Terror Of The Trenches

The elegant lines of the Model 1897 Trench Gun exude a timelessly sinister vibe. The militarized version remained in U.S. military service for nearly a century.

The Model 1897 Winchester Trench Gun was a fascinating footnote to the carnage of World War I. World War Supply (WWS) can fix you up with accessories to flesh out any proper World War I weapons collection. A reproduction U.S. M1917 Trenchraider Brodie Helmet and M1917 Bolo Knife are shown here, along with other WWS gear.

Origin Story

Warfare evolved rapidly during the First World War, and tactics were at times slow to keep up. One of the first intended uses of the Trench Gun was to deflect enemy grenades as they came hurtling toward American trenches. Americans were known to be a frontier people, and wing shooting was a common skill among the ranks. Once the guns arrived in theater it became obvious they were actually much better employed as close quarters combat implements.

The 1897 was a product of the fertile mind of John Moses Browning. The gun was an evolutionary development from Browning’s previous 1893 model. Between 1897 and 1957 more than a million copies were produced. The gun was available in both 12- and 16-gauge versions in a variety of grades and barrel lengths. It also came in both solid and takedown variations. The takedown version used an interrupted thread to connect the barrel assembly to the receiver. When broken down the gun was remarkably compact.

The primary improvement over the 1893 involved a strengthened receiver intended to manage smokeless powder shotshells. The 1893 came about in the era of black powder rounds, so the chassis needed some upgrading to handle the extra pressures. There were a few other improvements, but the two mechanisms were similar.

While the 1897 was originally marketed toward American sportsmen, features of the gun made it a superb combat tool. The exposed hammer showed at a glance if the gun was ready to fire. Additionally, the gun lacked an internal disconnector. This made the weapon devastatingly fast at close ranges.

The nature of the 1897 action was such that the operator could hold down the trigger and cycle the action as fast as mechanically possible. The hammer dropped automatically when the breech closed. This meant the M97 Trench Gun could empty its full six rounds of onboard chaos in a single blistering fusillade. Once the Germans felt its wrath the weapon began to have a political effect.

The bolt assembly telescopes out the back of the action of the 1897 Trench Gun when cycled. While this bit reliably cocks the manual hammer, it can also nip your strong hand if care is not exercised.

The five-shot tubular magazine of the Winchester 1897 Trench Gun accepts one round at a time through a loading gate on the bottom of the receiver.

The exposed hammer on the Winchester 1897 Trench Gun is a distinctive feature of this model shotgun.

World War Supply offers a reproduction of the U.S. trench whistle used by troops in World War I.

International Hypocrisy

The standard issue ammunition for M97 Trench Guns in World War I was a 00 buckshot load firing nine .33-caliber lead balls. With a total of six of these rounds onboard an American soldier so equipped was devastating against close quarters German Stormtrooper attacks. Once this new weapon arrived on the battlefield the Germans responded with a curious threat.

September of 1918, U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing received a diplomatic cable from the government of Imperial Germany via the Swiss consulate in Washington, D.C. The German message read, “The German government protests against the use of shotguns by the American Army and calls attention to the fact that, according to the laws of war, every prisoner found to have in his possession such guns or ammunition belonging thereto forfeits his life.”

This was actually fairly comical. The Germans had introduced the world to poison gas and conducted blatant unrestricted submarine warfare on civilian vessels. It was in fact the sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania and subsequent loss of 128 innocent American lives that initially swayed American public opinion against the Germans three years earlier.

After brief deliberation on the subject, the American secretary of state issued the following response, “The Government of the United States has to say that the provision of the Hague convention, cited in the protest, does not in its opinion forbid the use of this kind of weapon. Moreover, in view of the history of the shotgun as a weapon of warfare, and in view of the well-known effects of its present use, and in the light of a comparison of it with other weapons approved in warfare, the shotgun now in use by the American Army cannot be the subject of legitimate or reasonable protest … If the German government should carry out its threat in a single instance, it will be the right and duty of the Government of the United States to make such reprisals as will best protect American forces, and notice is hereby given of the intention of the Government of the United States to make such reprisals.”

The American spirit was not necessarily well understood by the European powers at the time. However, in this exchange a point was clearly made. Should the Germans execute even a single American prisoner for the use of a shotgun in combat, the U.S. government reserved the right to respond in kind as it saw fit. The Imperial German government got the message and nothing more was made of the protest.

Criminal Applications

The inspired attributes of John Browning’s 1897 shotgun ensured widespread use. The gun was a staple of the American sporting scene, and the weapon remains widely distributed even today. I found a high mileage takedown version on GunBroker.com some years back for less than $250. However, while the various salient attributes of the design made it appealing to American sportsmen, the criminal element took unfortunate notice as well.

The Constitutional prohibition of alcohol in America in 1920 spawned an unprecedented rise in organized crime. The criminal gangs and empires arising at this time are, in some cases, still in operation today. While the actual rates of violence were then as now fairly low when considered against the nation as a whole, the spectacular nature of these crimes captivated the population.

On Valentine’s Day 1929, four men pushed their way inside a Lincoln Park garage in Chicago. Two were dressed in police uniforms. Inside were seven members of Bugs Moran’s North Side Gang. Believing themselves about to be arrested, the North Side gangsters lined up obediently against a brick wall.

The subsequent fusillade from two slide-action shotguns and a brace of Thompson submachine guns ultimately killed all seven men. The only survivors were a dog named High Ball and Frank Gusenberg, a notorious local gangster. Gusenberg, though struck 14 times by bullets, survived three hours in a local hospital before succumbing to his wounds. He resolutely refused to identify his attackers to police during this time.

Though the two Thompsons used in the shooting have been positively identified and subsequently attained legendary status, the specifics of the shotguns remain a mystery. The study of ballistics was in its infancy, but the unique impressions made upon the cases and bullets from the Tommy guns allowed conclusive identification. By contrast, the smoothbore nature of a scattergun precluded any reliable identification. Regardless, it has been postulated the two shotguns used in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre were likely Model 1897 Winchesters.

Another great replica accessory is World War Supply’s “trench rattle,” a World War I-era gas alarm rattle.

The Rest Of The Story

While most of the shotguns used in the military have been employed in second-line applications like guarding prisoners or sentry duty, there yet remains a persistent need for combat scatterguns in U.S. arms rooms. Two hundred M97 shotguns were sent to the Philippines in 1900 for use by John “Black Jack” Pershing’s troops in the Philippine-American War of 1898. The anemic .38-caliber revolvers of the day were relatively ineffective against the fearsome Moro tribesmen who faced American troops. The pump-action 12-gauge, however, was more than adequate to do the job.

The M97 Trench Gun subsequently saw service in WWI, the Irish War of Independence, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the 1990 Gulf War. It was only in relatively recent years the M97 Trench Gun has been fully supplanted in American military service. Considering the complexity of this 19th century design, this remains a telling tribute to the genius of
John Browning.

The 1897 was indeed fabulously successful. The gun cost $25 new and could be had with barrels reaching out as much as three feet. Though the entrails of the gun seem as complex as those of a sewing machine, the 1897 Winchester rendered reliable service and was well received by the troops, cops and civilians who wielded it.

The 1897 Winchester armed generations of American hunters, law enforcement officers, criminals and soldiers on dove fields, battlefields, turkey hunts and stakeouts both at home and abroad. Modern reproductions are still available, and aftermarket barrel shrouds allow the enterprising American gun nerd to bodge together a facsimile of the trench gun without hocking a kidney. Be forewarned the installation of one of these heat shields on a reproduction 1897 shotgun requires a little effort and some light metal work. If you have fairly deep pockets, original G.I.-issue versions remain available for those with the resources to pursue them.

The perforated heat shield on the 1897 Trench Gun helps keep the hot barrel away from sensitive hands (left). The perforated steel heat shield on the Trench Gun included a forward sling swivel and a bayonet lug (right).

The stocks on the 1897 Trench Gun are cut from beautiful American walnut.

The Mexican Connection

World War I was a fascinating time for those of us with a weakness for military history. President Wilson tried mightily to keep the United States out of the war, but unrestricted submarine warfare along with a particularly egregious bit of subterfuge eventually dragged us kicking and screaming to Europe. This all stemmed from something known as the Zimmerman Telegram.

Desperate to extend alliances and gain any possible advantage, Imperial Germany in January of 1917 sent an encrypted message to Heinrich von Eckhardt, the German ambassador to Mexico. British Intelligence intercepted the cable and decrypted it, providing a copy to the then-neutral United States. In the telegram the Germans proposed to supply Mexico with cash and logistical support in exchange for its entry into World War I against the United States. The cable proposed the Mexicans could win back the territory of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico they’d lost during their previous war with the U.S.

Mexican president Venustiano Carranza rejected the proposal as impractical. While Mexico certainly wanted its territory back, the tactical reality was Mexico was in a state of near-revolution and in no position to threaten the United States militarily. Additionally, the Mexican government rightfully feared the difficulties of trying to pacify a heavily armed American civilian population, a lesson that could be better heeded today.

The end result was the Zimmerman Telegram enraged rank and file Americans. The United States viewed the telegram as a casus belli or “cause for war.” Once Arthur Zimmerman, the author of the cable, admitted to its legitimacy the wheels began to turn, inevitably leading the United States into Europe.

Denouement

Once we got started in World War I we played to win. At the height of our involvement we were landing 10,000 troops per day on the continent. Armed with such stuff as the M97 Trench Gun, U.S. troops helped turn the tide against the Germans and ultimately secure victory in World War I.

Special thanks to World War Supply (www.worldwarsupply.com) for the pictures and gear used in the production of this article. American doughboys individually decorated their helmets just as did many of the First World War’s other combatants. Originals are all but priceless. However, World War Supply can get you into a remarkable facsimile for a very reasonable price. Be sure to check this out as well as their many other amazing products.

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