Poison Gas Research Paper

The first World War has been reported to be one of the most brutal wars in the history of time for many reasons. One of those reasons was strategic usage of chemical warfare. Chemical gas was used on both sides of the line, which turned out to be fatal for many. World War I was mostly fought in the trenches, where soldiers lived in deep, v-shaped holes or underground bunkers. Both sides would occupy these trenches in order to escape from the constant stream of bullets. These battles often ended in a standoff, or tie, which helped the introduction of a different, brand new style of fighting that included the use of chemicals. These chemicals had a range of

Poison gas was used to kill people in the trenches because it’s was very difficult to do. It was hard to kill people in the trenches because you can not get a exact aim so they used poison gas that would kill the person almost instantly. Releasing the gas also depended on with direction the wind was blowing because if it was suppose to going in the enemy's direction but went to your own it would kill the wrong people. The gases used were chlorine and phosgene and mustard gas being the worse because you could put on gas mask so the chlorine or phosgene wouldn’t effectful. However the mustard gas would affect the skin by causing the skin to burn, and leaving a soldier in unbearable pain. Poisonous gas killed millions and was an awful way to die, although it did

The poisonous gas used in the 1916 Battle of the Somme was the most inhuman weapon of World War One. Mustard gas was the most unsettling and weapon used in World War One. It is extremely disturbing than any cultured nation would use such a weapon. The use of poisonous gas in World War One was a weapon like no other. The Germans who used the poisonous gas were even surprised at the devastating effects it had on the ally troops. An attack could leave victims in agony for days to weeks before they recovered or if they did not die first. As a result, poisonous gas was one of the most dreaded weapons of World War One. One benefit with using poisonous gas was that the country using it had the element of surprise on their side. The gas was very effective

Armies started to use gas in WWI. Two of the most common gases were chlorine and mustard. Many were killed using these gases. Chemical weapons were extremely effective during WWI. By the end of WWI, 1,250,000 gas casualties occurred. Of these, 91,000 were fatalities. Chemical technology continued to be used in WWII, which killed even more. It killed so many people that chemical war was banned and considered inhumane. In 1968, the Chemical Warfare Convention occurred, banning the use of gas and stockpiling chemical weapons. Even though they were banned, the early ideas of gas technology and chemical warfare were advanced and were recently used in the Middle East. Chemical weapons were used by the Syrian government against the Syrian population. This presents another example of the impact of WWI technology on modern times. Despite being widely recognized as horrific, efficient chemical weapons remain a temptation to some governments

France was the first to introduce a chemical component for warfare called tear gas. It was utilized on the German Army in August, 1914. Although, it was not used to kill the enemy, it did incapacitate them and left them unable to defend their positions. Tear gas caused irritation in the mouth, eyes, and throat. The use of tear gas in trench warfare was not very effective.

New gases continued to be developed and used. France and Britain produced blood agents which attempted to inhibit the victims ability to absorb oxygen into the blood. These gases were not terribly effective in battle. The most devastating new gas was Mustard Gas. This was developed as to circumvent the newly invented gas helmet and affect exposed skin (#Tucker, 2006). It was first used July 12-13, 1917 at Ypres Salient by the Germans. In the next six weeks the British suffered 9,000 casualties as a result of Mustard Gas (#Hutchinson,

 On “The Second Battle of Ypres”, it was reported that 90 men died from gas poisoning in the trenches, out of the 207 near the dressing stations forty six out of the fifty eight died almost immediately. The British expressed their anger they made their own poison gas. The commander of II Corps, Lieutenant General Sir Charles

However, the stalemate fighting that resulted from the nature of trench warfare made chemical warfare a necessity if one wanted to gain ground. Both sides used tear gas in the early years of the war, but it wasn’t long before German forces introduced poisonous chlorine gas. The effects of this gas were severe; it destroyed the respiratory systems of those affected and made breathing difficult. Another dangerous chemical introduced by German forces was mustard gas, which caused blistering both internally and externally. Before long, Allied forces had replicated the German’s mustard gas and its use became widespread on the Western Front.

In the start of World War 1 gasses were considered inhumane and uncivilized. These three types of gasses show exactly why that was the thought all around the world on chemical weaponry. Lachrymator (tear gas) - caused temporary blindness and irritation to the victims’ nose and throat. A gas mask would give the troops relatively good protection from this type of gas. Sternutator (poisonous gas) - chlorine, phosgene. Chlorine gas combines with moisture so it attacks the soldiers’ eyes and lungs. Phosgene gas was used along with Chlorine gas; it would cause less coughing allowing more to be inhaled. Also the effects were delayed for a longer time than when Chlorine gas was present. Troops would most likely be affected up to 48 hours after their body was initially introduced to the chemical. These two where later mixed together. The Chlorine helped the vapor to spread wider and faster than Phosgene had before causing both gases to be deadlier then before. They were also introduced in

Backtrack to April 22, 1915. Halfway around the world in Ypres, Belgium, German forces surprise two French Colonial divisions by unleashing nearly 150 tons of pure fatal chlorine gas. Because they had never been exposed to chemical warfare on a scale like this; The French forces had no protection against this deadly toxin. This lack of preparation sent front line troops into a panic. Nearly 6,000 troops were killed because of the deadly gas. These soldiers did not die peacefully, as they choked and burned to death as if they were parasites. The Germans, who bombarded “No man’s land” and the front line trenches with the chlorine gas were equally as surprised with the devastation the unbeatable gas left. Long story short, although German forces had a major advantage with this toxic new weapon; they failed to come out of the Second Battle of Ypres with a victory. Shortly after worldwide mass production of gas masks were being put into effect for the war. This first use of chemical warfare changed the entire

World War 1 was history’s largest transformation in military technology tactics. Almost all battlefield missions in 1914 to 1918 stay the same today but have. However, militaries around adapted to more modern-day weapons and technologies. What started in World War 1 is usually seen in today’s Warfare. Since 1918 Almost all military approaches have stayed the same but have been technically improved to the more recent style of warfare. According to the Wall Street Journal, “World War 1 accelerated the evolution of warfare, catapulting it out of the victorian era into nearly the middle of the 20th century” (1). Additionally, there are many different types of warfare used in World War 1. Two of those tactics that affected war greatly was Trench Warfare and the use of gas. To begin, the first major attack using gas was in 1915 in the country of what is now called Poland. It was a strategy where they would rain 18 thousand gas shells holding chemical xylyl bromide. It was not successful at all, so German scientists created a method where chloride gas is released from pressurized cylinders. This was a success killing many people from suffocation. There are three main types of gas used in war: Lachrymator (tear gas), Suffocating gas, and Sternutator gas. Trench warfare was another strategy used in World War 1. The goal of trench warfare was to avoid as many deaths as possible, and it actually saved many lives. Trenches were usually dug by men, and extended for miles and miles. The trenches were made zig-zag so it would confuse the enemies. For every mile there was usually five thousand men. Trenches were good for traveling and made communication easier. In conclusion, trench warfare and the use of gas affected war back then, and still affects war

World War I was made even worse by the work of industrial chemists. Soldiers from Ypres, Belgium would claim that a shimmering cloud appeared around their feet and a strange peppery smell in the air in 1917. This gave it its well-known name. Within a day, they have shown signs of severe itching that were caused by dreadful blisters and other wounds. Some stated to be coughing up body fluid. Near the end of the war, it instilled terror across the battlefield. Leaving up to 10,000 people dead and more injured. Mustard gas was created in 1822, but it wasn’t well-known as harmful till 1860.

At the Battle of Ypres, the Germans released a cloud of chlorine gas that moved slowly toward the Allies trench (Simkin). The French were completely unprepared so many climbed out of the trench and ran away. German chemist Fritz Haber developed the gas for use in war. The Chlorine gas causes wheezing, coughing, and fluid build up in the lungs leading to a painful death of asphyxiation (White). Arthur Guy Empey said, “There's a sort of greenish, yellow cloud rolling along the ground out in front, it's coming ---” “German gas is heavier than air and soon fills the trenches and dugouts.” “Out of our crew of six, we lost two killed and two wounded.” (Empey) Other gasses like mustard gas and phosgene were used. Mustard gas was not used to kill people however it severely maimed them. Mustard gas caused large blisters on contact and blindness. Phosgene worked very similarly to chlorine gas, however, it was invisible allowing it to remain undetected (CDC). Chemical warfare has since been banned around the world. Barbed wire also changed the course of

Mustard gas was one of the most painful of ways of dying, as it made u loose vision, and cough up your own blood, defiantly one of the worst ways to day at the time. The Germans launched their first full attack, using mustard gas, during the battle of Ypres. Mustard gas was a very effect weapon, gas mask were not given to soldiers during this time of war since no one had even imagined poison gas as a lethal weapon. The total death number from the battle of Ypres do to poison gas is “Number”. The Germans also preferred to use the stick bomb over grenades, since of its greater throwing distance, however, its explosion range was much smaller than the British and French grenades. The British and the French used an egg-shaped hand grenade, which could be thrown 30 meters, 10 meters less than the German sticks, but carried a much larger explosive charge. The French were acutely the first people to introduce Chemical warfare, however never put much serious focus into it, unlike the Germans, who started to put serious research into the weapons. The Germans were always trying to invent new things, and attempt to create the next super weapon, unlike the French and British who seamed for old fashion by using mostly standard

The surprise use of chlorine gas allowed the Germans to rupture the French line along a 6-kilometer front, causing terror and forcing a panicked and chaotic retreat. This wall of gas killed more than 1000 French and Algerian soldiers, while wounding approximately 4000 more. The use of chemical gas was Germanys idea of a swift and decisive action that would prove victory over the AXIS powers. German soldiers would load shells with a super toxic chemical that could be dispersed along the battle field from miles away. Never in history had this weapon be used changing how soldiers and scientist fight the war on and off the battle field. A British soldier described the pandemonium that flowed from the front lines to the rear.