Poisonous Gas: An Effective Weapon In World War One

World War one was a time of terror and destruction using multiple different types of artillery, strategies, and more. One type of weaponry used in World War one is poisonous gas. Poisonous gas was an effective weapon in World War one because it created fear and psychological terror.
To begin, during World War one Germans first developed poisonous gas and brought them into war by 1915. Chlorine was the first gas brought into trench warfare as a grenade-like projectile. In the beginning of poisonous gas usage, soldiers didn’t know that the poisonous gas existed so the gas cloud unknowingly forming put soldiers into fear and would cause a few casualties. Soon after, France developed phosgene gases that is 18 times more powerful than chlorine gas. In the first appearance of phosgene gas, which was at Ypres, soldiers would get blinded. Germans further developed another gas, mustard gas. Mustard gas was the most brutal and more developed. It was produced in 75 or 105 shells rather than the regular grenade-like projectiles. Mustard gas caused painful blisters internally and externally, burns skin and more. The introduction to mustard gas brought the most disabled soldiers, deaths, terror and overall brought emotional and physical pain to those affected.

To start, poisonous gas was used effectively against unprepared troops.

The gas would kill horses that didn’t have later developed gas masks preventing delivery of supplies such as ammunition. For soldiers who didn’t have any type of protection against the gas, they would get injured depending on the gas the enemy used in which would leave units in intensive care unable to fight. According to an author, “Military planners considered all forms of gas a terror weapon that would create confusion and panic prior to an offensive”(Showalter 4). Meaning the usage of poisonous gas lowered all morale of soldiers by creating

fear.
Gas was effective in getting soldiers out of battle by injuring them, proving to be useful. For example, over the years poisonous gas could blisters through the skin, go through the eye causing blindness, irritation. Gas could also cause tears, vomiting, struggles to breathe or overall lungs getting attacked by the gas or nervous system attack. Some gases can have multiple affected on a soldier. Poisonous gas can further create long term problems such as skin sensitiveness, breathing difficulty or eye problems. If a soldier had these injuries it is likely they would be out of combat for months.
Many argue poisonous gas was nothing but a nuisance in World War one. This could be true because there were multiple set backs to using gas. For example, the British never got used to it’s tactics unlike Germany who used it as a second firearm. Also, poisonous gas struggled on the battlefield such as freezing in Russian grounds or wind would blow the poisonous gas projectiles back to the original lines rather than the enemy’s. Shells and protective gear such as clothing or gas masks were also poorly designed early on. Although these facts do prove gas to be ineffective, it shows that gas could change a battle whether it be for the enemy or for the ally.
Poisonous gas brought blisters, burnt skin, tears, blindness and more to many soldiers and made more fill with horror. In conclusion, poisonous gas was an effective tactic used in World War one to injure soldiers for long periods of time and bring fear.