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 (IRA), 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. Valentine's Day Massacre, in which 7 rival gangsters 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 gun 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 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 trees and Japanese helmets or body armor. 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 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 1960s, 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 released. It's rounds do enough damage to ensure that enemies will fall very quickly. Its iron sights 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.

Call of Duty 3
The Thompson returns yet again as one of the main weapons of the American Forces. In the campaign it can be found around American dead bodies and in the hand of many American allies. In multiplayer it is carried by the allies if the player chooses the Light assault class. It is accurate at close to medium range and is very helpful in close quarters because of its light weight and melee damage. It is once again shown with the inaccurate 20 round magazine(which was issued to paratroopers) and the standard M1A1 features. It is also notably featured in the trailer.

Singleplayer
Often found around fallen Marines, 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 penetration as rifles, which is better than the other submachine guns. It is roughly equivalent to another submachine gun with Deep Impact on. It is exactly the same as the Type 100 but with a smaller magazine and better penetration.

In multiplayer, the Thompson is the first submachine gun unlocked and has manageable recoil. It is an overall decent 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 III) 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 seen frequently. It is important to note that since the majority of new players will have this weapon, Bandolier may not be needed since ammo can be picked up from dead players.

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 Aperture sight can be useful for long range fighting but increases the visible recoil substantially. A very effective class combination is the Thompson with a Round Drum, Stopping Power (or Sleight of Hand if Round Drum isn't unlocked), and any third perk. Although the perks are largely personal choice, Bandolier is very useful due to the high rate of fire, as is Steady Aim, as you will waste less ammo. This is very effective at close to medium range and can even be used effectively by experienced players at long ranged, as burst fire can control the recoil.

The iron sights might be difficult for first timers but when mastered can be deadly if used by more experienced players. While the Type 100's sights are the same style as the Thompson's, the Thompson's sights are larger and more level.

Inaccuracies
The Thompson appears to have the Cutts compensator which would make the model in the game an M1928A1 (this does not apply in the Wii version), but the cocking handle is on the side of the weapon and lacks barrel cooling fins 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 with the Round Drum is often seen used by mobsters and other New York gangs along with the forward vertical grip. It was featured this way in the movie Public Enemies.
 * On the Wii version of Call of Duty: World at War, the Thompson's empty-reload animation is the same as its mid-magazine reloading animation. Adding a Round Drum fixes it. The Gewehr 43 also has the same issue, but only when it is equipped with a Suppressor, so it is backwards.
 * On the Wii version, if the camera is pointed up, and you reload, you see that you just pull it down, wait, then pop it back in without switching it out. This also applies to some pistols.
 * It's incorrectly noted as having less damage and recoil than the MP-40, while in real life it's the other way around.
 * Strangely, it cannot share ammo with the M1911, despite both using the .45 ACP cartridge. This also happens with the MP40 and Walther P38 (9x19mm), Type 100 and Nambu (8x22mm), and PPSh-41 and TT-33 (7.62x25mm).
 * It was known as the "infantryman's mule," or "work horse," because of its sharp and violent recoil.
 * When you put it in the Pack-a-Punch Machine in the Nazi Zombies map Der Riese, it's name becomes the "Gibs-o-Matic", and the ammunition capacity doubles.
 * Bizarrely, this is never a starting weapon in any mission of Call of Duty: World at War.
 * The M1 version of the Thompson was never actually able to use the 50 round drum magazine on WaW multiplayer, only the M1928 version (made famous by gangsters) could use this magazine

Video
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