King & Country · WWII U.S. Marines · USMC036
USMC036 fires from a forward lean, the shotgun tight into his shoulder and his knees flexed. King & Country identifies the weapon as the Winchester Model 1897 trench gun. Its perforated barrel shroud and compact outline distinguish it from the Garand even before the product title is read.
In the set: One Marine firing a Winchester Model 1897 shotgun.
The trench gun’s military story began well before the Pacific campaigns. The Model 1897 was a pump-action design associated with close fighting, and the trench configuration could accept a bayonet. The National Museum of the Marine Corps connects a Winchester shotgun with Sergeant Clyde Thomason’s actions during the Makin raid in August 1942.
A weapon with an older pedigree
That is a historical example of the weapon’s Marine use, not an identification of this anonymous miniature as Thomason. USMC036 wears the green utilities and camouflage helmet cover of the WWII fighting range. It should also be distinguished from the earlier, separately numbered USMC002 Shotgun release.
Review
The aggressively pitched stance suits the short weapon and gives the figure a compact sense of force. The barrel shroud is the most valuable identifying detail. For a collection dominated by Garands and Thompsons, USMC036 contributes a different weapon rather than merely another firing angle.
References: King & Country USMC036 release description and photographs; historical background. Review observations are based on the product reference photographs.
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