Chemical warfare

The introduction of poison gases by the Germans at Ypres in April, 1915, marked a new era in modern warfare. The popular opinion is that this form of warfare was original with t...

The use of toxic gas in the World War dates from April 22, 1915, when the Germans launched the first cylinder attack, employing chlorine, a common and well known gas. Judging fr...

Modern chemical warfare dates from April 22, 1915. Really, however, it may be said to have started somewhat earlier, for Germany undoubtedly had spent several months in perfecti...

Soda-lime was likewise a difficult problem. Starting with the British formula, the influence of the various factors was studied and a balance between a number of desirable quali...

It is worth noting here that the Chemical Warfare Service was organized as a separate service in the American Expeditionary Forces nearly ten months before it was organized in t...

Chlorine is of interest in chemical warfare, not only because it was the first poison gas used by the Germans, but also because of its extensive use in the preparation of other...

The first cloud attack, in which pure chlorine was used, was very effective, but only because the troops attacked with it were entirely unprotected. Later, in spite of the varie...

Without question the eyes are the most sensitive part of the body so far as chemical warfare is concerned. Lachrymators are substances which affect the eyes, causing involuntary...

During the spring of 1917, strange reports came from the Italian front that the Germans were using a new war gas. This gas, while it did not seem to be very poisonous, had the c...

The early idea of gas warfare was that a material, to be of value as a war gas, should have a relatively high vapor pressure. This would, of course, provide a concentration suff...

Since arsenic is well known as an insecticide in the form of lead arsenate, arsenic acid etc., and in pharmacy, specially in the form of salvarsan and neosalvarsan, it is not su...

Carbon monoxide, because of its cheapness, accessibility and ease of manufacture, has been frequently considered as a possible war gas. Actually, it appears never to have been u...

While in ordinary warfare the best defense against any implement of war is a vigorous offense with the same weapon, Chemical Warfare presents a new point of view. Here it is ver...

The absorbents used in both the British and American gas mask canister, which afforded a degree of protection far superior to that of any other allied or enemy nation except Ger...

One of the first necessities in the development of absorbents and gas masks was a method of testing them and comparing their deficiencies. While the ultimate test of the value o...

Protective clothing was an additional feature of the general program of protection. As far as factory protection is concerned, the use of protective garments was more or less of...

The intelligent use of screening smokes in modern infantry tactics offers innumerable advantages through concealment and deception. It confers upon daylight operations many of t...

The introduction of diphenylchloroarsine as a poison gas really introduced the question of toxic smokes. This material, as has already been pointed out, is a solid, melting at a...

The first types of the Standard Box Respirator contained cotton pads, which sufficed to remove the ordinary smoke of the battlefield and even that from the earlier toxic materia...

The success of pyrotechnics in night signalling led, during the World War, to considerable attention being paid to the development of pyrotechnic signals for day use. This was m...

Since it is generally known that white phosphorus, when exposed to the air, takes fire spontaneously, it logically follows that numerous suggestions should have been made for us...

The pharmacology of war gases plays such an important part in chemical warfare that a brief discussion may well be given of the methods used in the testing of gases for toxicity...

=Fundamentals of War.= The underlying fundamental principles of Chemical Warfare are the same as for all other arms. Because of this, it is worth while, and even necessary, to u...

Chemical Warfare includes all gas, smoke and incendiary materials and all defensive appliances, of which the mask is the principal item, used by the Army. Some of the items or m...

The best defense against any implement of war is a vigorous offense with the same implement. This is a military axiom that cannot be too often, or too greatly emphasized, though...

“Peace hath her victories no less renowned than war.” Thus runs the old proverb. In ancient times war profited by peace far more than peace profited by war if indeed the latter...

The pioneer, no matter what the line of endeavor, encounters difficulties caused by his fellow-men just in proportion as the thing pioneered promises results. If the promise be...