[GeneralPatton]

Now I don't usually believe everything I read on Wikipedia given any moron can edit it, but when I read this I found it to be at a minimum strange, but downright amusing either way. The following exert is copied and pasted directly from the Wikipedia page on the Winchester 1897 12 gauge shotgun;

Although the Model 1897 was popular with American troops in World War I, the Germans soon began to protest its use in combat. "On 19 September 1918, the German government issued a diplomatic protest against the American use of shotguns, alleging that the shotgun was prohibited by the law of war." A part of the German protest read; "It is especially forbidden to employ arms, projections, or materials calculated to cause unnecessary suffering". "This is the only known occasion in which the legality of actual combat use of the shotgun has been raised." However, the United States interpreted their use of the shotgun differently than Germany. The Judge Advocate General of the Army, Secretary of State Robert Lansing carefully considered and reviewed the applicable law and promptly rejected the German protest. France and Britain considered using shotguns as trench warfare weapons during World War I. The shotgun in question was a double-barreled shotgun, which was not used because they were unable to obtain high powered ammunition and that type of gun is slow to reload in close combat.

German Response

The rejection of their protest greatly upset the German forces, because they believed they were treated unjustly in the war. Shortly after the protest was rejected, Germany issued threats that they would punish all captured American soldiers that were found to be armed with a shotgun. This led to the United States issuing a retaliation threat, stating that any measures unjustly taken against captured American soldiers would lead to an equal act by the United States on captured German soldiers.

I don't think I'll ever understand why anyone would think that anyone else wouldn't use the most devastating weapons available in a war.

As a matter of a fact, good ole General Patton himself said, and I quote;

"To use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wounds, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time."

It's war, not a friendly game of chess

[Blueguns]

I remember hearing that we were accused of war crimes from use of the Ithaca M37 in WWII. The troops were instructed to jump out of the trench, and slam fire the entire magazine into whoever was attacking. I'm gonna see if I can dig up the article, or a video link.

[Virginian]

Read the Geneva Convention's rules for warfare. Really absurd if you think about it. That is why rifle ammunition is fully metal jacketed instead of hollow point. But, it didn't address gas, so the Germans had no qualms about mustard gas. And it didn't address firebombing, and it didn't address nuclear weapons either, so the US was in the clear too. It did have some good language on treatment of POWs, but of course Japan was not a signatory.

[ss33204]

Didn't the nazi ss use flamethrowers? Wouldn't that be a little worse than a shotgun?

[JTJ]

Originally Posted by ss33204

Didn't the nazi ss use flamethrowers? Wouldn't that be a little worse than a shotgun?

We used flame throwers quite effectively.

[GeneralPatton]

Quite frankly if I'm the foot soldier, I don't give a dam what any document says. The other side is shooting at me, and I'm shooting at them. I don't really give a **** what I'm shooting, from a slingshot to a howitzer.

[robocop10mm]

Originally Posted by ss33204

Didn't the nazi ss use flamethrowers? Wouldn't that be a little worse than a shotgun?

Wrong war. The Waffen SS was WWII.

[c3shooter]

Just to split a couple of hairs- There are SEVERAL "Geneva Conventions". And Geneva Accords. And the Hague Convention, They regulated different things, and were amended as times changed.

They are a lawyers nightmare. Really.

And some of them were NOT ratified by the US, Some were AFFIRMED with reservations. "We won't unless they do, in which case we will."

Chem and bio? Yeah, we signed it. in 1977.

[kfox75]

Originally Posted by GeneralPatton

Quite frankly if I'm the foot soldier, I don't give a dam what any document says. The other side is shooting at me, and I'm shooting at them. I don't really give a **** what I'm shooting, from a slingshot to a howitzer.

Yep. Pretty much sums it up as far as my feelings on it. If the other guy doesn't want to play by the rules, why should I? I don't give a rat's azz what I am carrying, I will use whatever means are at my disposal to return fire. If the other guy wants to b!tch about it, Ill offer him a nice cup of get over it.