What was the Tommy gun used for in world war 2?

Answer 1

To my knowledge, the Tommy Gun or to be more exact the Thompson submachine gun, was a main infantry weapon of the US forces in the Second World War, designated M1. It was favoured for its .45 ACP stopping power and its rate of fire. A newer variant was made during the war, known as the M1A1. It was in short supply during the war, so the M3, more commonly known as the 'greasegun' was brought in to augment and then eventually replace it. However, many of the soldiers still preferred the Thompson.

Any corrections are welcomed and appreciated.

The Thompson & the 'greasegun' are sub-machine guns that were more compact than rifles, had a higher rate of fire, were easier to reload, and fired large bullets. However they fired pistol ammunition not rifle ammunition, meaning that they were designed for fire-fights at very short-range only. These bullets also did not have the same penetration power of rifle or machine gun bullets. Rifle & machine gun bullets have a much better ability to penetrate walls, doors, trees, floors, ceilings, helmets, body armor, thin armor plates, sand bags, etc.

The Thompson was introduced in the First World War. It was excellent when used inside an enemy trench to quickly clear-out/kill large numbers of enemy soldiers close-up & grouped together.

For US WW2 tank-crews' personal protection, the 'greasegun' was preferred because it is lighter & more compact than the Thompson. The 'greasegun' had remained in service with US tank crews for decades after WW2.