Russian inventor of television. Zvorykin Vladimir Kozmich, inventor of television

Chemical weapons are one of the main ones in the First World War and in total about the 20th century. The gas's lethal potential was limited - only 4% of deaths were caused by total number affected. However, the proportion of non-fatal incidents was high, and gas remained one of the main dangers for soldiers. Because it became possible to develop effective countermeasures against gas attacks, unlike most other weapons of the period, its effectiveness began to decline in the later stages of the war and it almost fell out of use. But because poisonous substances were first used in World War I, it was also sometimes called the Chemical War.

History of poison gases

1914

At the beginning of use chemical substances The weapons used were tear irritants, not lethal ones. During World War I, the French pioneered the use of gas using 26 mm grenades filled with tear gas (ethyl bromoacetate) in August 1914. However, the Allies' supplies of bromoacetate quickly ran out, and the French administration replaced it with another agent, chloroacetone. In October 1914 German troops fired shells partially filled with a chemical irritant against the British positions at Neuve Chapelle, despite the concentration achieved being so small that it was barely noticeable.

1915 Widespread use of deadly gases

On May 5, 90 people immediately died in the trenches; of the 207 who were taken to field hospitals, 46 died on the same day, and 12 died after prolonged suffering.

On July 12, 1915, near the Belgian city of Ypres, Anglo-French troops were fired at by mines containing an oily liquid. This is how Germany used mustard gas for the first time.

Notes

Links

• De-Lazari Alexander Nikolaevich. Chemical weapons on the fronts of the World War 1914-1918.