Jake Miller
John Dillinger was an American gangster and the leader of the Dillinger Gang, a group of American Depression-era bank robbers. From September 1933 to July 1934, Dillinger and his gang embarked on a crime spree, robbing banks and police arsenals, killing 10 men, wounding 7 others, and staging 3 jail breaks. During this time, Dillinger also made his way to Wisconsin, where he and his gang robbed the American Bank & Trust Co. of $27,000 in Racine on November 20, 1933. On April 22, 1934, Dillinger and his gang shot their way through a police trap at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Mercer, Wisconsin, killing one officer and wounding two others. So, did Dillinger rob a bank in Columbus, Wisconsin?
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
John Dillinger's criminal history
John Dillinger was an American gangster and criminal during the Great Depression. He was perhaps the most famous bank robber in US history, known for a series of robberies and escapes from June 1933 to July 1934.
Dillinger's first brush with the law came through auto theft, which led him to enlist in the Navy. However, he soon deserted his ship when it docked in Boston and returned home to Mooresville, Indiana. Dillinger had trouble finding work and, along with Ed Singleton, turned to a life of crime. The pair robbed a Mooresville grocery store, stealing $50 (around $917 in 2024). During the robbery, Dillinger struck a victim on the head with a machine bolt wrapped in cloth and also carried a gun. Both men were arrested the next day, and Dillinger was convicted of assault and battery with intent to rob, and conspiracy to commit a felony. He was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison.
While incarcerated at Indiana Reformatory and Indiana State Prison between 1924 and 1933, Dillinger developed a criminal lifestyle, befriending seasoned bank robbers who taught him how to be a successful criminal. He studied Herman Lamm's meticulous bank-robbing system, which he used throughout his criminal career.
Dillinger was paroled from prison in May 1933 and almost immediately robbed a bank in Bluffton, Ohio. He was arrested and jailed in Lima, Ohio, where police found a document that seemed to be a plan for a prison break. Four days later, eight of Dillinger's friends used the same plan to escape from Indiana State Prison. Dillinger was captured and jailed in Ohio in September 1933 but was rescued by five former convict pals the following month. He and his gang then robbed banks in Indiana and Wisconsin before heading south to Florida and then Tucson, Arizona, where they were arrested.
Dillinger was lodged in the Crown Point jail but, on March 3, 1934, he executed a daring breakout. Using a fake pistol he had crafted from a razor and a piece of wood, he forced his way past a dozen guards and escaped, singing, "I'm heading for the last roundup".
Dillinger and his gang were responsible for several bank robberies and the killing of 10 men, including a sheriff and a police officer. They also wounded seven others and staged three jail breaks. The gang employed military-inspired tactics, including the use of specific roles during robberies, such as lookout, getaway driver, lobby man, and vault man.
Dillinger was killed in 1934 by the Bureau of Investigation (predecessor of the FBI) as he exited a movie theatre. His death brought an end to his year-long crime spree, during which he had barely escaped FBI entrapments and shootouts in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
M&T Banks in Boston: Locations and Services
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The Dillinger Gang's robberies
John Dillinger was an American gangster and the leader of the Dillinger Gang during the Great Depression. He was perhaps the most famous bank robber in US history, known for a series of robberies and escapes from June 1933 to July 1934.
The Dillinger Gang was a group of American Depression-era bank robbers. The gang gained notoriety for a string of successful bank robberies, using modern tools and tactics, in the Midwestern United States from September 1933 to July 1934. During this crime spree, the gang killed 10 people and wounded 7 others. They also managed to pull off three jail breaks, which resulted in the wounding of two guards and the killing of a sheriff.
Dillinger and his gang robbed banks in Indiana and Wisconsin and fled south to Florida and then to Tucson, Arizona, where they were discovered and arrested by local police. On October 23, 1933, Dillinger and his gang robbed the Central National Bank in Greencastle, Indiana, of $75,000. On November 20, 1933, the Dillinger gang robbed the American Bank & Trust Co. in Racine, Wisconsin, of $27,000, wounding two people and taking three others hostage. On January 15, 1934, Dillinger, John Hamilton, and the rest of the gang robbed the First National Bank in East Chicago, Indiana, of $20,000. During this robbery, Hamilton was wounded, and Patrolman William Patrick O'Malley was killed. On January 25, 1934, Dillinger and his gang were arrested during a hotel fire in Tucson, Arizona. Firefighters recognized the gang from pictures in detective pulp magazines.
Dillinger and his gang also robbed police arsenals, stealing several machine guns, rifles, revolvers, ammunition, and bulletproof vests. They plundered the police arsenals at Auburn, Indiana, and Peru, Indiana. On December 14, 1933, John Hamilton, a Dillinger gang member, shot and killed a police detective in Chicago.
Who Can Enter the West Bank?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Dillinger [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/916UJJwkvJL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
![Dillinger [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41sbU-UGpeL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
![Dillinger [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71K4v+7SPcL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
The First National Bank robbery
John Dillinger was an American gangster and the leader of the Dillinger Gang, a group of American Depression-era bank robbers. Over the course of his year-long crime spree, Dillinger and his gang robbed banks, police arsenals, and staged jail breaks.
On January 15, 1934, Dillinger, John Hamilton, and the rest of his gang robbed the First National Bank in East Chicago, Indiana, stealing $20,000. This robbery marked the first time serious violence occurred during a Dillinger robbery. During the heist, Dillinger killed East Chicago patrolman William Patrick O'Malley, the outlaw's first and only murder victim. At approximately 2:50 p.m., 10 minutes before closing time, Dillinger, Hamilton, and an unidentified driver pulled up in front of the bank on Chicago Avenue on the wrong side of the street, facing east in the westbound lane, and double-parked. They exited the vehicle, leaving the driver to wait in the idling car.
O'Malley, standing about 20 feet from the front door, saw an opening and fired four times at Dillinger, the bullets bouncing off the outlaw's bullet-proof vest. Dillinger pushed Spencer away with the barrel of his Thompson and yelled, "Get over. I'll get that son of a bitch." O'Malley was shot eight times and fell dead. As Hamilton made his way into the street, he was shot in the right hand, causing him to drop his pistol. Dillinger kept firing until he climbed into the rear seat of the car. Two game wardens who had driven up to the scene emptied their guns into the car as it started to pull away. The car started to pull away before Hamilton had closed the left rear door, and the door was partly torn off as it caught on another vehicle.
After the robbery, Dillinger and his gang made their way to Florida and then to Tucson, Arizona. On January 23, 1934, a fire broke out in the hotel where two members of the Dillinger Gang were hiding under assumed names. Firefighters recognized the gang members from their photographs, and local police arrested Dillinger and three other gang members. They also seized three Thompson submachine guns, two Winchester rifles mounted as machine guns, five bulletproof vests, and more than $25,000 in cash, some of which was from the East Chicago robbery.
BSA in Banking: What Does It Mean?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Dillinger's time in Wisconsin
John Dillinger, born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1903, was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was active from September 1933 to July 1934 and was responsible for a string of bank robberies and violent crimes across the Midwestern United States. During their year-long crime spree, Dillinger and his gang robbed twenty-four banks and four police stations, killing ten people and wounding seven others. They also staged three jail breaks, killing a sheriff and wounding two guards.
In April 1934, Dillinger and his gang were hiding out at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. The owner of the lodge, Emil Wanatka, grew suspicious of the group's behaviour and tipped off the FBI. When the FBI agents arrived, Dillinger and his gang shot their way out of the lodge, killing one officer and wounding two others. They managed to escape through the woods without any casualties.
Risk Management: Banking Industry's Strategic Defense
You may want to see also
Dillinger's death
John Dillinger was a notorious American gangster and thief during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing twenty-four banks and four police stations. The gang was also responsible for the deaths of ten people and wounding seven others. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and managed to escape twice.
Dillinger's period of infamy began on May 10, 1933, when he was paroled from prison. He wasted no time and robbed a bank in Bluffton, Ohio, just a few months later. He was arrested and lodged in the county jail in Lima, Ohio, where police found a document that seemed to be a plan for a prison break. Despite Dillinger's denial, his friends used the same plan to escape from Indiana State Prison a few days later.
Dillinger and his gang continued their crime spree, robbing banks and police arsenals. They also killed a police detective and a police officer during a robbery. Dillinger was charged with but not convicted of the murder of East Chicago patrolman William O'Malley, who shot Dillinger in his bulletproof vest during a shootout.
On July 22, 1934, Dillinger was shot and killed by special agents outside the Biograph Theater, just two months after the deaths of fellow notorious criminals Bonnie and Clyde. His death brought an end to the Dillinger Gang and is often described as the conclusion of the Gangster Era.
Bank Records: Divulging Your Divorce Details
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
No, there is no evidence that Dillinger robbed a bank in Columbus, Wisconsin. However, he did rob banks in Wisconsin, including the American Bank & Trust Co. in Racine, from which he stole $27,000.
Dillinger and his gang are accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations.
The Dillinger Gang was a group of American Depression-era bank robbers led by John Dillinger. They gained notoriety for their successful string of bank robberies, using modern tools and tactics.
The Dillinger Gang was active from September 1933 to July 1934, during which they killed 10 people and wounded 7 others.
Yes, Dillinger was imprisoned several times and escaped twice. He was also charged with but not convicted of the murder of East Chicago patrolman William Patrick O'Malley.
