance Corp., were completed just as the war ended. With the military fairly uninterested in the weapon, the Thompson was marketed at the general public, and eventually became a well-known weapon for criminals in the 1920's and 1930's.

In 1938 the U.S. Army adopted the Thompson as a weapon and it was give the M1928A1 designation. A variant of the M1928 model, the M1928A1 used a horizontal foregrip instead of a vertical foregrip, and made use of box magazines instead of drum magazines. The 50-round drum magazine was prone to jamming and was not well suited to combat conditions.

Updates to the weapon were made over time in order to simplify its production and in April 1942, the M1 model of the Thompson replaced the older M1928A1. Among the changes made were a permanently attached buttstock, and sign alterations that prevented the use of the drum magazine. By October of 1942 the M1 was replaced by the M1A1, which removed the M1's firing pin and hammer and replaced it with fire pin machined into the face of the bolt. Production of the M1/M1A1 during WWII was accomplish by Auto-Ordnance Corp., and Savage Arms Co., who produced 847,991 and 539,143 copies of the weapon respectively. The Thompson was a reliable and well-respected weapon, with its major drawbacks being its significant weight and limited range.

The M1A1 was eventually replaced by the M3 submachine gun. The M3 was significantly cheaper to manufacture and went into service in 1944. Although no longer an actively supplied weapon, the Thompson would continue to serve the Army through Korea and in limited use in Vietnam. There were few M1A1's issued to the soldiers so the snipers got first use of them (rapid fire.) Not only did some U.S. soldiers have use of them in Vietnam, but they encountered it as well. A number of them were made in small jungle workshops in North Vietnam. The Thompson is still in use worldwide especially with guerrilla forces. In the U.S. it was used by law enforcement, most prominently by the FBI, until 1976 when it was declared obsolete.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Caliber .45 ACP

Barrel Length: 10.50"

Muzzle Velocity 920 fps

Capacity 20 or 30 round magazines

Weight: 10.45 lbs

Length. 33.7"

Rate of Fire: 700 rounds per min.

Effective Range: 50-55 yards

Here is a good "guy's forum" to discuss these types of guns: www.airsoftcore.com/postt14181.HTML

AnswerI, for one, used the Thompson M1A1 in Vietnam in 1969-70, As a young officer with the American 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, I traded a few odds and ends with a Vietnamese officer for the Thompson. Had a lot of fun with it and used it for most of my tour. Finally gave it to the American officer who was replacing me. ANSWERI knew a gentleman, who was a communications specialist on a fire support base in Vietnam. A M1A1 Thompson was in his comms both in case they were overrun and he needed to destroy the equipment. However, he commonly took the weapon on patrol as it was perfect for suppression in the jungle enviorment. The gun was loud, hard hitting, and fast. It was perfect for the jungles of Vietnam, as it was pefect for jungle fighting in the pacific during WWII. It was a weapon the Vietcong feared, and ran off once it began to put .45 slugs in their direction.