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.Themost recognizable photograph from the First World War depicts a line of blindfoldedmen, each with a hand on the shoulder of the man in front, shuffling slowly along.Gas 142 WORLD WAR IAn example of a massive gas and flame attack along the Western Front launched by the French.If the wind changed direction, the gas would drift back into Allied lines.(Courtesy of the NationalArchives)became synonymous with the war in the spring of 1915, when the Germans explodedthe first chlorine gas canisters into Allied lines in Belgium.This initial gas attack helpedthe Germans advance as French, Algerian, and Canadian troops withdrew in panic.Chemical weapons did not deliver on their initial promise to end trench deadlock.Instead, gas became another defensive weapon used to hold the line that worsened analready miserable situation even more so.Before long, both sides employed gasregularly and took precautions to defend their armies by equipping soldiers with boxrespirators to withstand gas attacks.Gas was a fickle weapon capable of turning backon the attacker if the winds changed.Despite its ability to hurt friend as well as foe, by1918 one out of every four shells fired along the Western Front contained gas.By 1917, the Allies and Germans had stockpiled a large and diverse arsenal ofchemical weapons.In the training camps American soldiers heard lectures that vividlydescribed the workings of each particular gas.Troops also spent time in simulated gaschambers where they learned to put on and breathe through gas masks while sitting inthe midst of smoke standing in for chlorine and phosgene gas.These drills continuedwhen soldiers entered the trenches.Officers repeatedly warned their men that therewere only two types of soldiers in a gas attack: the quick and the dead.Chlorine and phosgene gas attacked the respiratory system, causing a gradualbuildup of fluid in the lungs that prevented men from breathing properly.Eventually,chlorine and phosgene gas victims literally drowned to death in their own bodily fluids.Death from exposure to chlorine gas could take an excruciating amount of time, as menremained conscious for days as they gradually suffocated.Men soon learned to identifythese gases by their smell and color.Chlorine gas had a greenish-yellow tint and a FIGHTING OVERSEAS 143strong, distinctive odor that recalled a mixture of pineapple and pepper, while phosgenewas a clear gas that smelled like rotten fish.Easy to detect, each of these gases dissi-pated fairly quickly and gas masks offered good protection against them.Mustard gas provoked the most fear among soldiers because it did not have a coloror smell, and it remained hidden in crevices and dugouts for weeks after its initialdispersal.By stripping the mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes, mustard gas madeevery breath an exercise in torture.Out of an estimated 70,000 gas casualties in theAmerican Army, 39 percent were from mustard gas.Noble Sissle vividly rememberedwalking through the gas ward of the hospital to visit a wounded comrade. As youwalked down the aisle by the rows of cots, Sissle recalled over twenty years later, youcould see how the different ones were suffering.Some of them in places where theireyes were, were just large bleeding scabs; others, their mouths were just one mass ofsores; others had their hands up, and there were terrible burns beneath their arms, wherethe gas had attacked the moisture there.I had often heard of the horribleness of thetorture, but these scenes are generally kept from the soldier in order to keep fromlowering his morale. 35 Gas masks offered only minimal protection from mustard gas,which could seep through the skin, clothes, and even heavy trench boots.The armydistributed an ointment called Sag paste for soldiers to spread on their exposed skin toprevent blisters, which was effective if used ahead of time.It was unrealistic, however,to expect soldiers to apply this paste continuously to their bodies, especially since ittended to cake once a soldier began to sweat [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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