Herman Lamm
Encyclopedia
Herman K. Lamm known as Baron Lamm, was a German American
bank robber. He is widely considered one of the most brilliant and efficient bank robbers to have ever lived, and has been described as "the father of modern bank robbery". Lamm's techniques were studied and imitated by other bank robbers across the country, including the infamous John Dillinger
.
A former Prussian Army
member who emigrated to the United States
, Lamm believed a heist required all the planning of a military operation. He pioneered the concepts of meticulously "casing" a bank and developing escape routes before conducting the robbery. Utilizing a meticulous planning system called "The Lamm Technique", Lamm conducted dozens of successful bank robberies from the end of World War I
until 1930, when he committed suicide when surrounded by a posse in Sidell
, Illinois
, after a botched heist.
, but was forced out of his regiment after he was caught cheating at cards. After he was discredited, Lamm emigrated to the United States
shortly before the outbreak of World War I
in 1914. Lamm became a holdup man, and quickly started adapting his military training, his study of tactics, and his precision and discipline into the art of crime. He theorized that a heist required all the planning of a military operation, which included the development of contingency options in the event of unforeseen problems. Bank robberies in the United States were largely improvised at the time, resulting in varied degrees of success and failure among heists. Lamm sought to take the guesswork out of bank robbing. Lamm was arrested in 1917 after a botched holdup and served a brief stint in a Utah
prison, where he developed what became known as "The Lamm Technique", in which he pioneered the concept of "casing" banks.
The system involved carefully studying a target bank for many hours before the robbery, developing a detailed floor plan, noting the location of safes, taking meticulous notes and establishing escape routes. Lamm assigned each gang member a specific job, along with a specific zone of the bank they were charged with surveying and a strict timetable to complete their stage of the robbery. Among the jobs he assigned to his fellow robbers were the lookout, the getaway driver, the lobby man and the vault man. He also put his men through a series of rehearsals, some of which involved using a full-scale mock-up of the interior of the bank. Lamm stressed the importance of timing during these practice runs, and used stopwatches to ensure the proper results were achieved. He only allowed his gang members to stay in a bank for a specific period of time, regardless of how much money they were able to steal.
Lamm is also credited with devising the first detailed bank robbery getaway maps, which he called "gits". Once Lamm targeted a bank, he mapped the nearby back roads, which he called "cat roads", to a tenth of a mile. He meticulously developed getaway plans for each of his robberies. Before every heist, Lamm obtained a nondescript car with a high-powered engine, and often recruited drivers who had been involved in auto racing. Lamm pasted a chart on the dashboard for the driver, which included block-by-block markings of escape routes, alternate turns and speedometer readings. Before each run, Lamm and the getaway driver clocked each route to the second under various weather conditions. Practice runs on the escape routes and alternative routes would take days to master. Utilizing this system, Lamm and his gang conducted dozens of successful bank robberies from the end of World War I to 1930, earning more than $1 million in total. They were considered the most efficient gang of bank robbers of the era.
Herman Lamm died on December 16, 1930 after a botched bank robbery in Clinton
, Indiana
. After stealing $15,567 from the Citizens State Bank, getaway driver and ex-rumrunner W.H. Hunter noticed a local barber approaching the car with a shotgun. The barber was one of thousands of Indiana vigilantes organized to help police fight a growing number of bank robberies in the state. The driver panicked and pulled a fast U-turn, causing the Buick sedan to blow a tire after jumping a curb. Lamm and his men seized another car, but were forced to abandon it after they realized it could go no more than 35 miles per hour because it was fitted with a governor
, which the car's owner had installed to prevent his elderly father from driving recklessly.
The gang seized a truck, but because it had very little water in the radiator, they were forced to seize yet another car, which had only one gallon of gas in the tank. Lamm and his gang were cornered near Sidell
, Illinois
by a posse of about 200 police officers and vigilantes. A massive gun battle ensued, in which Hunter was wounded and later died. Lamm and another gang member, 71-year-old G.W. "Dad" Landy, shot themselves in the head rather than surrender. Two survivors of Lamm's gang, Walter Dietrich and James "Oklahoma Jack" Clark
, were captured and eventually sentenced to life in an Indiana state prison.
studied Lamm's meticulous bank-robbing system and used it extensively throughout his criminal career. Dietrich and Clark met Dillinger during their stint in the Indiana state prison following Lamm's death. The pair were permitted to join Dillinger's gang under the condition they teach him everything they knew about the Lamm Technique.
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
bank robber. He is widely considered one of the most brilliant and efficient bank robbers to have ever lived, and has been described as "the father of modern bank robbery". Lamm's techniques were studied and imitated by other bank robbers across the country, including the infamous John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
.
A former Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
member who emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Lamm believed a heist required all the planning of a military operation. He pioneered the concepts of meticulously "casing" a bank and developing escape routes before conducting the robbery. Utilizing a meticulous planning system called "The Lamm Technique", Lamm conducted dozens of successful bank robberies from the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
until 1930, when he committed suicide when surrounded by a posse in Sidell
Sidell, Illinois
Sidell is a village in Sidell Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the 'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 626 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, after a botched heist.
Criminal career
Herman Lamm was a member of the Prussian ArmyPrussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
, but was forced out of his regiment after he was caught cheating at cards. After he was discredited, Lamm emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
shortly before the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914. Lamm became a holdup man, and quickly started adapting his military training, his study of tactics, and his precision and discipline into the art of crime. He theorized that a heist required all the planning of a military operation, which included the development of contingency options in the event of unforeseen problems. Bank robberies in the United States were largely improvised at the time, resulting in varied degrees of success and failure among heists. Lamm sought to take the guesswork out of bank robbing. Lamm was arrested in 1917 after a botched holdup and served a brief stint in a Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
prison, where he developed what became known as "The Lamm Technique", in which he pioneered the concept of "casing" banks.
The system involved carefully studying a target bank for many hours before the robbery, developing a detailed floor plan, noting the location of safes, taking meticulous notes and establishing escape routes. Lamm assigned each gang member a specific job, along with a specific zone of the bank they were charged with surveying and a strict timetable to complete their stage of the robbery. Among the jobs he assigned to his fellow robbers were the lookout, the getaway driver, the lobby man and the vault man. He also put his men through a series of rehearsals, some of which involved using a full-scale mock-up of the interior of the bank. Lamm stressed the importance of timing during these practice runs, and used stopwatches to ensure the proper results were achieved. He only allowed his gang members to stay in a bank for a specific period of time, regardless of how much money they were able to steal.
Lamm is also credited with devising the first detailed bank robbery getaway maps, which he called "gits". Once Lamm targeted a bank, he mapped the nearby back roads, which he called "cat roads", to a tenth of a mile. He meticulously developed getaway plans for each of his robberies. Before every heist, Lamm obtained a nondescript car with a high-powered engine, and often recruited drivers who had been involved in auto racing. Lamm pasted a chart on the dashboard for the driver, which included block-by-block markings of escape routes, alternate turns and speedometer readings. Before each run, Lamm and the getaway driver clocked each route to the second under various weather conditions. Practice runs on the escape routes and alternative routes would take days to master. Utilizing this system, Lamm and his gang conducted dozens of successful bank robberies from the end of World War I to 1930, earning more than $1 million in total. They were considered the most efficient gang of bank robbers of the era.
Death
Clinton, Indiana
Clinton is a city in Vermillion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,893 at the 2010 census. The city was established in 1829 and is named after DeWitt Clinton, who served as governor of New York from 1817 to 1823. Many of Clinton's original settlers were immigrants working in coal...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. After stealing $15,567 from the Citizens State Bank, getaway driver and ex-rumrunner W.H. Hunter noticed a local barber approaching the car with a shotgun. The barber was one of thousands of Indiana vigilantes organized to help police fight a growing number of bank robberies in the state. The driver panicked and pulled a fast U-turn, causing the Buick sedan to blow a tire after jumping a curb. Lamm and his men seized another car, but were forced to abandon it after they realized it could go no more than 35 miles per hour because it was fitted with a governor
Governor (device)
A governor, or speed limiter, is a device used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine, such as an engine. A classic example is the centrifugal governor, also known as the Watt or fly-ball governor, which uses a rotating assembly of weights mounted on arms to determine how fast the engine...
, which the car's owner had installed to prevent his elderly father from driving recklessly.
The gang seized a truck, but because it had very little water in the radiator, they were forced to seize yet another car, which had only one gallon of gas in the tank. Lamm and his gang were cornered near Sidell
Sidell, Illinois
Sidell is a village in Sidell Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the 'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 626 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
by a posse of about 200 police officers and vigilantes. A massive gun battle ensued, in which Hunter was wounded and later died. Lamm and another gang member, 71-year-old G.W. "Dad" Landy, shot themselves in the head rather than surrender. Two survivors of Lamm's gang, Walter Dietrich and James "Oklahoma Jack" Clark
James Clark (criminal)
James "Oklahoma Jack" Clark was a Depression-era outlaw and bank robber.A protege of bank robber Herman "Baron" Lamm, Clark was a later member of Lamm's team who participated in the gang's final robbery against the Citizens State Bank in Clinton, Indiana on December 16, 1930...
, were captured and eventually sentenced to life in an Indiana state prison.
Legacy
Herman Lamm is widely considered one of the most brilliant and efficient bank robbers to have ever lived, and has been described as "the father of modern bank robbery". By his death in 1930, the Lamm Technique had already been widely imitated by other bank robbers across the country. Infamous bank robber John DillingerJohn Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
studied Lamm's meticulous bank-robbing system and used it extensively throughout his criminal career. Dietrich and Clark met Dillinger during their stint in the Indiana state prison following Lamm's death. The pair were permitted to join Dillinger's gang under the condition they teach him everything they knew about the Lamm Technique.