Herman Lamm

Herman Karl Lamm was a German-American bank robber. He emigrated to the United States shortly before the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Lamm pioneered the concept of ‘casing’ a bank and developing escape routes. His techniques were studied and imitated by other bank robbers across the country, including the famous John Dillinger.

About Herman Lamm in brief

Herman Karl Lamm was a German-American bank robber. He emigrated to the United States shortly before the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Lamm pioneered the concept of ‘casing’ a bank and developing escape routes. He conducted dozens of successful bank robberies from the end of WWI to 1930. In 1930, Lamm committed suicide when surrounded by a law-enforcement party in Sidell, Illinois, after a botched heist. His techniques were studied and imitated by other bank robbers across the country, including the famous John Dillinger. He was a member of the Prussian Army, but was forced out of his regiment after he was caught cheating at cards. 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.

The system involved carefully studying a target bank for many hours before the robbery, developing a detailed floor plan, noting the location of safes and taking meticulous notes. He is also credited with devising the first detailed bank robbery getaway maps, which he called ‘gits’ Lamm and his gang were considered the most efficient gang of bank robbers of the era, taking more than USD 1 million in total. He had several run-ins with the authorities, using several aliases, including ‘Harry K Lamb’ and ‘Thomas Bell’ He was originally identified as the suspect in a burglary in Benton, Illinois in 1929, but it was discovered he was actually a suspect in the robbery of a bank.

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