![]() A total of 50,965 tons of pulmonary, lachrymatory, and vesicant agents were deployed by both sides of the conflict, including chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas. The first full-scale deployment of deadly chemical warfare agents during World War I, was at the Second Battle of Ypres, on April 22, 1915, when the Germans attacked French, Canadian, and Algerian troops with chlorine gas.ĭeaths were light, though casualties were relatively heavy. Germany used another irritant, xylyl bromide, in artillery shells that were fired in January 1915 at the Russians near the town of Bolimów, nowadays in Poland. One of Germany’s earliest uses of chemical weapons occurred on October 27th, 1914 when shells containing the irritant dianisidine chlorosulfonate were fired at British troops near Neuve-Chapelle, France. The French were the first to use chemical weapons during the Great War, using tear gases, ethyl bromoacetate, and chloroacetone. The Hague Declaration of 1899 and the Hague Convention of 1907 forbade the use of “poison or poisonous weapons” in warfare, yet more than 124,000 tons of gas were produced by the end of World War I. The canaries were used to detect poisonous gas, and cats and dogs were trained to hunt rats in the trenches. Horses, donkeys, mules, and camels carried food, water, ammunition, and medical supplies to men at the front, and dogs and pigeons carried messages. However, animals remained a crucial part of the war effort. Horse and camel-mounted troops were used in the desert campaigns throughout the war, but on the Western Front, new weapons like the machine gun made cavalry charges increasingly difficult. ![]() In 1914, both sides had large cavalry forces. For years few knew of the unimaginable suffering of the beasts transported across the Channel to the Western Front. This is the forgotten tragedy of the Great War – a conflict that pitched as many animals into the line of fire as it did humans. Of the million British horses sent overseas to help with the war effort, only 62,000 returned home. Horses were equipped with gas masks over their muzzles and were protected from inhalation of poison gases such as phosgene.Įquine eyes were not affected by lachrymatory agents so that their masks consisted only of specially made nose bags but, unfortunately, these animal’s eyes were vulnerable to the effects of chlorine and vesicatory gases. Horses, mules, dogs, and pigeons were vulnerable to poison gases so that special protection was necessary for them. Many animals were used during World War One. ![]() Here is a collection of pictures of war dogs wearing gas masks against the threat of chemical warfare.Two German soldiers and their mule wearing gas masks in World War One, 1916 In a less formal way, dogs improved morale within the trenches by hunting rats and acting as companions to troops in miserable conditions. Their small size helped them slip over and between trenches to deliver messages, shuttle medical supplies, or lay down communication wires. ![]() Some dogs pulled heavy machine guns on trolleys, others used their keen sense of smell and hearing for sentry and scout work. The Germans used some 30,000 dogs on the Western Front, and the Entente kept around 20,000. Because of the critical combat role played by dogs at the time, they also developed canine gas masks. The devastating effects of these gases accelerated the development of masks, worn to counteract those agents.Īfter the first use of poison gas by German forces in April 1915, the British and American governments sent out a series of quickly designed masks to filter out the toxic gases and keep their soldiers alive. About one million dogs were killed in action in World War I, a conflict that also saw the first large-scale use of chemical weapons. And it wasn’t just human combatants who suffered - many military working animals died from chemical weapons.ĭogs have been used in warfare since ancient times, serving as sentries, messengers, attackers, and even mascots. Soldiers succumbed to the strangling effects of chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas for years as the stalemated armies searched for new ways to defeat each other. This warning cry sent men scrambling for their masks as the poisonous fog enveloped them. There was nothing more terrifying in the trenches than the call of a gas attack - “Gas! Gas!”. Dogs have been used in warfare since ancient times, serving as sentries, messengers, attackers and even mascots. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |