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    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»History Short: What Poison Gasses were Used in World War I?
    Crime

    History Short: What Poison Gasses were Used in World War I?

    Major DanBy Major DanJanuary 31, 2023No Comments2 Mins Read
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    Asphyxiating Gases

    A Brief History

    On January 31, 1915, the German Army, in violation of the 1899 Hague Declaration Concerning Asphyxiating Gases, launched 18,000 artillery shells containing xylyl bromide tear gas against Russian positions, the first truly large scale use of poison gas in combat.

    Digging Deeper

    While people have used various poisons to deny the use of water wells as far back as 600 BC and to foul the air with toxic sulfur fumes in 479 BC, the 19th and 20th Centuries saw efforts to outlaw such use of poisons.

    In World War I, the first and most common use of poison gas was using various tear gas type weapons, first developed by the French for riot control, not toxic but irritating and capable of degrading the enemy’s combat ability.

    By April of 1915, the stakes were raised by German use of chlorine gas, a deadly poison.  Later developments in gas warfare produced phosgene gas, used by both sides and often mixed with chlorine. Mustard gas, a particularly diabolical agent, caused the most chemical casualties of World War I.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Should all chemical weapons be outlawed for war?   Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Charles Rivers Editors. The Second Battle of Ypres: The History of the Notorious World War I Battle that Witnessed the First Mass Use of Poison Gas. CreateSpace, 2018.

    Hammond, James W., Jr. Poison Gas: The Myths Versus Reality. Praeger, 1999.

    The featured image in this article, a photograph of Russian Red Cross nurses tending “gassed” Russians brought in direct from trenches on stretchers in 1915, is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1928, and if not then due to lack of notice or renewal. See this page for further explanation.

    You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.

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    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

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