The 'Shotguns in WW1' or 'Kaiser Mad' meme refers to the historical protest filed by the German Empire in 1918 against the American use of the Winchester Model 1897 'Trench Gun.' Germany argued that the shotgun caused 'unnecessary suffering,' an ironic claim given their own pioneering use of chemical weapons and flamethrowers earlier in the conflict. This irony became a staple in historical meme communities, often depicted through Wojak characters or the 'Nooo You Can't Just...' format. It highlights the absurdity of battlefield ethics during the brutal reality of trench warfare and serves as a favorite trope for history buffs on platforms like Reddit and Tumblr.