Poison Gas
By Teresa Wagner
Poison Gas was necessary for fighting in trench warfare during World War 1.
Poison gas was gasses such as chlorine, tear gas, and mustard gas stored in pressurized cylinders. When the wind was blowing in the enemy's direction they would let out the gas and the wind would carry the gas to the other side.
Poison gas was first invented around 1914 when the French first used it to weaken German armies.Fritz Haber was the man who invented poison gas. He allowed his creation to be used by the government so Germany could fill their empty cartridge cases and bombs.
Impact and Consequence
Poison gas was a major component in the first World War. There was only about a 4% death rate from the gas, but there was a high amount of non-fatal injuries due to this weapon. Poison gas was one of the soldiers greatest fears. Unlike a gun shot, it would leave a soldier in pain for several days before dying. Some men were in such bad condition from the gas that they were not able to get a job after being released from the army. Overall poison gas wasn't used so much for killing, but more for wearing the enemy down.
Everyone in the trenches were affected by poison gas unless they were using a working gas mask. This includes soldiers near the front lines. Many towns had poor warning systems when gas clouds would blow over. Civilians also didn't have much access to effective gas masks to protect them. Although leaders of the armies knew how poison gas would effect citizens they made the decision to keep using them anyways, saying that the weapon was to be directed only at the enemy.
Some good consequences of using poison gas was that it wore the enemy down. Not only if the poison gas directly affected the soldiers but just by wearing gas masks can wear the enemy down. Another good thing about poison gas was that it could be set off on your side so you don't have to worry about risking your life out of the open. Some bad consequences were that if the wind wasn't blowing right then the gas might blow onto your own side. Another bad consequence was that poison gas wasn't going to kill much of your enemy.
Connections to Today
A modern day example of poison gas is V-series nerve agents. Some improvements that have been made since World War 1 is that their dissemination is aerodynamic. V-series nerve agents are a combination of phosphorus and organic chemicals that makes it hard for the nerves to transfer messages to organs. The United States military has stockpiles of chemical weapons, but their exact locations are classified.