They Mocked His 'Homemade' Tommy Gun — Until He Killed 21 Germans in 45 Seconds Discover how First Sergeant Leonard Funk Jr., a five-foot-five paratrooper, turned a Thompson submachine gun into a legend in just 45 seconds 🪖⚔️. On January 29, 1945, in Holzheim, Belgium, Funk faced over 80 freed German prisoners in a farmhouse yard. With a German officer aiming a machine pistol at him, four disarmed American guards nearby, and his company minutes from a rear attack, surrender seemed inevitable. T