The late 1920s and 1930s in the United States are best known as the era of the Great Depression — a period of deep and prolonged economic crisis. Amid widespread hardship and social upheaval, organized crime flourished, often descending into outright lawlessness. Small, loosely connected gangs were replaced by more structured and audacious criminal groups, while the confrontation between law enforcement and organized crime reached its peak.
Newspapers frequently reported on gangsters who became the so-called “kings” of the underworld. Names such as John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde, and Al Capone became known across America. One of the most striking manifestations of their criminal activity was the bold robbery of banks. For many gangsters, these heists were not merely a means of quick enrichment — they were also seen as a challenge to the system and an act of defiance.
Firearms were central to these crimes, and one of the most popular weapons among criminals was the Thompson submachine gun, widely known as the “Tommy Gun”*. Speed and surprise were the key elements of a successful robbery: gangsters would storm a bank, quickly seize control of the premises, and escape before law enforcement could respond.
However, by the late 1930s, as economic conditions gradually improved and law enforcement agencies became more effective, the golden age of gangster bank robberies began to fade.