The Dangerous Effects of Chemical Warfare in World War One

One secret America had was mustard gas testing on soldiers. As stated in the Department of Defense statement on the subject, “ During World War Two, there was a program at the Naval Research Laboratory to test and evaluate protective clothing and applications for use against war gases.” Also, in the statement, the Department of Defense said, “Records show that the tests of protective clothing generally involved an exposure of about ½ to one hour for a total test period ranging from one to twelve days”(US

The production of the gas mask happened very quickly., Germans introduced chemical warfare to the war and we were highly unprepared. The soldiers had a total of four breaths to figure out how they were going to escape the toxic gases, At first nNobody knew what was going on, which, in return, made the soldiers react fast to save their lives.

Chemical warfare, while horrible, proved to be unwieldy and unpredictable, and relatively easy to counter. After some limited successes against unprepared opponents, the use of chemical gas had very little tactical benefit; the recognition of this limited utility is that after widespread use in 1915 - except for the short-lived effects of the introduction of mustard gas in 1917 - gas was abandoned by both sides as an effective tactic.

Blistering Agents, like mustard gas, were seen as the most dreadful of all chemical weapons in World War I. Unlike the other gases which attacked the respiratory system, this gas acts on any exposed, moist skin, which makes it extremely dangerous. This includes, but is not limited to, the eyes, lungs, armpits and groin. Obviously, a gas mask that covered one’s face could offer very little to no protection whatsoever. The oily reacting agent would produce large burn-like blisters wherever it came in contact with skin. It also had a way of hanging around in low areas for hours, even days, after being

Having a platoon of a couple hundred men to move through unknown territory is no easy task. Allen wrote, “One of the greatest trials was having to march gassed men when there was nothing else to be done, although sometimes it was fatal. We stirred up a lot of mustard gas getting out, and had the usual trouble of alarms and men getting lost when they put their masks on.” (pg. 57) Being gassed brought to many men the sensation of death, and for some the gas would be their cause of death. To avoid being threatened by the gas it was important for the platoon to keep moving, sitting around tended to make things distressing. Allen wrote, “Halts were the worst. After each one it was harder than ever to get the men on their feet. Some began to gag. Slightly gassed men showed symptoms of giving out, the young boys almost toppled over backward by their packs when they got up.” (pg. 105) The mustard gas was so harsh on the soldiers that it deprived them of their energy. In order to restore that energy the men needed to eat. Eating would eventually become a hardship the closer they got to the front lines, leaving the men to learn how to battle through the pains of hunger.

In many ways, this passage from the book All Quiet on the Western Front depicts war in a way that puts you right into the carnage. It is common knowledge that WWI brought with it new and catastrophic levels of violence, with battles that lasted for months on end and amazing advancements in weaponry, such as the machine gun, flamethrower, and poison gas. With the introduction of the poison gas came the need for masks that could be worn over the face to deter inhalation of what would prove to be fatal air. The soldiers still use caution when breathing with the masks since they have seen the horrors that follow if the mustard gas enters their lungs. "These first minutes with the mask decide between life and death: is it tightly woven? I remember

The gases used in World War I included mustard gas and chlorine gas. Chlorine showed its effects on the soldiers much quicker than mustard gas did. With mustard gas, after a while, one could see blisters forming on their body, and not soon after in their throat making it difficult to breathe (Briggs). Suffocation is one of the worse ways to die because one would suffer for longer. Poison gases’ inhumanity caused an antagonistic effect on the war because the only thing lethal gas has proven is that the only thing important in war is murder and not resolving issues.

Adopted by the German and allied armies, Phosgene was another gas that was used during World War 1. As a weapon, Phosgene would be more potent than Chlorine because it caused victims to cough less. Phosgene would often have delayed effects on victims. It would take 48 hours for a healthy soldier to be taken down after inhaling the gas. The white star mixture, which is a mixture of Chlorine and Phosgene, would commonly be used on the Somme. The contents of the Chlorine supplied the necessary vapers with which to carry the Phosgene.

However, they were cumbersome, the gases were hard to detect, and there were malfunctions so large scale casualties were still common. Phosgene for instance had no effects for hours after exposure and victims would not know they were exposed. One attack on February 21, 1916 against French and British soldiers with Phosgene resulted in 750,000 casualties (#Hutchinson, 2003). Additionally, certain chemicals could not be detected easily.

by grenades, gaseous agents, bombs, or bullets. At the beginning of the nurses did not

In all wars after and including World War I, on 9/11, and on many more instances the gas mask saved many lives. The first version of the gas mask was used to save a group of miners from a collapsing steel mine under Lake Erie. The first gas attack on January 31, 1915 caused a great demand for the gas masks. The gas mask sparked the beginning of chemical warfare because it was then safer to use dangerous chemicals. Over time the gas mask had many changes to it. It originally was not very safe, only consisting of a hood worn over the face and two tubes, one to breath in from and one to exhale from. The tube to inhale from reached all the way to the ground on the original model but as time went along, the gas mask began to become more compact.

Gas warfare was first introduced by the Germans on January 30, 1915 with an artillery shell. The Germans tried to tear gas the Russian armies in Bolimow, west of Warsaw, but due to extreme weather conditions it froze without having much effect. General Max Hoffman of Germany's Ninth Army said, "I had expected much greater results from the employment of this ammunition in - as we then imagined - such large quantities. That the chief effect of the gas was destroyed by great cold was not known at that time” (BBC). Yet, they tried again near Ypres, France; and it caused death, terror, and chaos. Inhaling this gas caused one to suffocate, and have their respiratory systems shut down. This gas changed the face of war for years to come. Sir John French

I was Interested reading about the variety of new weapons that were utilized during WWI. It is horrifying to think about chemical warfare and the vast and indiscriminate damage and death that it can cause. The use of animals during the war caught my attention. Pigeons were used to carry messages to and from headquarters and to the front lines. Dogs were also used as messengers and to lay down telegraph wires. However, I did read that German Shepherd dogs were killed due to the fact of being “German.” It makes a person realize how far our communications have come since WWI and how we take things for granted.

Deadly effects caused people suffering with serious physical and psychological wounds long after the war had come to an end. Many of the Survivors had, and still do to this day, difficulty coping with the effects of the bomb. In an instant, thousands of people were dead, and thousands more were left with wounds that would last a lifetime. The utterly inhumane actions and statistics from the damage inflicted on the enemy is far too excessive in a country that claims to value life above all else. Many leaders would protest the extermination of a fertilized egg in the womb, but wiping out entire families, neighborhoods, and cities of civilians is deemed just.

World War I began in Ypres, Belgium on October 4, 1914, when German forces entered the town from the southeast through Menin Gate and from the south through the Lille Gate (Legg 1). After the French and English armies entered the area on October 13, they took up defensive positions to limit the advancing German troops. By January 1915, there was a stalemate between the Allied and German armies in Ypres (Legg 2-3). The Germans were looking for a “decisive breakthrough” and decided “chemical munitions” were the answer (Warren 1) (Kennedy 1). The German decision to initiate large-scale chemical warfare during World War I was just the beginning of the use of chemical weapons in society. Although Germany initiated chemical warfare during World