Total War and Chemical Weapons
A Canadian soldier with Mustard Gas burns
World War I, known as “The Great War”, was supposed to be the “War to end all Wars”. Many new strategies and weapons were introduced in the Great War which became primarily a defensive war. These ideas and results ranged from trench warfare, a defensive strategy involving dugout systems where troops would be mobilized, to submachine guns, automatic weapons which burst multiple bullet rounds at a time at the enemy making for a more effective way to wound or kill more than one soldier at a time. Arguably the most known and dramatic new idea realized in World War I was the emergence of chemical warfare. Although poisonous gases did not produce the most casualties during the war, the way these gases affected the individuals on the battlefield was daunting, the way they horrified the entire world was more monumental. In essence, chemical warfare brought up moral questions about war that were not even thought of before. For example, even heavily pro-military personnel on all sides thought that chemical warfare was immoral because it was ‘inhumane’. Examples would come when the Treaty of Versailles came in 1919 and the Geneva Protocol of 1925.The fact that soldiers were dying was less an issue than the nature of their deaths from such attacks. Combine this brutal weapon with the idea of “total war”, essentially the indiscriminate killing of everyone in one’s path in order to gain ‘total victory’, and you have one of the most horrific attacks on life ever assembled.
Chemical Warfare on the Battlefield
Chemical warfare was introduced on the battlefield as a way to break through the trench warfare system. Soldiers could survive numerous counts of attacks of artillery because of their ability to hide in various places under the trench itself. Machine guns could slay great numbers in the open fields, but were not particularly effective because the trenches provided such deep cover. What poisonous gas did that other forms of attack did not was that the gas could infiltrate and destroy the enemy easily (Chatterton 1). Chemical Warfare in the form of poisonous chlorine gas was utilized to great effect at the 2nd Battle of Ypres in Belgium. On the morning of April 22, 1915, the German army used approximately 1,600 large cylinders and 4,130 small cylinders of chlorine gas, dispersing over 168 tons of chlorine over the French trenches (Hanley). In the ensuing minutes of the release of the gas, over 5,000 French troops were dead (Hanley). The attack proved to be quite successful for the Germans, inflicting great casualties. However, the German forces could have killed more, but they did not take advantage of the fact that they had made a gap in the Allied forces’ lines.
This first major gas attack began the first horrific reports of the consequences of chemical warfare in World War I. The way chlorine gas affected soldiers was very graphic. First-hand accounts from soldiers described the horror: Anthony Hassock described it as, "A pungent nauseating smell that tickled the throat and stung the eyes", while "French soldiers fled in terror as their eyes bulged out of their sockets, their mouths frothing with thick white foam" (Chatterton, 2). A small dosage of gas for a small amount of time could completely disorient or incapacitate someone. In the most serious and life-ending instances, the victim of the gas would have their lungs so inflamed by coughing that they would choke on their own blood (Chatterton, 2).
With World War I progressing, the Allied Forces responded in kind to the gas attacks made by the Germans. The British and French developed their own gases and used weapons such as “annoyer” grenades that were made with gas. By mid-1915, the Allied and Central Powers’ forces used cylinders to produce chlorine gas, and by 1916, both sides started to mix different gases to try to create more casualties (Fitzgerald). The type of suffering that the forces were enduring prompted the British and French to make a counteractive product to defend against the gas. Simply called “gas masks”, these defensive items were to protect the soldier from any gas to be inhaled into the body. They were usually effective, but sometimes did not work (Fitzgerald).
Gas attacks brought about a new factor to the soldiers - no matter what time of the day anyone be attacked by gas and thus one always had to be on guard. Accounts of such a life came from the German side. Ernst Junger, a German soldier and author of Storm of Steel, at his regiment in Douchy, made record of such psychological warfare: “They (commanders) sit in the platoon commander’s dugout until it’s completely dark, drinking grog and smoking and playing Polish lotto, until they’ve cleaned up as thoroughly as a band of rats. Then, at some ungodly hour, a little chappie comes ghosting down the trench, creeps up behind the sentry, shouts ‘Gas Attack’ in his ear, and counts how many seconds it takes the fellow to get into his mask” (Junger, 49). Junger then goes to describe how having bombs in the night made the situation normal by saying, “...A couple of heavy bombs only contribute to the overall feeling of cosiness” (Junger, 49). Soldiers had to adjust and become accustomed to the idea of having constant bombardment in their lives. The result was that soldiers felt the only way to escape this constant war was to die. Ironically, Junger himself was wounded 14 times and still survived the war.
Chemical Warfare Outside of Battle
The introduction of poisonous gas resulted in physical and mental destruction of the soldiers involved. However, not all costs of chemical warfare were on the battlefield. The scale of the massive production of chemicals was extremely vast. Chemical companies, universities, and government laboratories for all of the involved nations labored at a great physical and financial cost to produce chemicals, not only for the war at hand, but for the future. The risks and sacrifices workers made in their own countries to produce and manufacture the gases presented health risks for them. The effects were severe for mustard gas (vesicant, similar to lewisite) that, like on the battlefield, produced large blisters and could often disfigure the workers. Workers suffered from symptoms such as bronchitis, lung infections, and asthma because of the gases they worked with (Fitzgerald). A factory worker at the time recounted several decades later: “The gas is still with me today. It makes me itch every morning and at six every night. You can see my skin all dry. Tonight, my arm will itch from the top to the elbow. And so will the back of my neck. It feels like a needle pricking you. And that’s from ninety years ago” (Fitzgerald).
On the battlefields and in the factories, chemical warfare brought about terrible costs. Almost everyone that came in the path of this gas suffered ill effects. This included the one key individual linked to the creation of this “Mass Weapon of Destruction” (Chemical Weapons). His name was Fritz Haber, known today as “The Father of Chemical Weapons”, who developed poison gases for Germany during the World War 1. At the time, Haber was a famous chemist for extracting nitrates from the atmosphere, a process for which he would earn the Nobel Prize in 1918. Haber believed that poison gas was the key to penetrating the trenches and breaking down Allied defenses. Haber focused on chlorine gas and the diatomic chlorine molecule, which is a highly reactive chemical in the dye industry.
Chemical Warfare and its Effects on People
The diatomic focus led to a diametric conflict in Haber’s life. Haber’s home was on the grounds of the institute, which eventually led to a clash between home life and work. Haber’s wife Clara, who was also a chemist, held opposite views of how to use science. She did not believe in weaponry and destruction. Haber himself took the initiative towards making his chemical weapons and approached the German military by his own power and sense of patriotism. He demonstrated how the gas would work by producing a test in Cologne at a military ground. Clara was present at the time and her loathing of her husbands’ activities increased. After the 2nd battle of Ypres in April, 1915, Haber was promoted to captain in the German army. German newspapers were very fond of the poison gases’ success and citizens of Germany even called the gas attacks more humane than bullets and shells. The awards and honors came for Haber, but not at home. Clara Haber erupted one night soon after, attacking her husband’s activities and accusing him of perverting the true intentions of science. Haber responded by calling her a traitor to Germany. Soon after, Clara committed suicide by shooting herself, and Haber did not even attend the funeral (Goebel). The man responsible for all of these casualties on the battlefield and in the factories brought such destruction into his own home. And the destruction would continue, as Haber’s son, who had discovered his dead mother, would commit suicide himself years later. In addition, the use of cyanide gas was perfected in his labs after World War I and later used to kill thousands of his fellow Jews in the Holocaust.
The “Great War” could be so-called because of the extraordinary, new, and controversial ideas that were introduced that brought such great destruction. No one stood out as more controversial than chemical warfare. The introduction of chemical warfare brought casualties at all levels during the World War I, on the battlefield and beyond. The brutality of chemical warfare caused its use to be diminished later in the war and eventually it was banned soon after the war. Such warfare brought up many moral questions surrounding the choice of weaponry and the effects of its use. The moral questions were brought up immediately, in the very home of the creator of chemical warfare, let alone from witnesses on the battlefield. The effects of chemical warfare left no one untouched by its horrible impact.
Chemical Warfare on the Battlefield
Chemical warfare was introduced on the battlefield as a way to break through the trench warfare system. Soldiers could survive numerous counts of attacks of artillery because of their ability to hide in various places under the trench itself. Machine guns could slay great numbers in the open fields, but were not particularly effective because the trenches provided such deep cover. What poisonous gas did that other forms of attack did not was that the gas could infiltrate and destroy the enemy easily (Chatterton 1). Chemical Warfare in the form of poisonous chlorine gas was utilized to great effect at the 2nd Battle of Ypres in Belgium. On the morning of April 22, 1915, the German army used approximately 1,600 large cylinders and 4,130 small cylinders of chlorine gas, dispersing over 168 tons of chlorine over the French trenches (Hanley). In the ensuing minutes of the release of the gas, over 5,000 French troops were dead (Hanley). The attack proved to be quite successful for the Germans, inflicting great casualties. However, the German forces could have killed more, but they did not take advantage of the fact that they had made a gap in the Allied forces’ lines.
This first major gas attack began the first horrific reports of the consequences of chemical warfare in World War I. The way chlorine gas affected soldiers was very graphic. First-hand accounts from soldiers described the horror: Anthony Hassock described it as, "A pungent nauseating smell that tickled the throat and stung the eyes", while "French soldiers fled in terror as their eyes bulged out of their sockets, their mouths frothing with thick white foam" (Chatterton, 2). A small dosage of gas for a small amount of time could completely disorient or incapacitate someone. In the most serious and life-ending instances, the victim of the gas would have their lungs so inflamed by coughing that they would choke on their own blood (Chatterton, 2).
With World War I progressing, the Allied Forces responded in kind to the gas attacks made by the Germans. The British and French developed their own gases and used weapons such as “annoyer” grenades that were made with gas. By mid-1915, the Allied and Central Powers’ forces used cylinders to produce chlorine gas, and by 1916, both sides started to mix different gases to try to create more casualties (Fitzgerald). The type of suffering that the forces were enduring prompted the British and French to make a counteractive product to defend against the gas. Simply called “gas masks”, these defensive items were to protect the soldier from any gas to be inhaled into the body. They were usually effective, but sometimes did not work (Fitzgerald).
Gas attacks brought about a new factor to the soldiers - no matter what time of the day anyone be attacked by gas and thus one always had to be on guard. Accounts of such a life came from the German side. Ernst Junger, a German soldier and author of Storm of Steel, at his regiment in Douchy, made record of such psychological warfare: “They (commanders) sit in the platoon commander’s dugout until it’s completely dark, drinking grog and smoking and playing Polish lotto, until they’ve cleaned up as thoroughly as a band of rats. Then, at some ungodly hour, a little chappie comes ghosting down the trench, creeps up behind the sentry, shouts ‘Gas Attack’ in his ear, and counts how many seconds it takes the fellow to get into his mask” (Junger, 49). Junger then goes to describe how having bombs in the night made the situation normal by saying, “...A couple of heavy bombs only contribute to the overall feeling of cosiness” (Junger, 49). Soldiers had to adjust and become accustomed to the idea of having constant bombardment in their lives. The result was that soldiers felt the only way to escape this constant war was to die. Ironically, Junger himself was wounded 14 times and still survived the war.
Chemical Warfare Outside of Battle
The introduction of poisonous gas resulted in physical and mental destruction of the soldiers involved. However, not all costs of chemical warfare were on the battlefield. The scale of the massive production of chemicals was extremely vast. Chemical companies, universities, and government laboratories for all of the involved nations labored at a great physical and financial cost to produce chemicals, not only for the war at hand, but for the future. The risks and sacrifices workers made in their own countries to produce and manufacture the gases presented health risks for them. The effects were severe for mustard gas (vesicant, similar to lewisite) that, like on the battlefield, produced large blisters and could often disfigure the workers. Workers suffered from symptoms such as bronchitis, lung infections, and asthma because of the gases they worked with (Fitzgerald). A factory worker at the time recounted several decades later: “The gas is still with me today. It makes me itch every morning and at six every night. You can see my skin all dry. Tonight, my arm will itch from the top to the elbow. And so will the back of my neck. It feels like a needle pricking you. And that’s from ninety years ago” (Fitzgerald).
On the battlefields and in the factories, chemical warfare brought about terrible costs. Almost everyone that came in the path of this gas suffered ill effects. This included the one key individual linked to the creation of this “Mass Weapon of Destruction” (Chemical Weapons). His name was Fritz Haber, known today as “The Father of Chemical Weapons”, who developed poison gases for Germany during the World War 1. At the time, Haber was a famous chemist for extracting nitrates from the atmosphere, a process for which he would earn the Nobel Prize in 1918. Haber believed that poison gas was the key to penetrating the trenches and breaking down Allied defenses. Haber focused on chlorine gas and the diatomic chlorine molecule, which is a highly reactive chemical in the dye industry.
Chemical Warfare and its Effects on People
The diatomic focus led to a diametric conflict in Haber’s life. Haber’s home was on the grounds of the institute, which eventually led to a clash between home life and work. Haber’s wife Clara, who was also a chemist, held opposite views of how to use science. She did not believe in weaponry and destruction. Haber himself took the initiative towards making his chemical weapons and approached the German military by his own power and sense of patriotism. He demonstrated how the gas would work by producing a test in Cologne at a military ground. Clara was present at the time and her loathing of her husbands’ activities increased. After the 2nd battle of Ypres in April, 1915, Haber was promoted to captain in the German army. German newspapers were very fond of the poison gases’ success and citizens of Germany even called the gas attacks more humane than bullets and shells. The awards and honors came for Haber, but not at home. Clara Haber erupted one night soon after, attacking her husband’s activities and accusing him of perverting the true intentions of science. Haber responded by calling her a traitor to Germany. Soon after, Clara committed suicide by shooting herself, and Haber did not even attend the funeral (Goebel). The man responsible for all of these casualties on the battlefield and in the factories brought such destruction into his own home. And the destruction would continue, as Haber’s son, who had discovered his dead mother, would commit suicide himself years later. In addition, the use of cyanide gas was perfected in his labs after World War I and later used to kill thousands of his fellow Jews in the Holocaust.
The “Great War” could be so-called because of the extraordinary, new, and controversial ideas that were introduced that brought such great destruction. No one stood out as more controversial than chemical warfare. The introduction of chemical warfare brought casualties at all levels during the World War I, on the battlefield and beyond. The brutality of chemical warfare caused its use to be diminished later in the war and eventually it was banned soon after the war. Such warfare brought up many moral questions surrounding the choice of weaponry and the effects of its use. The moral questions were brought up immediately, in the very home of the creator of chemical warfare, let alone from witnesses on the battlefield. The effects of chemical warfare left no one untouched by its horrible impact.