The images are haunting: men in gas masks rapid firing through dusky vapors, people contorted with a pain that comes from within. It is a common held belief that chemical warfare is a form of modern warfare and the First World War is recognised for introducing this type of combat. Recent archaeological finds show that this may not be the case. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, chemical warfare is “tactical warfare using incendiary mixtures, smokes, or irritant, burning, poisonous, or asphyxiating gasses.” (Chemical warfare, 2011) It is a temptingly appealing way to dispose of one’s enemies without drawing a sword or lifting a gun. Chemical weapon agents, or CWAs as they are more commonly referred, are classified in five main groups: riot control agents, nerve agents, blister agents, blood agents, and choking agents. Each is devastating on those caught in their paths and, for decades, scientists have worked on creating easier to wield, more lethal types. Today, there are eight countries known to possess chemical weapons (OPCW) but, according to new archaeological discoveries, this may not only be a cause for concern prevalent in the modern world. Contrary to the popular belief that it was the Germans who introduced CWAs to modern warfare during the First World War, the use of chemical weapons has existed since ancient times. Historians consider the use of poison on arrowheads as the beginning of humanity’s foray into this type of tactical warfare. (WIFA. 2005) Toxic substances became the predominant form of chemical warfare in the ancient world, and it was common for attacking armies to poison the water supply of besieged cities or use other poison methods to silently dispose of their enemies. Look up examples of poiso... ... middle of paper ... ...(2005). Chemical weapons. Reaching Critical Will, Retrieved from http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/cw/cwindex.html Arnold, J. (2005). Chemical warfare. emedicinehealth, Retrieved from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/chemical_warfare/article_em.htm OPCW. (n.d.). About chemical weapons. Retrieved from http://www.opcw.org/about-chemical weapons/what-is-a-chemical-weapon Mayor, A. (2009). Greek fire, poison arrows & scorpion bombs:biological and chemical warfare in the ancient wor ld . (2 ed., pp. 1-14). New York, NY: Overlook Press. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/GreekFire.pdf CDC. (2006). Facts about phosgene. Centers for Desease Control and Prevention, Retrieved from http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/phosgene/basics/facts.asp Goebel, G. (2010, July 01). A history of chemical warfare. Retrieved from http://www.vectorsite.net/twgas_1.html
History has proven the use of chemical weapons ranging back for decades. From the Greeks in ancient Europe using Greek fire to South American tribes using a form of tear gas made of grounded up hot chili peppers to scare away enemy tribes. As well as dipping the tips of spear heads with a poisonous toxin. Poisonous toxins used from live reptiles like frogs and venom from the snakes found from whichever region had enough potency venom to exterminate. The past has proven, that in order for Armies to survive and win, it relied on out smarting the enemy. New technologies and the evolution of weaponry were left to the brightest minds from those eras to develop.
The earliest military uses of chemicals were tear-inducing irritants rather than fatal or disabling poisons. During the first World War, the French army was the first to employ gas, using 26 mm grenades filled with tear gas in August 1914. German troops fired fragmentation shells filled with a chemical irritant (agent that stimulates) against British positions at Neuve Chapelle, though the concentration
23 April 1915 British troops were attacked with chlorine gas, and Sir John French, the British Commander-in-Chief wanted retaliation with the same effects that was dealt to his troops, and he also wanted the means to defend his troop against these attacks, which lead to the establishment of Porton Down. 10 July 1915 the British used chlorine gas against the Germans, after the attacks the British realized that the chlorine delivery method was inconsistent, the gas had a small radius of cover, the chlorine had a smell so it could be detected early without inhaling a large amount, and the gas also didn’t stay on the ground very long, so further research went into the development of chemical weapons. The first experiment was done with hydrogen sulphide; the British tested the gas by placing rats in cages in trenches, and had mine workers with self contained breathing apparatus collect clouds of the gas in jars as the gas passed over them. The testing of hydrogen sulphide were successful, it showed that the gas had lethal concentration at 300 yards from the point of release. Hydrogen sulphide was short lived, it was discovered that it’s was too dangerously flammable, and it corrodes the cylinders that it’s stored in, it was also to light to stay near the ground after release, and possessed a distinctive smell at very low concentration which is an early warning to the enemy. At 05:50 AM 2...
The purpose of this essay is to deal with the fact that chemical warfare should be brought back to modern warfare strategies. As Warren Rudman said, “And they will tell you unequivocally that if we have a chemical or biological attack or a nuclear attack anywhere in this country, they are unprepared to deal with it today, and that is of high urgency.” Rudman’s words are true in what they say and that we should do everything to counter-act his statement. Biological weapons are a key to outstanding success in war and therefore, I strongly suggest that chemical warfare is an effective and producible weapon tactic that can be used on today’s battlefield.
We, as CBRN soldiers, can trace our corps roots back to World War I, where chemical agents were widely used by both the allied and German forces. One chemical used was called mustard gas (H). Mustard gas is a type of blister agent that causes large blister (vesicles) on the skin, lungs and eyes of those exposed to it. According to Heller (1984), when mustard gas was introduced on the battlefield soldiers were unaware that they were even exposed. Unlike other chemicals used at that time (Chlorine or Phosgene) the effects of mustard gas were not readily apparent. According to Namazi, Niknahad, & Razmkhah (2009), those exposed did not feel the effects for 4-8 hours after exposure causing severe injuries. According to Heller (1984), the Germans were the first to use mustard gas in 1917 on British soldiers. When the British soldiers observed the gas shells going off they did not see or smell any gas; therefore, believed that the Germans were trying to trick them. It was not until several hours later did they start complaining that their eyes, throats and lungs hurt. By the time that the United States entered World War I we did not have any protection against the chemicals that were being used on the front lines. According to Heller (1984), “On 6 April 1917, when the U.S. declared war on Germany, the army not only lacked defensive equipment for chemical warfare, but also had no concrete plans to develop or manufacture gas masks or any other defensive equipment” ( pg.38). While the history of our corps is very interesting, I will show the effects mustard gas has on unprotected soldiers and how the first protective equipment has changed to what we are equipped with today.
Poison gas was perhaps the most feared weapon out of all. Created to overcome the long stalemate style of trench warfare, its purpose was to draw out soldiers hiding in the trenches. One side would throw the poison gas into the enemy trenches and they would either wait for their enemy to come out into open fire or perish in the trenches. The first poison gas used in battle was chlorine at the start of the Second Battle of Ypres on April 22, 1915 by the Germans. Shortly after, followed the phosgene. The effects of these gases were ghastly. Chlorine was the most deadly as "within seconds of inhaling its vapor, it destroys the victim's respiratory organs, bringing on choking attacks" (Duffy). Phosgene had similar effects, except the fact that the effects started kicking in after 48 hours of inhalation. In September 1917, the Germans introduced the mustard gas or Yperite which was contained in artillery shells against the Russians at Riga. Those exposed t...
Poisonous gas was an invention that was used by the Germans during the Battle of Second Ypres in 1915. Although poisonous gas only accounted for a small number of the war’s deaths in total, the effects were devastating. Gas was a largely ineffective as a traditional weapon. The success of the weapon depended on the type of gas and the delivery method; the weather condition was also a factor of the effectiveness of the weapon. Poisonous gas was the most important psychological weapon of the war, being feared by both soldiers and engineers. Because of this, it was used 20 years later in World War II.
Imagine waking up from a good night’s sleep and finding your whole family dead. As you stumble around your house looking for the cause of your family’s death, a strong chemical smell comes over you. It is the stinging smell of chlorine. Everyone agrees no one should have to endure this painful death by chemicals or biological weapons. What most people don’t know is that civilizations have been using this brutal war tactic since the 6th century, in which the Assyrians poisoned enemy wells with a fungus that made the enemy incoherent. Even though most people agree that chemical and biological weapons are horrific, there is a conflicting argument as to whether there should be a total elimination versus the control of these weapons.
Chemical weapons are gases that can be used to injure people by inhalation or exposure to the skin, and biological weapons are bacteria, viruses, or poisons that are purposefully spread with intent to cause impairing or fatal diseases. The first known use of biological weaponry were poison tipped spears and arrows used by early civilizations, and it slowly advanced over time, having its use in siege warfare of medieval times. Poisonous substances would be burned to create fumes and dead bodies that had been killed by plague would be launched over fortress walls to cause disease inside the city. Other known uses were by the British in the French and Indian War when they gave Native Americans blankets that had been used by smallpox patients in an attempt to spread the disease. Chemical weapons saw their first use in WWI, when the Germans used chlorine gas against French troops at Ypres, France. Other chemical weapons used in the war were tear gas, phosgene, and one of the worst gases, mustard gas, which causes the skin to blister and brought about internal bleeding (Lee and Muhinda 1). After WWI, there was a large drop in the use of CBW’s due to the Geneva Protocol, but it did not completely stop their use. Arsenals of CBW’s still exist today, but it is unlikely they will be used in any major wars because of their military ineffectiveness and inferiority to other
Millions have died. Billions are afraid that they may be next. War is the last thing that anyone needs and chemical warfare is todays age. Countries have developed thousands of different chemical weapons, such as adamsite, a sickening agent, tear gas, and malodorants, things that smell so bad that can literally knock you unconscious. There are many downsides to chemical warfare, and even though chemical warfare may have helpful attributes, it will bring the downfall of the human race. This will happen by sickness, terrorism, rebellion, total destruction, and inevitably death. Many believe the same that I do, that if chemical warfare breaks out the whole world could be destroyed.
Chemical warfare involves using the toxicity of chemical substances as weapons, primarily in the form of a gas. Chemical warfare is very different from other weapons of mass destruction, or WMD’s. The other weapons under this label are nuclear warfare and biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military term for nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons (OCPW, 2016). Weapons that fall under the WMD category are in no ways similar to conventional weapons, which are used due to their destructive potential and more “acceptable” use per say, since they are more precise and kill quicker as
Chemical and biological weapons (CBWs) have been used over the ages as an effective means of warfare. The earliest incident of biological weapons (BWs) occurred in the third century B.C., when the Carthaginian leader Hannibal filled up pots with venomous snakes and threw them onto enemy ships. (Cirincione, 48) Since then, biological weapons have been used very infrequently. This is mainly due to enormous cost required to create and handle BW's (many of the groups who have attempted to create such weapons have ended up infecting themselves more often then their intended targets). (Henderson, 25) In contrast, chemical weapons have been used fairly frequently in warfare. The earliest example of chemical weapons comes from the Trojan War when the Greeks "mixed sulfur and pitch resin to engulf enemy troops in toxic fumes." (Cirincione, 51) More recently the Germans and the Allies of World War I utilized the capabilities of chlorine gas in order to asphyxiate their enemies.(Slotten, 478) These weapons are thought to have been employed more frequently because they are more "humane" than biological or traditional weapons of war. Explains Capt. Alfred T Mahan of the U.S. Army after the Germans deployed chlorine gas during WWI, "the use of gases might make war more humane, instead of dying an agonizing death from horrible wounds, soldiers might be incapacitated by gas and then be humanely carted off to prisoner of war camps where they could quickly recuperate with no ill effects."(Slotten, 478) Though Mahan's rationale may be a little naïve, one can see why after the war there were many advocates for chemical weapons.
Unconventional warfare by means of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) methods have existed for millennia. Dating as far back as the Hellenistic Age, this means of lethality has been evidenced through textual findings where Alexander the Great and his Army sustained poisoned arrows from Indian rivals. With the evolution that comes with time, the extensive use of chlorine and mustard gas were introduced by Germans during World War I (Landau, 1991). More recently in 2013, the confirmed stockpile and use of chemical weapons in Syria and North Korea has threatened the safety of the global community with terrorism and tactics of surprise. In order to combat this resurgence of CBRN warfare, the United States Army developed and continuously adapts to these types of threats by employing CBRN Defense. Under this system, CBRN reconnaissance operations were established to observe an area to locate and identify any possible contamination. Managed by CBRN reconnaissance platoons, these operations remain one of the most important defense principles of contamination avoidance.
In comparison to nuclear weapons, chemical weapons are less damaging, but are easier to acquire. Both threats could be delivered in a containe...
Mustard gas is one of the strongest blistering agents, which was used as warfare. It was first utilized by French troops in the year 1914 when they fired tear-gas grenades against the Germans. Though, an effective study was conducted by the Germans regarding Mustard gas and then used by their army in 1917 against British and Canadian soldiers in Belgium, near the town of YPRES in WORLD WAR I. Along with mustard gas, phosgene also came into existence, during WORLD WAR I.