Chemical Warefare in WWI

Before the WW1 there was a treaty that stated how Chemical and biological warfare was considered such an imminent threat due to witnessing the outcomes it had on previous occasions. Where many Heavy and powerful powers (Germany, France, Britain, and many other Western nations) implemented against the usage of chemical gasses. This was soon broken by as the powers such as the French and Germany deployed gas grenades which created cause and the treaty to be ignored. Chemical Warfare was used as early as the beginning of 1915. Chemical warfare changed the face of deadly mass destruction created a new weapon against humanity. Even though the horror of chemical warfare goes far beyond the usage of it in WW1. It was most known in WW1 because it was a key weapon in World War One, it was the biggest fear of all the soldiers on the battlefield. The inventor of this making of chemical weapon usage was Fritz Haber. A chemical scientist who used his learning to synthesize gasses and making them into weapons. The increase in usage of this new type of weapon caused fear in worry in commanders and leaders on both sides of the fight, made them uncomfortable because of what could be the after effects to not just other people, other humans like themselves but also their reputation because of this and the effects on the environment this could have.

There were many types of gasses invented during this time period of War these were tear gas which cause server problems to sight/ blindness and caused skin irritation, was first to be ever used in WW1 by the french, first ever gas weapon to be ever used in WW1. Mustard gas like talked about in class, which was most widely used and most effective. This gas wasn't as much as a disturbance unless exposing to a lot of doses, causing vomiting, blistering and possibly internal bleed, it was a cytotoxic gas which means it was toxic to living cells. There was also a Phosgene Gas and Chlorine Gas which were pretty much very alike they both cause suffocation and had a choking smell to it, both were initially used by the Germans but spread in usage by both the Allies and the Axis. "All the 70,552 American soldiers poisoned with various gasses in World War I, 1843 were exposed to chlorine gas."

The effects chemical weapons had a major impact on people cause traumatizing experiences that would affect them all through their lifetime causing tremendous amounts of pain and suffering. "Some 185,000 British and Empire service personnel were classed as gas casualties - 175,000 of those in the last two years of the war as mustard gas came into use." The usage of gas as weapons did not just leave people in harm, fear for their lives situation, fearing they could die at any second just be breathing it also cause effects to the environment destroying the air and making pollution and as said in an article about chemical warfare " leaving the animals in the environment coming out of the holes in the ground only to come out and die." This left gas as a harm substance because it could not just be destroyed. It stayed in the air and blew with there air there was no way in knowing you were contaminated unless shown by the symptoms.

Chemical warfare was a major weapon improving to become greater and have greater impacts as a result of this defence also need to improve and so came in the gas masks which protected soldier filtering the air they breathe from inhaling the harmful gas deployed in the air and as newer gasses came out to poison the gas mask evolved through the years, which made chemical warfare less and less of a use in war.

As a result of this chemical weapons were more negative towards and people argue how they were ineffective overall and a complete waste of resources. When the armistice occurred in 1918 came the usage of chemical weapon died down but not forgotten. Historians argue lastly that, "chemical weapons had no decisive effect on the outcome of the war. "

Sources : 100 Years of Chemical Weapons

How Deadly were the Gasses of WW1Chemical Warfare of WW1