The Thompson Submachine Gun on D-Day: The Rangers Who Silenced the Guns at Pointe du Hoc
U.S. Army Rangers rest atop the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc after the D-Day assault. Official U.S. Navy photograph, National Archives, catalog 80-G-45721.
On the morning of June 6, 1944, American soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy in one of the largest amphibious invasions in military history. While thousands fought their way ashore at Omaha and Utah Beaches, a small force of U.S. Army Rangers faced a different challenge: scaling towering cliffs under German fire to eliminate artillery that threatened the invasion.
Among the weapons carried into this dangerous mission was the legendary Thompson submachine gun. One Ranger would use his Thompson in an extraordinary way, helping neutralize German artillery without firing a single shot from the weapon.
His name was First Sergeant Leonard Lomell, and his actions at Pointe du Hoc would become part of the remarkable history of D-Day.
The Mission: Capture the Guns at Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc was a heavily fortified German position situated between Omaha and Utah Beaches. Its strategic importance came from a battery of six powerful 155mm artillery guns capable of threatening Allied landing forces and naval vessels offshore.
The Allied invasion planners assigned the task of neutralizing these guns to approximately 225 men from the U.S. Army's 2nd Ranger Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder.
The Rangers faced cliffs rising roughly 100 feet above the English Channel. German defenders occupied fortified positions at the summit, where machine guns, rifles, and other weapons could be directed toward the Americans climbing below.
The mission required the Rangers to land beneath the cliffs, ascend using ropes and specially designed ladders, overcome German resistance, and destroy the artillery.
Failure could leave the invasion forces exposed to enemy bombardment.
June 6, 1944: The Rangers Begin Their Assault
U.S. Army Rangers show the ladders used to storm the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc. Official U.S. Navy photograph, National Archives, catalog 80-G-45716.
The Rangers approached Pointe du Hoc in landing craft while Allied naval guns bombarded German defensive positions.
Their assault began under difficult conditions. Strong currents and navigational confusion delayed their arrival, giving German defenders additional time to prepare.
As the Rangers reached the shoreline, they faced enemy fire from above. Many climbing ropes became soaked and difficult to use, while artillery craters and shattered terrain complicated movement.
Nevertheless, the Americans began scaling the cliffs.
German soldiers fired downward as the Rangers climbed toward the summit. Naval gunfire helped suppress the defenders, allowing surviving Americans to reach the top and engage enemy positions.
After fighting their way onto the headland, the Rangers discovered something unexpected.
The artillery guns were missing.
The Germans had moved the weapons inland, leaving dummy positions behind. Although the Rangers had captured the fortified site, their primary objective remained unfinished.
The missing artillery still had to be found.
Leonard Lomell and the Thompson Submachine Gun
Among the Rangers was First Sergeant Leonard "Bud" Lomell of D Company.
Lomell carried an M1A1 Thompson submachine gun, a simplified military version of the famous American firearm chambered in .45 ACP.
The Thompson was particularly suitable for soldiers who might encounter combat at close distances. Its automatic firepower made it useful in trenches, fortified positions, and the confined terrain frequently encountered by Rangers and airborne troops.
Unlike the earlier M1928A1, the M1A1 featured a simplified operating mechanism, a side-mounted charging handle, and detachable box magazines rather than the iconic drum magazine.
The weapon was relatively heavy, but its compact dimensions and substantial firepower made it a valuable part of the American infantry arsenal.
For Lomell, however, the Thompson would serve a purpose that its designers could scarcely have anticipated.
The Discovery That Changed the Mission
After reaching the summit, Lomell and Staff Sergeant Jack Kuhn moved inland toward a road where Rangers were establishing defensive positions.
Lomell noticed tracks leading away from the coastal defenses. Following them, the two soldiers discovered five German artillery guns concealed in an orchard.
The guns had been moved from their original positions at Pointe du Hoc, but they remained a potential danger to the Allied invasion.
German troops were nearby, making any attempt to disable the artillery extremely risky.
Lomell and Kuhn decided to act.
Armed with thermite grenades, Lomell approached the guns while Kuhn watched for German soldiers. Thermite produced intense heat capable of damaging the artillery's mechanical components.
Lomell placed grenades into the mechanisms of the first two guns, rendering their operation difficult or impossible.
He then turned to his Thompson.
The Thompson That Helped Silence Five German Guns
According to Lomell's own account, he removed his field jacket, wrapped it around the stock of his Thompson, and used the weapon to smash the sights on all five artillery pieces.
The improvised action was intended to make the guns more difficult for German crews to aim.
Lomell and Kuhn then returned to their fellow Rangers to collect additional thermite grenades.
Moving back toward the concealed artillery, Lomell placed the remaining grenades into the guns' mechanisms while Kuhn continued watching the nearby German troops.
By the time the two Rangers withdrew, all five discovered guns had been disabled.
The artillery battery that had threatened the Normandy landings had been neutralized.
It was a remarkable accomplishment. Although the Thompson was designed to deliver automatic fire in close combat, Lomell had used its wooden stock as an improvised tool during one of the most important missions of D-Day.
The decisive damage came from the thermite grenades, but the Thompson played a documented supporting role in disabling the artillery.
A Costly Victory at Pointe du Hoc
The destruction of the guns did not end the Rangers' ordeal.
German forces launched repeated counterattacks against the Americans holding Pointe du Hoc. The Rangers endured intense fighting, limited ammunition, mounting casualties, and considerable isolation before relief arrived.
By June 8, only about 90 of the original 225 Rangers remained combat effective.
Their mission had nevertheless succeeded. The artillery pieces discovered inland had been disabled, preventing their use against the invading Allied forces.
The capture and defense of Pointe du Hoc became one of the most celebrated examples of American Ranger determination during World War II.
The operation did not win D-Day by itself. The Allied success depended on enormous combined efforts involving infantry, airborne forces, naval bombardment, aviation, engineering, and logistics. Yet the Rangers had accomplished a dangerous assignment within that much larger campaign.
The Thompson's Place in D-Day History
The Thompson submachine gun became one of the most recognizable American weapons of World War II. Originally developed after World War I, it gained widespread military service in several variants, including the M1928A1, M1, and M1A1.
American Rangers, paratroopers, and infantrymen carried Thompsons during the Normandy invasion and throughout the European campaign.
Today, collectors can explore the design of this historic firearm through reproductions such as the Denix M1928 Military Version Thompson Non-Firing Replica. Although the replica represents an earlier military variant than Lomell's M1A1, it preserves the recognizable appearance of a Thompson used by American troops during World War II.
These non-firing replicas provide a tangible connection to the weapons carried during the conflict without functioning as operational firearms.
Remembering the Rangers of D-Day
The story of the Thompson at Pointe du Hoc is unusual because its most clearly documented contribution came not from a burst of automatic fire, but from the quick thinking of a soldier determined to complete his mission.
Leonard Lomell and Jack Kuhn helped neutralize German artillery that might otherwise have threatened the Allied invasion.
Their actions illustrate something essential about military history: weapons matter, but their effectiveness ultimately depends on the soldiers carrying them.
On June 6, 1944, at Pointe du Hoc, the Thompson became part of a much larger story of courage, improvisation, sacrifice, and the Allied effort to liberate Europe.