Thompson (weapon)

The Thompson submachine gun or the "Tommy Gun" was a sub-machine gun used by the Allies during World War II.

History
The Thompson, made famous by the gangsters of the American prohibition era and the Irish Republican Army, was designed by General John Thompson, who wanted a one-man hand-held automatic weapon to serve as a so-called "trench broom." Soon Thompson and the company he founded, the Auto-Ordnance Company, began selling the weapon to law enforcement agencies. One of the most famous uses of the thompson was in the St Valentines Day Massacre, in which 7 rival gansters were mowed down on the famous Al Capone's orders. During the European theater in World War II the Thompson became a widely-issued weapon for scouts, non-commissioned officers, and squad leaders. The Thompson was widely used by the British and Canadian Commando units, but also was used by U.S. paratroops and Ranger battalions. It is regarded as the finest submachine guns ever used by the U.S and is well-recognized throughout the world.

The Thompson was expensive and complex to manufacture, a trait which led to the Americans to develop the M1 Carbine and later the M3 "Grease Gun". Regardless, it was reliable, and even when the M3 was issued, many American soldiers were loathe to depart from the tried and true Thompson. Though popularly associated with the drum magazine, this was quickly removed from military service due to unreliability and unwieldiness.

On the Pacific front, the Australian Army infantry and some other Commonwealth forces used the Thompson in jungle patrols and ambushes where it was prized for its firepower, but its weight and difficulties in supply soon led it to be replaced. U.S. Marines used the Thompson in their island assaults. The Thompson was soon found to have a great effect in heavy jungle cover, where the low-velocity .45 bullet would penetrate most small-diameter trees, or Japanese helmets or armour. In the U.S. Army, many Pacific War jungle patrols were originally equipped with Thompsons in the early phases of the New Guinea and Guadalcanal campaigns, but soon began employing the M3 and M3A1 "Grease gun" in its place,due to the Thompson's high production costs.

After the war, the Thompson continued to be used by the United States by Military, Federal and Local police agencies up until the 1960's, before it was phased out of service for newer designs like the MP5. The Thompson continues to be one of the best known submachine guns manufactured and is a prize choice for collectors. Currently replica semi-automatic versions are manufactured by the Auto-Ordnance Company.

Call of Duty 1 and United Offensive
This is the American's submachine gun of choice. It has a 30-round magazine and very manageable recoil, making it the weapon of choice for taking out enemies in close quarters and medium range. For enemies in medium range, burst fire them. It's rate of fire will ensure that a few rounds make it to the target before the fire key is unpressed. It's rounds do enough damage to ensure that enemies will fall very quickly. Its ironsights are somewhat awkward to use at first, but remember that what the tip of the triangle has on top of it is where the bullets will hit.

Call of Duty 2
The Thompson is considerably less effective in Call of Duty 2. It's magazine now has only 20 rounds, meaning that you'll have to reload a lot more often than before. It's recoil pattern has slightly changed, but most people won't notice it. It is still very powerful, but make sure to reload as often as possible. The Grease Gun's attributes are the same as those of the Thompson from Call of Duty 1, but with a reduced rate of fire. However, the Thompson is still very popular despite it's reduced magazine size. The iron sights remain identical to that of the Call of Duty 1 Thompson.

Singleplayer
Often found around fallen Marines, the Thompson in the Pacific Campaign seems to have extra recoil possibly due to having slightly increased magazine capacity. It is a preferred weapon of Cpl. (later Sgt.) Roebuck when he is promoted to Sergeant and is one of the four weapons available to use and re-supply in the beginning of the level Breaking Point. Interestingly, even if the Marines used this weapon, it is often too rare to find while Arisakas, Type 100s, and M1 Garands usually rule the Pacific campaign missions.

Multiplayer
The Thompson has the same wall penetration as rifles, which is better than the other submachine guns. It is roughly equivalent to another submachine gun with Deep Impact on. Otherwise, it is exactly the same as the Type 100 but with a smaller magazine, different iron sights, and slightly different reload times.

In multiplayer, the Thompson is the first submachine gun you obtain. It is a good overall weapon with moderate damage and a high fire rate, not to mention the recoil is quite controllable unlike the high kick of the MP40. This makes it more effective at longer ranges. The Thompson is good for close to mid range combat where all SMGs excel in, with some differences between each. The weapon's biggest flaw is its small magazine, which causes frequent reloading and prevents the user from "spraying and praying" as effectively. However, this can be remedied by the Round Drum attachment (Marksman IV) which doubles the magazine size and starting ammo count at the cost of a longer reload. The iron sights are quite easy to use. It is a perfect standard weapon for starting off and due to the shortage of SMGs in the game, it can be frequently seen.

It is good to note that since the majority of new players will have this weapon, Bandolier may or may not be needed since ammo can be picked off the ground. The 20-bullet magazine is the true flaw of the weapon, and forces the user to stop "spray and pray" habits and conserve ammo more, proving too annoying in heating battles. This, in turn, can be remedied by frequent reloading, a habit that is extremely recommended for a "run-and-gun" class. It is actually one of the best SMGs to shoot at long ranges due to it's low recoil.

The Thompson's reload time suffers more from the Round Drum attachment than any other SMG, although it is still probably the most useful attachment unless stealth is required, in which case a suppressor should be used.

The Thompson has better wall penetration than any other SMG. It is the same as a rifle/bolt action rifle/machine gun or a different submachine gun with Deep Impact.

Inaccuracies
The Thompson appears to have the Cutts compensator which would make the model in the game an M1928A1, but the cocking handle is on the side of the weapon like the M1 and M1A1 Thompsons, both of which omitted the compensator. At the same time, it can accept the drum magazine, again attributed to the 1928A1 and not the M1s. The World at War Thompson appears to resemble no existing production model.

Trivia

 * The Thompson Round Drum is often seen used by mobsters and other New York gangs

Video
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