M1897 Trenchgun

The M1897 Trenchgun was the first shotgun officially adopted by the United States Military en masse. It is a 12 or 16 gauge pump action shotgun.

History
The M1897 Trenchgun was a short version of its civilian counterpart. The main differences include a shorter barrel, and the addition of a bayonet lug. This weapon was so effective in the trench warfare of the First World War that the German High Command tried to have it outlawed in vain due to its tremendous power. The M1897 trench gun saw limited use during the Second World War, generally used by the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific, playing a decisive role in close quarters combat. In an interesting note was that the hammerless Winchester Model 1912 shotgun (or M12 shotgun) was more commonly used than the older M1897 shotgun, almost 80,000 Winchester M12 shotgun were deployed to the Marines, Air force and Military Police. It is still in the Air Force weapons file, though its prevalence is miniscule at best.