Gangster who perfected the bank heist - Prussian soldier Herman 'Baron' Lamm

Lamm was born in Germany and later joined the Prussian Army before emigrating to the United States shortly before the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Lamm adapted the tactics and precision he was taught by the Prussian Army to bank robbery. Dubbed "the Lamm Technique," he would watch a bank, its guards, and its employees. Members of his gang would map the banks in various ways, posing as reporters or other outsiders. He meticulously planned his getaways.

Each member of the gang was assigned a specific role in the heist, down to hiring a race car driver to drive the getaway car.

In 1930, Lamm committed suicide when surrounded by police in Sidell, Illinois after a botched heist. Lamm's techniques were studied and imitated by other bank robbers across the country, including John Dillinger.