Shotguns. Yeah, it may sound crazy, but Germany tried to argue in World War I that shotguns were an illegal weapon. Don't worry; you're not a war criminal.
Shot guns were considered weapons that violated the provisions of the Hague conventions, some aspects of which the United States didn't ratify but has generally adhered to; specifically that projectiles used in war not be made with features to enhance lethality with more severe wounds by deforming within the body.
Shotguns are not terribly suited to combat: shotgun shot has a maximum effective range of thirty yards, at which point velocity and predictable shot groupings quickly decline. Solid slugs are useful out to a maximum of one hundred yards.
Stateside, the shotgun had been the firearm of choice for game hunting. On the battlefields of World War I, it earned the nickname “trench sweeper.” Germans considered the weapon so lethal they filed a diplomatic protest, charging it caused “unnecessary suffering,” that its use violated the Hague Convention.
Fighting ended with Germany's surrender on November 11, 1918—four months to the day after it discovered that Americans had brought shotguns into combat. Germany's real reason for objecting to the shotgun was undoubtedly its brutal effectiveness.
The German Government protests against the use of shotguns by the American Army and calls attention to the fact that according to the law of war (Kriegsrecht) every prisoner found to have in his possession such guns or ammunition belonging thereto forfeits his life.
Six different model of shotguns were accepted in the US army during World War II, the most popular being the M97 and M1912. One disadvantage of using a shotgun in the Pacific Theatre was the way of carrying the shotshells.
Is Using a Flamethrower a War Crime? Flamethrowers are classified as incendiary weapons and are therefore regulated by Protocol III of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits the use of any weapon designed to set fire to civilian targets.
Despite some assertions, they are not generally banned, but as incendiary weapons they are subject to the usage prohibitions described under Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. USA army flamethrowers developed up to the M9 model.
The German protest cited Article 23(e) of the Hague Conventions, which outlined the rules of warfare, claiming the trench shotgun caused “unnecessary suffering.”
During the First World War the Germans claimed that using shotguns in combat was a violation of the rules of war, and threatened to execute any American soldiers captured with one. It would have been hypocritical to use shotguns themselves.
The Germans thought that shotguns violated Article 23(e) of the 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions that prohibited the use of weapons or ammunition designed to cause “unnecessary suffering.”
Germany declared the trench shotgun as inhumane simply because it created wounds that doctors of that time and even today were/are unable to cure. There was no way to fix that damaged part of the torso - if you got hit in the chest all they could do was the “coup de grace”.
Over the centuries, the military shotgun has evolved. Once used only for guard duty, it moved into the field during the World Wars, Korean War, and Vietnam War. Today, the shotgun remains a combat firearm and a handy tool for breaching otherwise impenetrable barriers.
The trench gun is a shotgun adapted for military use during World War I. These guns were commercial repeating shotguns with trimmed barrels. The shortened barrels allowed them to be used in the tight quarters necessitated by trenches.
While in Australia it is illegal to import or own a flamethrower, in the United States, private ownership is not restricted by federal law and the devices are legal in most states. Obviously, a flamethrower is a super terrible idea. Definitely don't buy one.
The United Nations banned napalm usage against civilian targets in 1980, but this has not stopped its use in many conflicts around the world. Although the use of traditional napalm has generally ceased, modern variants are deployed, allowing some countries to assert that they do not use “napalm.”
The commentary on the Code states: “The following weapons and means of combat are considered to be prohibited: … napalm bombs and other incendiary weapons”.
Artillery. Artillery was the most destructive weapon on the Western Front. Guns could rain down high-explosive shells, shrapnel and poison gas on the enemy. Heavy fire could destroy troop concentrations, wire and fortified positions.
produced a number of the almost-identical Model 720 riot guns and training guns. Some of these shotguns saw combat use in most theaters of the war and, as was the case in World War I, they proved to be highly effective for close-range combat applications.
The Mosin Nagant, Short Magazine Lee Enfield, the Kar98, and the M1 Garand are the three main rifles of World War II and all are highly collectible. The M1911 pistol, the Russian Nagant revolver, and the Walther P08 are the three main handguns that are associated with the war and are rarer than the rifles.
A brief history of the shotgun and an explanation of shotgun ballistics notes that the shotgun is more effective and deadly than the pistol and is comparable in effectiveness to high powered rifles, at short ranges.
The M500 Shotgun provides short-range lethal and less-than-lethal crowd control and door-breaching capabilities with appropriate ammunition types. The M500 is commonly issued to infantry, military police, engineers and armorers.
Officially — no, there was no standard-issue shotgun in USSR, neither in Red Army, nor in the Soviet Navy, nor in the Air Force, nor in NKVD troops.