The Germans and Their Attempts at Poison Gas
The Germans tried using chemical weapons many times before the second battle of Ypres. This included a successful experiment against the French which involved a gas that caused manic sneezing in October 1914. Another experiment on January 31 1915 involved liquid tear gas being fired by 15 cm Howitzer shells, but considering the fact that this was in Bolimov, Russia in January, the experiment failed. The gas never vaporized and the experiment flopped… But what did they expect in Russia in January?
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The Germans tried their hardest to perfect the tear gas concoction but failed once again against the French in March 1915. Although tear gas had failed time and time again for the Germans, unfortunately they did get it right in April of 1915 with a whopping 160 tonnes of Chlorine gas. This happened at the Second Battle of Ypres, on April 22, 1915. The Chlorine gas was first used against the French and later Cnadians, and it started the epidemic of chemical warfare.
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The morning of the 22nd the Germans put on quite the show with heavy attacks on Ypres, but the afternoon came and things quieted down. Close to 5pm, towards evening time, the French noticed a greenish yellow cloud drifting towards them, and thought it was to mask a German infantry attack, and the French captains ordered their men to stay put and be vigilant as there will soon be a German infantry attack. German prisoners knew it was Chlorine gas, and were trying to warn the French, but their warnings were not passed on. It turns out, what the French thought was cover for an attack, actually was the attack itself.
The French inhaled the gas, and almost instantly it destroyed their respiratory systems and causing choking fits. The French and Algerian troops were launched into panic mode, and fled on account of they had no idea what was going on. This created a four mile gap in the front line, which, if the Germans had planned on the gas working this well, they could have taken advantage of. Apparently this reaction was as unexpected by the French as it was by the Germans. Later the Germans cautiously moved in, flanking the Canadians and the British, making for some near impossible fighting. Considering the damage, the allies did do a fair job of bringing their line back together, but it still had a few weak links.
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The use of the gas caused many neutral powers, including the US, to break ties with Germany. The use of poison gas, also caused the invention of gas masks or respirators, and it provoked other countries to fight fire with fire, or I guess, gas with gas. Britain was the first to do this, but that’s a story for another day.