Chemical Warfare Research Paper

“Ever since World War I, superior force is no longer measured in terms of men or horses, but in the means to wreak destruction.” Professor Saul David sums up how greatly warfare changed due to the technological advancements during World War I. Throughout the ages, new technology has defined how complex and gruesome war is. Advances in warfare created deadly, yet supportive items including, the rise of chemical war, airplanes, and the use of beneficial technology.

Chemical Warfare, the surprise attack, no one saw it coming. Started by the Germans attacking Belgium, and it created a deadly beast. Ranging from large bomb-like objects, to tear gas, many lives were lost from this mass destruction. Chemical weapons can have benefits, but so many effects are negative. To understand how deadly chemical warfare is, at the end of World War I over 1.3 million people died due to chemical weapons. April 22, 1915, the Germans launched their first large scale chemical weapon in Belgium, therefore causing more than 1,000 deaths and over 7,000 injuries. This kind of warfare changed how people viewed conflict. War became very inhumane, it

First had very little purpose for war, but later turned into a very sophisticated weapon. At the beginning of the war airplanes were mostly only used for reconnaissance, military observation of a region to locate an enemy or ascertain strategic features, but they were seen to have a “greater purpose.” Reconnaissance was very helpful in the beginning, but was later armed with machine guns and became very dangerous. Military lives were not the only lives in danger, civilian lives were too. Bombs could be dropped onto the crowds, homes, and many industrialized areas. War was becoming mass destruction of anything the enemy could reach. The airplane is an example of how a extremely successful and helpful item can turn truly deadly in a short amount of