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Trench warfare brought chemical weapons and lethal gases during WWI


 
 
Photo story (Clockwise from top left): (1) British site after un-reckoned German phosgene (probably) gas attack at Fromelles, France during WWI (2) A British gas bomb in 1915 (3) A Canadian soldier with burns caused by mustard gas during 1917-18 (4) British infantry advancing through chemical weapons attacks and gas clouds at Loos, France on 25thSeptember 1915
The Great War or World War I that lasted from 28th July 1914 to 11th November 1918 (though it’s Armistice, the last treaty, Treaty of Sevres, was signed on 10th August 1920) was one of the largest wars in the history with 70 million soldiers including 60 million European military personnel were mobilized.
The resurgence of Neocolonialism or imperialism was the root cause of WWI. The conflict began between Austro-Hungaria and Serbia while the former fired the first shots in preparation for the invasion of Serbia. Soon Russia mobilized and Germany invaded neutral Luxembourg and Belgium and further moved towards France. As a result Britain declared a war on Germany.
The UK, France and Russian empire led the Triple Entente which had an approximate total of 43,231,850 military personnel. Among the total soldiers, 27.76% were from Russia, 20.45% from British Empire, 20.03% from France, 12.99% from Italy, 10.97% from the U.S., 2.85% from Romania, 1.85% from Japan, 1.64% from Serbia, 0.88% from Belgium and 0.58% from Greece.
The German Empire, Austria-Hungary and Italy led the Triple Alliance which had approximately total 25,248,321 military personnel. However, Italy was not part of the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary as Austria-Hungary turned offensive against the terms of the Triple alliance. Among the total 25 million Triple Alliance soldiers, 52.48% were from Germany, 30.89% were from Austria-Hungary, 11.88% were from Ottoman Empire and 4.75% were from Kingdom of Bulgaria.
The Triple Entente lost over 5 million soldiers and the Triple Alliance lost 4 million soldiers in the conflict. The total number of deaths including civilians for the Triple Entente was around 9,316,484. Among which 35.54% deaths were recorded for Russia, 13.18% for British Empire, 18.22% for France, 13.31% for Italy, 1.26% for the U.S., 7.51% for Romania, 0% for Japan, 7.78% for Serbia, 1.29% for Belgium and 1.89% for Greece. A further 12 million Entente soldiers were wounded as well.
Total number of deaths including civilians for the Triple Alliance was 7,152,397. Among which 34.63% deaths were recorded for Germany, 21.91% for Austria-Hungary, 40.84% for Ottoman Empire and 2.62% for the Kingdom of Bulgaria. 8 million more Alliance soldiers were wounded in action.
The Allied (Entente) defeated the Central Powers and by the end of the war the German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and the Russian empires ceased to exist. Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires were dismantled and the successor states of the German and Russian empires lost substantial area.
To kill, injure and demoralize the entrenched soldiers, Chemical weapons were used during the first total war of the 20th century a.k.a. WWI. These weapons ranged from disabling chemicals like severe mustard gas and tear gas to lethal compounds like chlorine and phosgene. 4% deaths of the world war were caused by the chemical weapons. Later, effective counter measures like gas masks were developed to counter the deadly chemical weapons.
World War I was also known as ‘the chemists’ war’ as all major belligerents of the war used poison gas against enemy troopers throughout the warfare. It was a war crime as the 1899 & 1907 Hague Declaration and Convention both prohibited the use of Asphyxiating gases and poison weapons in war.
Russia lost 56,000 soldiers, British Empire 8,109, France 8,000, U.S. 1,462, Italy 4,627, Germany 9,000, Austria-Hungary 3,000 soldiers as gas casualties. Beside these 88,498 deaths, 1,240,853 more from both sides of the war sustained non-fatal injuries due to chemical attacks.
French army was the first to employ gas attacks by using 26mm grenades filled with ethyl bromoacetate a.k.a. tear gas during the WWI in August 1914. Later, the bromine was changed to chloroacetone due to availability. Subsequently, Germany also used chemical irritants filled fragmentation shells in October 1914. It caused violent sneezing.
Germany used xylyl bromide tear gas filled artillery shells in January 1915 on Russians. Until 22 April 1915, the gases used were non-lethal. German chemical companies Hoechst, BASF and Bayer were producing chlorine as a byproduct and on 22nd April 1915, Germany used the first killing agent chlorine at Ypres, Belgium.
The Germans also fired chlorine shells into the ranks of French troops. Chlorine gas destroyed the respiratory system of the victim and caused death by asphyxiation or suffocation. The Allied Entente suffered thousands of casualties due to German chlorine shell attacks.
As a counter measure, wet handkerchiefs and bicarbonate solution soaked gauge pads, face masks, respirators and smoke helmets were used effectively.
The British forces used chlorine codenamed Red Star in September 1915. Unlike chlorine which produced a visible greenish cloud, a colorless, undetectable and potent killing agent called phosgene was introduced by French Chemists. The combination of 50% chlorine & 50% phosgene was called White Star by the Allied Entente forces.
Germany also used the chlorine-phosgene against the Allies. So the British developed P gas helmets soaked with sodium phenolate as a counter measure. Total 190,000 tons chemical weapons were manufactured by both sides during the war. Out of which 36,600 tons were phosgene. Germany produced 18,100 tons, France 15,700 tons, UK 1,400 tons and U.S. 1,400 tons phosgene. Out of about the 100,000 deaths caused by chemical weapons during the WWI, 85% were caused by phosgene.
However, mustard gas was more effective, though caused fewer deaths. It was virtually odorless and took about 12 hours to take effect. This vesicant that causes severe eye, skin and mucosal irritation and pain was developed by Germany in July 1917 just prior to the 3rdbattle of Ypres.  It was codenamed yellow cross as they marked their shells green for chlorine and phosgene and yellow for mustard gas. Once in soil the oily substance of the mustard gas remained active for several days, weeks and sometimes even months.
Beside blistered skin and soared eyes, the mustard gas also caused repeated vomiting and internal and external bleeding. Bronchial tubes and mucous membranes used to get damaged and the victims sometimes suffered extreme pains for four to five weeks before dying.
Gas was primarily used in the Western Front to achieve success in confined trench systems. Germany also used gas against the Russians in the Eastern Front and caused 56,000 deaths for Russians due to lack of gas attack counter measures there. During the second battle of Gaza, Britain experimented with Gas in Palestine. Russia also began manufacturing chlorine and phosgene in 1916 but most of their production remained unused.
After U.S. entry into the war the gas production of the Allies increased in the 1917 and 1918 and outnumbered German gas production. Also the wind from west made the Allied gas attacks more effective than those of the Germans’. At the end of the war U.S. produced another lung irritant blister gas called Lewisite, codenamed ‘dew of death’, which was not used in WWI due to armistice was already in effect.
Web edition of the newspaper serving Miami, Franklin and Linn counties in Kansas in the United States, Osawatomie Graphic reported on the chemical weapons & lethal gases which were drawn by trench warfare during WWI. The war to end all wars became a uniquely horrific war due to the large scale use of lethal gas as anti-personnel weapons.
The trench warfare consisted of long lines of deep and parallel trenches which were a static form of combat during the WWI. Chemical weapons and gas attacks were particularly terrifying for the soldiers as there was little or almost no defense against the lethal vapors except for the often ineffective gas masks.
An added horror to a chemical weapon attack was that a natural warning system by the sounds of hundreds of rats running in masses towards the troops in advance of the gas clouds. The soldiers had to quickly use gas masks while masses of big rats climbed all over them.
U.S. soldiers including soldiers from Miami and Osawatomie County marched off in WWI with courage, knowing that they were going to face chemical weapons and gas attacks. Our present is built on the foundation built by the brave-hearts who came before us. The brave troopers and families of the WWI generation left us a legacy of patriotism and courage that current men and women at service and their families still carrying on today as they stand up for freedom in the current warfare.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFWFkZBSCCs
Video story: Documentary on chemical weapons & lethal gases during WWI and afterwards.

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