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Category: Chemical Warfare --- See Latest World War I news here.

Thousands of WW1 soldiers died because generals ignored mustard gas warnings   dailymail.co.uk :: 2008-11-06
Thousands of soldiers could have been saved if generals had listened to warnings about the horrors of mustard gas, files reveal. British troops on the Western Front were not prepared when the Germans first used it in 1917. Documents recovered by the Royal Society of Chemistry show British generals ignored warnings from military chemists in an official memo sent 18 months before the first German attack, in which they described the military potential of the gas. A 31-page account by Leonard Levy, from the Royal Engineers Anti-Gas Establishment, describes how a Major Dudley saw the potential of the gas when he worked in a German laboratory before the war. [Chemical Warfare]

Letter from Winston Churchill to Edward Harrison, who invented the gas mask, found   bbc :: 2008-06-12
An unknown letter from Winston Churchill to Edward Harrison, WWI army chemist who invented the gas mask, has been discovered. Churchill, then minister of Munitions, tells Harrison's widow that "it is in large measure to him that our troops have been given effectual protection from the German poisonous gases". Harrison died just days before the end of WW1, working himself to death to develop the perfect gas mask. His work on the gas mask saved countless soldiers from the death caused by poisonous gas in the trenches. For his work he was decorated with the highest honours like France's Legion d'Honneur. [Weapons: Bayonets & Machine guns]

Germany: Clean-up of First World War poison-gas plant completed   earthtimes :: 2008-05-15
The cleaning of a former plant which made horrific German poison-gas shells used in World War I is complete after 20 years of work. The Espagit factory in Hallschlag, Rhineland Palatinate state accidentally exploded in 1920 when 20,000 poison-gas shells were on the premises. The debris meant the site was an ecological disaster area for decades. Attacks with gas clouds on enemy lines during the First World War left great numbers of men maimed or blinded. The Allies also resorted to the tactic. The cleaning project cost 55M euros, 10 times as much as estimated 20 years ago. [Chemical Warfare]

Army begins Washington dig for WWI-era munitions, mustard gas   iht :: 2007-11-02
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is beginning a major dig for First World War chemical munitions near American University and the South Korean Ambassador's residence. It is the 4th excavation on or near the Washington, D.C., campus in 15 years, since the discovery of disposal pits from the Army's former chemical warfare station - used for developing and testing weapons. The artillerary could contain toxic agents such as mustard gas. The latest site is the "last known burial pit." [Chemical Warfare]

Dew of Death: Lewisite, America's WWI Weapon of Mass Destruction   redorbit :: 2007-06-22
"Dew of Death: The Story of Lewisite, America's World War I Weapon of Mass Destruction" by Joel A. Vilensky with Pandy R. Sinish is an examination of the origin, evolution, and impact of lewisite, a weaponized arsenic compound developed in the US during WWI and subsequently utilized as a major chemical agent worldwide to the present day. While breaking little new ground for historians, the book nonetheless adds to a growing body of scholarly addressing what are often termed "Weapons of Mass Destruction," or WMD. What sets this study apart from most historical works on these subjects is the expert information that Vilensky clearly conveys. [Chemical Warfare]

WW1 Chemical Warfare - AEF Western Front gas experience   cgsc--army :: 2006-06-17
This paper chronicles chemical agents in World War I, the U.S. Army's preparations for gas warfare prior to and after American entry into the war, and the AEF experience with gas on the Western Front. Chemical warfare affected tactics and almost changed the outcome of WWI. The success of the first use of gas caught both sides by suprise. The pace of hostilities permitted the Allies to develop a suitable defense and eventually to field a considerable offensive chemical capability. From the introduction of chemical warfare in early 1915 the Allies were usually one step behind their German counterparts in the development of gas doctrine and the gas tactics. [Chemical Warfare]

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