23 Facts About Herman Lamm

Herman Lamm pioneered the concepts of "casing" a bank and developing escape routes before conducting the robbery.

In 1930, Herman Lamm committed suicide when surrounded by a law-enforcement party in Sidell, Illinois, after a botched heist.

Herman Lamm's techniques were studied and imitated by other bank robbers across the country, including the infamous John Dillinger.

Herman Lamm was a member of the Prussian Army, but was cashiered by his regiment after he was caught cheating at cards.

Herman 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.

Herman Lamm 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.

Herman Lamm sought to take the guesswork out of bank robbing.

Herman 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 Herman Lamm Technique", in which he pioneered the concept of "casing" banks.

Herman 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.

Herman Lamm put his men through a series of rehearsals, some of which involved using a full-scale mock-up of the interior of the bank.

Herman Lamm stressed the importance of timing during these practice runs, and used stopwatches to ensure the proper results were achieved.

Herman Lamm only allowed his gang members to stay in a bank for a specific period of time, regardless of how much money they could steal.

Herman Lamm is credited with having devised the first detailed bank robbery getaway maps, which he called "gits".

Once Herman Lamm targeted a bank, he mapped the nearby back roads, which he called "cat roads", to a tenth of a mile.

Herman Lamm meticulously developed getaway plans for each of his robberies.

Herman Lamm pasted a chart on the dashboard for the driver, which included block-by-block markings of escape routes, alternative turns and speedometer readings.

Herman Lamm had several run-ins with the authorities, using several aliases.

Herman Lamm was told to leave the city after no connection could be established.

Herman Lamm was arrested under the alias "Harry K Lamb" in Kansas City, Missouri, in July 1918, but was released.

In May 1929, Herman Lamm was arrested in Benton, Illinois, and it was discovered he was a suspect in robbery of the Northwestern National Bank of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Herman Lamm died on December 16,1930, after a botched bank robbery in Clinton, Indiana.

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".

Infamous bank robber John Dillinger studied Herman Lamm's meticulous bank-robbing system and used it extensively throughout his criminal career.