BYWALTONGOLIGHTLYREAL LIFE
VERDICT HERMAN
LAMM single-
handedly
revolutionised
the art of
armed robbery.
, y, ,
HermanLammservedintheGerman
armyuntilshortlybeforetheoutbreak
oftheFirstWorldWarwhenhewas
thrownoutforcheatingatcards.Indisgrace,he
immigratedtotheUS,lookingfora freshstart.
Unfortunatelyforbankseverywhere,Lamm’sidea
ofa freshstartinvolvedrobbery.Inhisopinion,
bankrobberswereinvariablyundisciplined
thugs,theirrobberiesoftenimprovised,hit-or-
missaffairs.Theyneededorganisation,training
anddiscipline.Asanexperiencedsoldier,Lamm
reckonedhewasthemantoprovidethekindof
skillsneededforsuccess.
Hisapproachbecameknownasthe‘Lamm
Method’,andmanyofhistechniquesarestillin
use today. First there was reconnaissance. Lamma robbery,lookingover
theirsecurity,thenumber
ofentrancesandexits.He
alsonotedescaperoutes,
whichhecalled‘gitroads’.
If thebankwasworth
robbing,Lammmoved
ontoStep2:Preparation.
Hewoulddrawa planof
thebankona warehouse
floorandtakehismen
throughwherethey
neededtobeandwhat
theyneededtodo.All
hadspecificroles during a
robbery.THE BARON OF
Thewheelmandrovethegetawaycarand
waitedoutside,enginerunningandfooton
thepedal.Thelook-outwaitedatthedoors,
watching foranysignoftrouble.Thelobbyman
keptstaffandcustomersunder
guard.Thevaultmancollected
thecashasfastaspossible.
Lammpreferredtoemploy
menwithracingexperienceas
getawaydrivers.Notonlycould
theydrivefastandwell,they
hadthemechanicalknow-how
tosoupupthecarstheyused.
Lammmadehisdriverschoose
severaldifferentescaperoutesin
caseofroadblocks.Healsomade
hiswheelmendriveeveryroute
witha stopwatch.
Hemadesurehismenwere
well-armed,althoughhealways
triedtoavoidgunplay.Afterthe
robbery,thegangwouldhideoutina ‘flop’,or
safehouse,untiltheheatworeoff.
Lamm’smilitary-styleorganisationmadefor
hugeprofits.BetweentheendofWorldWar
I and 1930 hisgangstolemorethana million
dollars.BythestandardsoftheirtimetheLamm
gangwasthemostsuccessfularmedrobbers.
Butasis oftenthecasewitharmedrobbery,
increasingskillandexperienceareeventually
trumpedbythelawofaverages.Thegangonly
neededthingstogowrongonce.InClinton,
IndianaonDecember16,1930,thatwasexactly
whathappened.
Lamm’swheelmanforthejobsimplywasn’t
uptoit.Facedwitharmedcitizensandpolice
officershepanickedduringthegetawayand
bursta tyre.Thegangseizeda secondvehicle.
Thisprovedratherlessthanuseful– itsowner
hadfittedanenginegovernorlimitingit toonly
50km/hourtostophisfatherfromdrivingit
recklessly.Theradiatorofthethirdcartheystole
overheated.OutsideSidell,Illinois,theengine
seized,leavingLammandhiscrewatthemercy
ofa possebynownumberingmorethan100.
WalterDietrichandJames‘OklahomaJack’Clark
surrenderedandlaterdrewlifesentences;Lamm
andaccompliceGW‘Dad’Landy,whoat 71 years
oldhadstartedoutintheeraofButchCassidy
andtheSundanceKid,savedtheirlastbulletsfor
themselves.
Whileinjail,DietrichandClarktaughtaneager
younginmatethe‘Lammmethod’. The inmate’s
name? John Dillinger...IF you think you’ve seen any of these people, or would like
to report a missing person, contact the Bureau For Missing People
on (012) 393-2005, or fax (012) 393-2012. Missing people can
contact the bureau to let them know they’re alive and well –
even if theydon’twanttogetintouchwith family.JEKOMIA MANYONGA
Aged:15-20
Disappeared: December 23, 2019
JEKOMIA was with his uncle in
Evaton; he went to the shop and
never returned. He was wearing
blue trousers, a black t-shirt and
greysandals.SEEN THEM?
HELPLINES
TEBELLO PULUTSANA
Disappeared: December 1, 2019
Aged: 26
TEBELLO left home in Pretoria
Central without informing anyone
where he was going and has not
been seen since.JOHANNES FUNANI
Disappeared: July 16, 2019
Aged: 35
JOHANNES left home in Evaton
without informing anyone where he
was going and has not been seen
since. He was wearing grey trousers,
a grey shirt and white sports shoes.TUMELO MOTAUNG
Disappeared: January 2020
Aged: 21
TUMELO left home in Mamelodi
without informing anyone where
he was going and has not been
seen since. He was wearing an
orange shirt and blue trousers.Herman LammOf Bank Robery