A Walk Into History
Written By: Rachel G. Kaufman:
On 6th September 2009, 5 new weapons, an armor and 2 new vehicles were released.
However, did you know that each of them are named after famous criminals and a detective? Below are all the introductions of the Equipment and the short history of the people they are named after.
Pretty Boy Floyd’s .45
Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd (February 3, 1904 – October 22, 1934) was an American bank robber and killer, romanticized by the press and by folk singer Woody Guthrie in his song “Pretty Boy Floyd”.
Machine Gun Kelly’s Gun
George Kelly Barnes aka George “Machine Gun” Kelly aka George R. Kelly (July 18, 1895 — July 17, 1954 or July 18, 1954) was a notorious American criminal during the prohibition era. His crimes included bootlegging, armed robbery and, most prominently, kidnapping.
Baby Face Nelson’s .351
Lester Joseph Gillis (December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934), known under the pseudonym George Nelson, was a bank robber and murderer in the 1930s better known as Baby Face Nelson due to his youthful appearance and small stature.
Ma Barker’s Machine Gun
Kate “Ma” Barker (October 8, 1873 – January 16, 1935) was an American criminal from the “public enemy era”, when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the Midwest gripped the American people and press. Her notoriety has since subsided, trailing behind Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger.
Dillinger’s Wooden Gun
John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American bank robber in the Midwest during the early 1930s. He was considered to be a dangerous criminal who was involved in the deaths of several police officers, robbed at least two dozen banks and four police stations, escaped from jail twice and was idolized by some as a modern-day Robin Hood.
The wooden gun depicted was used by Dillinger in a bold bluff to escape an Indiana prison.
Ness’ Fedora
Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Treasury agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois, as the leader of a legendary team of law enforcement agents nicknamed The Untouchables.
Capone’s Armored 341A
Alphonse Gabriel “Al” Capone (January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947) was an American gangster who led a crime syndicate dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s.
An interesting tidbit about this particular Cadillac, custom-made for Capone to look like an official Chicago Municipal vehicle:
It was one of the very first civilian vehicles to include complete bullet-proofing, a police radio, and even a siren to get Al through traffic more quickly. After he was imprisoned, and only days after the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor, the Secret Service was hard-pressed to put President FDR in a safe vehicle for wartime, owing to the time required to build one, and the concurrent law at the time that no government vehicle could cost more than $700.
The temporary compromise was that FDR rode around in Capone’s confiscated Cadillac until one could be built for him.
Bonnie And Clyde’s B-400
Bonnie Parker (October 1, 1910 – May 23, 1934) and Clyde Barrow (March 24, 1909 – May 23, 1934) were well known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who, with their gang, traveled the Central United States during the Great Depression.
