As lachrymatory agents, they irritate the eyes and cause uncontrolled tearing. The agent used was either xylyl bromide, which is described as smelling ‘pleasant and aromatic’, or ethyl bromoacetate, described as ‘fruity and pungent.’ Both are colorless liquids and have to be atomized to be dispersed as weapons. Several chemicals were weaponized in WWI and France actually was the first to use gas - they deployed tear gas in August 1914. Masked soldiers charge through a cloud of gas. Production of some of these dangerous chemicals continues to this day as they have peaceful uses – for example, phosgene (carbonyl dichloride) is an industrial reagent, a precursor of pharmaceuticals and other important organic compounds. It has occasionally been used since then but never in WWI quantities. Thus, chemical warfare with gases was subsequently absolutely prohibited by the Geneva Protocol of 1925. Although chemical warfare caused less than 1% of the total deaths in this war, the ‘psy-war’ or fear factor was formidable. One of the enduring hallmarks of WWI was the large-scale use of chemical weapons, commonly called, simply, ‘gas’. While the efficiency of maiming and killing steadily advanced from the 17th to the 20th centuries it accelerated by an order of magnitude in WWI with the use of inhaled poison gasses. Ultimately, in WWII it was demonstrated that a single atomic weapon could kill more than one hundred thousand of the enemy with a single use of a single weapon. Gun powder in the 16th and 17th centuries meant that - finally, sadly - one could eliminate many of his enemies with one agent of offensive effort, an artillery round. Army Veteran, and WW-I Feature WriterĮvery war brings to the fore a new way of maiming and killing soldiers. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details may not fully reflect the modified file.Military Historian, U.S. This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. Associacion Internacionala de las Federacions d'Atletisme.Militärische Ausrüstung der Infanterie im Ersten Weltkrieg.CC BY-SA 3.0 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 true true This licensing tag was added to this file as part of the GFDL licensing update. share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original. ![]() You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. ![]()
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