World One War: Winchester's 1897 'Trench Gun'

One of the most widely used weapons used by the allies during World War One was the Winchester Model 1897 or more commonly known as the ‘Trench Gun’, model 1897.

The Gun was a pump-action shotgun which featured an external hammer and tube magazine which was manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.  Evolved from the 1893 model which was designed by John Browning, from its creation in 1897 until its retirement in 1957, over one million of these unique firearms were produced.

The 1897 model was designed by the famous firearms inventor John Moses Browning.

The 1897 introduced a “take down” design whereby the barrel could be taken from the stock of the gun.  Over time and with increasing popularity, the 1897 model became the blueprint for all subsequent shotguns on the American market.

The 1893 and 1897 models were both designed by John Browning. The 1897 shotgun is an external hammer shotgun which lacks a trigger disconnection.  This enables the gun to be ‘slam fired’.  This refers to the user holding down the trigger whilst pumping the shotgun.  The gun itself is classified as a slide action pump shotgun.

Although the weapon came in various grades and barrel lengths, the shotgun was available in two different chambering’s.  The first was 12 gauge and the second was 16 gauge.  The shells fired would either be 2-3/4 inch or 2-5/8 inch model.  On average an 1897 held five shotgun shells in the magazine.

The model 1897 was popular before the outbreak of war in 1914 and once war was declared, sales of the weapon rocketed.  This was due in part to meet the demands of the military.  When the United States entered the war in 1917, there was a grave issue of acquiring weapons to supply to the overwhelming numbers of troops.

The combat of war and trench combat in particular showed how necessary it was to implement a high power close range weapon.   The model 1897 ‘Trench Gun’ was an evolution of the pre-existing 1897 model with trench combat incorporated in its design.  Browning added a perforated steel heat shield over the barrel which protected the hand of the user from the barrel when it became over-heated.  The gun also utilised a bayonet lug which was added for the M1917 Bayonet.

The 1897 ‘Trench Gun’ model was an ideal design for the close combat scenarios of the Western Front.  Buckshot ammunition was issued to the troops who used the weapon.  Each Buckshot round contained 9 buckshot pellets that were size 00.  This type of ammunition and firepower gave the individual soldier an overwhelming force of firepower.

The ‘Trench Gun’ was used by American soldiers during World War One for other purposes other than an attack weapon.  Incidentally, American soldiers who were skilled at trapping and hunting were armed with the ‘Trench Gun’ and ordered to fire at incoming German grenades.  The belief of this tactic was that the grenade would either blow up in mid-air or be deflected from its target, thus protecting American lives.

The sheer firepower force of the gun, its effectiveness at close range and its six-shot magazine which could be ‘slam fired’ led to American troops nicknaming it ‘Trench sweeper’.

Despite being popular with allied troops, German forces weren’t impressed with the weapon.  On September 18^th, the German government issued a diplomatic protest against Americans using shotguns, stating that the use of such weapons was prohibited by the law of war.  Despite the German protest, America’s stance with the use of shotguns was the exact opposite.  The Judge Advocate General of the Army, Secretary of State Robert Lansing bluntly rejected the German protest.

The rejection of the protest deeply offended the German government.  Subsequently, Germany issued a threat whereby they would severely punish any American soldier caught with an 1897 ‘Trench Gun’.  In response to Germany’s threat, the United States stated that any action against a captured American serviceman would lead to an equal act by American soldiers on captured German soldiers.

The 1897 Shotgun since the First World War has not only become the most recognisable but also the most used shotgun type throughout the world.  Not only did the weapon see action in World War One, but it also went on to see service in the Second World War and the Korean War.  Highly rugged, resilient and effective, the weapon was and still is a trustworthy asset to anyone or any armed force using the weapon.

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