Brandon Lee
John Herbert Dillinger was a notorious American gangster and bank robber who, along with his gang, is said to have robbed between 11 and 24 banks during the Great Depression in the 1930s.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of banks robbed | 11-24 |
| First bank robbery | June 21, 1933 |
| First bank robbed | National Bank of New Carlisle, Ohio |
| Amount stolen in the first robbery | $10,000 |
| Number of men killed by Dillinger and his gang | 10-12 |
| Number of people wounded by Dillinger and his gang | 7 |
| Number of jail breaks | 3 |
| Number of police officers killed | 4-7 |
| Number of federal agents killed | 3 |
| Year Dillinger was killed | 1934 |
Explore related products
![Dillinger [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/916UJJwkvJL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
What You'll Learn
John Dillinger's first bank robbery
John Dillinger was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He commanded the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing twenty-four banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and escaped twice.
Dillinger's first bank robbery took place on June 21, 1933, in New Carlisle, Ohio. He stole $10,000, which is equivalent to around $241,000 in 2024. After his release from prison, Dillinger returned to a life of crime, using the knowledge he had gained from fellow inmates to plan and execute his heists.
Dillinger's first robbery was followed by several others in quick succession. On August 14, 1933, he robbed a bank in Bluffton, Ohio. He was tracked by police from Dayton and subsequently captured. During his incarceration, police discovered a document that appeared to be a plan for a prison escape. Dillinger refused to cooperate with authorities and denied knowledge of the plan. However, just four days after his capture, eight of Dillinger's friends escaped from the Indiana State Prison using shotguns and rifles that had been smuggled into their cells.
Dillinger's early criminal activities set the tone for his subsequent career as a notorious and vicious thief. He and his gang terrorized the Midwest, killing and wounding several individuals, robbing banks and police arsenals, and staging daring jailbreaks.
Explore the Diverse Banking Products and Their Benefits
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The Dillinger Gang robs Sioux Falls Bank
John Dillinger was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing twenty-four banks and four police stations. On March 6, 1934, the Dillinger Gang robbed the Security National Bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The gang, consisting of Homer Van Meter, Baby Face Nelson, Eddie Green, John Hamilton, Tommy Carroll, and Dillinger himself, stole $49,500 in the raid. They arrived at the bank in a stolen 1934 Packard with six men inside. The driver, "three-fingers" Hamilton, stayed in the car, while the other five men entered the bank. One of them yelled, "This is a holdup!", causing a bank employee to sound the alarm. The gangsters then knocked down and disarmed patrolman Peter Duffy.
During the robbery, one of the robbers snatched a customer's valuables, and Dillinger became very angry and booted Clarke when the banker said he did not know the combination to the vault door. Another customer, Gus Moen, was ordered back upstairs at gunpoint by Baby Face, who reinforced the order by firing a blast from his submachine gun over Moen's head. The gangsters left the bank with 30 or more hostages and sped away in the Packard, weaving through traffic and narrowly missing two horse-drawn milk wagons. The police gave chase, and the robbers were forced to slow down outside of town, allowing three pursuing police cars to catch up. The gang then got out of the Packard, took the hostages with them, and opened fire on their pursuers, causing the squad cars to retreat. They then hijacked a local farmer's car, transferred the money into it, and released the hostages about 10 miles outside of Sioux Falls.
The Dillinger Gang's robbery of the Security National Bank in Sioux Falls was one of many heists they carried out during their crime spree. From September 1933 to July 1934, they robbed banks and police arsenals, staged jail breaks, and killed and wounded several people. Their exploits made headlines across the country and contributed to the gang's notoriety. Dillinger himself was killed in 1934 by the FBI as he exited a movie theater.
Linking Apple Pay: A Simple Guide to Bank Connections
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Dillinger [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41sbU-UGpeL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Robbing banks and police arsenals
John Dillinger was an American gangster and bank robber who, along with his gang, robbed banks and police arsenals during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Dillinger's gang was accused of robbing twenty-four banks and four police arsenals.
Dillinger's first bank robbery took place on June 21, 1933, in New Carlisle, Ohio, where he stole $10,000. On August 14, he robbed another bank in Bluffton, Ohio. He was captured by police and transferred to Allen County Jail in Lima, where he was searched, and a document outlining a prison escape plan was found.
Dillinger's gang included members such as Baby Face Nelson, Homer Van Meter, Tommy Carroll, Eddie Green, and John "Red" Hamilton. Together, they robbed banks in South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana. One of their most notable robberies was the Security National Bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on March 6, 1934, where they stole $49,500. During this robbery, they took hostages, including bank teller Leo Olson, and engaged in a shootout with the police, wounding Patrolman Harley Chrisman.
Dillinger and his gang also plundered police arsenals, acquiring weapons, ammunition, and bulletproof vests. They raided police stations in Warsaw, Indiana, Auburn, Indiana, and Peru, Indiana, stealing machine guns, rifles, revolvers, and bulletproof vests.
Dillinger's criminal career lasted just over a year, but he became a notorious figure, evading capture multiple times and leaving a trail of violence in his wake.
The Future of Truist Bank: Will It Survive?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
John Dillinger's accomplices
John Dillinger was the leader of the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing twenty-four banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and escaped twice. He was charged with but not convicted of the murder of East Chicago, Indiana, police officer William O'Malley, who shot Dillinger in his bulletproof vest during a shootout.
Dillinger's first bank robbery took place on June 21, 1933, in New Carlisle, Ohio, where he stole $10,000 ($241,000 in 2024 value). He then robbed a bank in Bluffton, Ohio, on August 14. He was tracked down by police from Dayton and arrested. During a search, police found a document that appeared to be a prison escape plan. Dillinger, however, refused to cooperate with the police.
The group that formed, known as "the First Dillinger Gang", consisted of Pierpont, Clark, Makley, Ed Shouse, Harry Copeland, and John "Red" Hamilton, a member of the Herman Lamm Gang. Dillinger helped conceive a plan to enable the escape of Pierpont, Clark, and six other prison acquaintances. He had friends smuggle guns into their cells, which they used to escape four days after Dillinger's capture.
After his escape from Lake County Jail, Dillinger reunited with his girlfriend, Billie Frechette. Together, they travelled to the Twin Cities and took lodgings at the Santa Monica Apartments in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they stayed for fifteen days. Dillinger then met up with Hamilton, and the two formed a new gang consisting of Baby Face Nelson's gang, including Nelson, Homer Van Meter, Tommy Carroll, and Eddie Green. Three days after Dillinger's escape from Crown Point, the second Gang robbed a bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Dillinger and his gang pulled off several bank robberies, including the American Bank & Trust Co. in Racine, Wisconsin, on November 20, 1933, and the First National Bank of East Chicago, Indiana, on January 15, 1934. During the East Chicago robbery, gang member John Hamilton shot and killed a police officer.
The Emergency Banking Act: A Presidential Authorization
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Dillinger [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71K4v+7SPcL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
John Dillinger's death
John Dillinger was one of the most notorious and infamous gangsters of the early 20th century, known for his string of bank robberies across the Midwest. He and his gang robbed almost two dozen banks, and their heists became more violent and dangerous as time went on. John Dillinger met his end on July 22, 1934, at the age of 31, when he was shot and killed by FBI agents outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago. The events leading up to his death began with his arrest in Tucson, Arizona, in January 1934, for the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana, police officer. At the time, Dillinger was the FBI's "Public Enemy Number One."
While awaiting trial, he began to devise a plan to escape from the "escape-proof" jail in Crown Point, Indiana. On March 3, 1934, Dillinger's gang acquired some wooden guns and broke into the jail, freeing him and several other prisoners. During the escape, Dillinger shot and killed Sheriff Lillian Holley, who had captured him in Tucson. After this, Dillinger and his gang went on a crime spree, robbing banks in South Bend, Indiana; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Mason City, Iowa.
The FBI, led by Melvin Purvis, stepped up their efforts to capture Dillinger, and he became the bureau's top priority. On July 4, 1934, Dillinger narrowly escaped from Little Bohemia, a lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin, where he had been staying with members of his gang and some friends. The FBI had received a tip-off about Dillinger's whereabouts and surrounded the lodge, but Dillinger escaped after a gunfight that resulted in the death of an innocent civilian and the wounding of three FBI agents.
Finally, on July 22, 1934, Dillinger was betrayed by Ana Cumpănaș, also known as "The Woman in Red," who was a Romanian immigrant and madam. She had been threatened with deportation by the FBI and agreed to set up Dillinger in return for her continued residence in the United States. Cumpănaș informed the FBI that Dillinger planned to attend a showing of the gangster film "Manhattan Melodrama" at the Biograph Theater that evening. A team of FBI agents, including Purvis, lay in wait outside the theater.
As Dillinger exited the theater, he sensed something was wrong and reached for his pistol. The agents opened fire, and Dillinger was shot three times—once in the heart, once in the back, and once in the buttock. He died almost instantly, becoming the first person ever to be declared "Public Enemy Number One" by the FBI, and the first to be gunned down by federal agents. His death was widely publicized, and he became something of a folk hero, with many people sympathizing with his anti-authoritarian image.
Banking Varieties: Understanding Diverse Financial Institutions
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
John Dillinger and his gang are said to have robbed between 11 and 24 banks.
John Dillinger's first bank robbery took place on June 21, 1933, at the National Bank in New Carlisle, Ohio, stealing $10,000.
The largest sum of money John Dillinger and his gang stole in one robbery was $52,000 from the First National Bank in Mason City, Iowa, on March 13, 1934.
John Dillinger's most successful year as a bank robber was 1934, when he and his gang robbed at least 10 banks.
No, John Dillinger always robbed banks with at least one accomplice.
