Museum Hopping in Europe for Tommy Guns
Europe has many museums that contain a Thompson Submachine Gun (or two). Here is a list of the ones we've visited, pictures of the guns and museum information for the traveler.
A Thompson in the Federal German Arms Museum, Koblenz, Germany
This museum is the official collection of firearms used for study my the Greman Armed Forces. It has an exhibition space of 7,200 sqm and is thus one of the large technically oriented collections in the Federal Republic of Germany. Founded in 1962, it is part of the organization of the Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB). Well worth the entire day it would take to see evertyhing, the entrance fee is 1.50 Euros. The linked article focuses on the Tommy Gun in thier collection - Link to Article
Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung
Mayener Straße 85-87
56070 Koblenz
Tel.: +49 261 400-1423
FAX: +49 261 400-1424
Web Site: http://www.bwb.org (there is an english translation click "english" in the upper right corner of the page)
The National Museum of Military History in Diekirch, Luxembourg
10 Bamertal
L-9209 Diekirch
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Tel: (+352) 80 89 08
Fax: (+352) 80 47 19
email: mnhmdiek@pt.lu
Web Site: http://www.luxembourg.co.uk/NMMH/index.html
This is a great museum. You should plan on spending the bulk of the day here. Unlike many other museums, this one has a great number of dioramas showing the visitor how things worked together and adding realism to the equipment and uniforms. It contains a great mix of vehicles, weapons and uniforms. The linked article has a few pictures of the displays. Link to Article
The Bastogne Historical Center at the Bastogne Memorial, Luxembourg
Bastogne Historical Center
Colline du Mardasson
B-6600 Bastogne
Tél : +32 61 21 14 13
Fax : +32 61 21 73 73
E-mail : info@bastognehistoricalcenter.be
Web Site: http://www.bastognehistoricalcenter.be
A stone’s throw from the Bastogne Memorial is a small museum focusing on the “Battle of the Bulge”. Although it is small, you could see everything in about 3 hours, it is well worth the trip. Inside is a wealth of information on the battle and artifacts. Many one-of-a-kind items are found and the audio tour is well worth the small fee. The museum has a few Thompsons, one is in the scabbard of a Harley and the others hangs on the wall with other submachine guns and other weapons. Link to article