Thompson Submachine Gun

Lore & Background

In December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, an allegation arose that Lieutenant Ronald C. Speirs used a Thompson submachine gun in the execution of six German prisoners of war. This event was not confirmed as fact by military investigation but remained a persistent story decades later. In an interview with Pennsylvania state representative John D. Payne, Colonel Richard Winters stated that he directly confronted Speirs about the rumor due to legal concerns from publisher Simon & Schuster regarding potential lawsuits. Winters reported that Speirs not only confirmed the allegation but wrote a letter admitting to the act. Despite this admission, Winters noted that battalion leadership chose to ignore the charges because they recognized the pressing need to retain qualified combat leaders like Speirs. Winters concluded that while such actions would result in court-martial and war crime charges in today's army, officers of that era who were not afraid to engage the enemy were considered too valuable to lose.

In Their Own Story

The specific moment involving the Thompson submachine gun occurred after Easy Company had bogged down during an attack on Foy, Belgium. Although the source does not place the shooting at Foy itself, it links the weapon to the broader context of Speirs' command tenure. Winters recalled that Speirs was simply the first officer he saw when he turned around to relieve 1st Lieutenant Norman Dike of command. Decades later, in a discussion about the allegations surrounding his past actions, Speirs admitted to killing six prisoners with the Thompson. This admission came only after Winters confronted him directly, prompted by legal warnings from Simon & Schuster that the rumors could lead to litigation. The incident was never pursued militarily at the time because Captain Jerre S. Gross and other leadership figures deemed similar self-defense incidents justifiable or ignored allegations against high-performing officers like Speirs.

Reader's Guide

The source provides no tactical guide for the Thompson submachine gun, as it focuses exclusively on a specific historical allegation rather than weapon mechanics or usage instructions. The text does not mention magazine types, jamming issues in cold weather, or maintenance requirements for this weapon. The only operational detail provided is that the weapon was used by Lieutenant Speirs to kill six German prisoners of war. This act was attributed to him by Richard Winters, who noted that leadership ignored the charges due to the need for effective combat leaders. No other instances of Thompson usage are described in the text regarding Easy Company's standard operations or equipment distribution.

Did You Know?

• Lieutenant Ronald C. Speirs allegedly used a Thompson submachine gun to kill six German prisoners of war, an act he confirmed decades later in a written letter.
• Colonel Richard Winters stated that Speirs would have been court-martialed for this action in today's army, but was retained during WWII because he was too valuable as a combat leader.
• The allegation regarding the Thompson submachine gun came to light only after publisher Simon & Schuster raised legal concerns about potential lawsuits over the rumors.