Wat_Tyler
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https://gatdaily.com/articles/motor...e+and+Clyde+Changed+American+Policing+Forever
The era of the motorized bandit in the United States is one full of romanticism. Bonnie and Clyde were star-crossed lovers armed with machine guns. Dillinger was a handsome rebel, not too different from Peter Pan. Legend had it these motorized bank robbers would burn mortgage information at banks, freeing farms from the hands of foreclosure-seeking bankers during the Great Depression.
They really struggled when it came to piercing through the vehicle skin of modern Ford V8s. Neither could .45 ACP. They couldn’t stop the motorized bandit if they couldn’t stop the motor, or at least shoot the guy driving it. This led to police forces and the firearms industry adopting new calibers to punch through these cars.
This gave us .357 Magnum for revolvers and .38 Super for M1911s. Plenty of motorized bandits carried automatic weapons and outgunned police with revolvers and shotguns. Police adapted to the demand and adopted their own automatic weapons, including Thompsons, BARs, and even Remington Model 8s. These offered faster rates of fire, better range, and the ability to punch through vehicles.
And so on . . . .
Motorized Bandits and The Evolution of Police
The era of the motorized bandit in the United States is one full of romanticism. Bonnie and Clyde were star-crossed lovers armed with machine guns. Dillinger was a handsome rebel, not too different from Peter Pan. Legend had it these motorized bank robbers would burn mortgage information at banks, freeing farms from the hands of foreclosure-seeking bankers during the Great Depression.
The Era of the Motorized Bandit
In reality, it’s like most things that have been romanticized: it’s largely a lie. Tall tales hid the truth of murderous outlaws who would murder on the drop of a hat for a bag full of cash. Desperate times made desperate people, and the Great Depression was a desperate time. The motorized bandit created a fascinating challenge for police of the era, and their response shifted police work forward by leaps and bounds.Weaponry
This is Guns, Ammo, and Tactics, so let’s talk guns. Police forces of the era likely carried a .38 Special, but also the .32 S&W Long and .32 Colt New Police. These are all fine calibers, especially these days, but in the 1930s, we didn’t have the projectile design knowledge or techniques to get the most out of these rounds. They could stop a bad guy, but they weren’t stellar.They really struggled when it came to piercing through the vehicle skin of modern Ford V8s. Neither could .45 ACP. They couldn’t stop the motorized bandit if they couldn’t stop the motor, or at least shoot the guy driving it. This led to police forces and the firearms industry adopting new calibers to punch through these cars.
This gave us .357 Magnum for revolvers and .38 Super for M1911s. Plenty of motorized bandits carried automatic weapons and outgunned police with revolvers and shotguns. Police adapted to the demand and adopted their own automatic weapons, including Thompsons, BARs, and even Remington Model 8s. These offered faster rates of fire, better range, and the ability to punch through vehicles.
And so on . . . .
