Notes Gas Weapon Modern Warfare

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WAR DEPARTMENT,Washington, April 28, 1917.The following Notes on Gas as a Weapon in Modern Warfareare published for the information and guidance of all con-

cerned.[2582933-A, A.G.O.]

of the Seceetakyoedek of War :H. L. SCOTT,Major General, Chief of Staff.

Official:h. p. McCain,

The Adjutant General. 3


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CONTENTS.Page.

Employment of gas by the ancients 7The first use of gas in modern warfare 8Instruction in the methods of gas warfare (the school atAldershot) 8-10Methods of making a gas attack (gas clouds, grenades, bombs,The various kinds of gases (lachrymatory, suffocating,and projectiles) 10-13asphyxiating) 13The effect of gases 14

ethods of protection 15(Signs of approaching attack Gas masks) 14-18"ractical instruction, mask drill,etc., drills with "Smallboxrespirators 18-25Exposure to gas during training 26General regulations (methods ofdefense) 26-30Tactical employment of gas in offense 30-32

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GAS AS A WEAPON IN MODERNWARFARE.The use of various gases as weapons of offense in the

present war has become so general that in any training oftroops in the future a thorough knowledge of the techniqueof gas attacks and the methods of defense against them mustbe included.

The use of gas, like many of the other weapons now in com-mon use in the armies of Europe, such as the catapult, flameprojector, trench knife, and sling, is an inheritance from theearly ages, amplified, improved, and made more destructive bythe aid of modern science.

The first recorded effort to overcome the enemy by the generation of poisonous and suffocating gases seems to have beenin the wars of the Athenians and Spartans (431 to 404 B. C),when in besieging the cities of Platea and Delium the Spartanssaturated wood with pitch and sulphur and burnt it under thewalls of those cities in the hopes of choking the defenders andrendering the assault less difficult. They also melted pitch,charcoal, and sulphur together in cauldrons and blew the fumesover the defenders' lines by means of bellows." "

Greek fire was used by the Byzantine Greeks under Con-stantine about 672 A. D., to destroy the Saracens, and theSaracens, in turn, used it as a weapon of defense against theChristians during the crusades. This Greek fire had the doubleadvantage of being not only inflammable, but also generatingduring the process of cambustion, clouds of dense, blinding smokeand gas of an asphyxiating character. (This gas, sulphurousdioxide, is one of the gases used to-day.) Its chemical com-position was supposed to be a mixture of quicklime, petroleum,sulphur, and such other inflammable substance as pitch, resin,etc. Upon the addition of water the slaking process which

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8 GAS AS A WEAPON IN MODERN WARFARE.the quicklime underwent generated enough heat to ignite thepetroleum, which, in turn, ignited the resin, pitch, and sulphur.This flaming mixture was delivered against the enemy by meansof fantastic syringes in the shape of dragons and other mon-sters with wide jaws.The first use of gas in modern warfare occurred April 22,1915, when the Germans liberated great clouds of gas againstthe allies' trenches near Ypres, with a resulting complete de-moralization of the troops and a large number of casualties." "Coincident with the use of the gas cloud the Germans beganto use gas also in bombs, hand grenades, and shells. The worldwas astounded at this resurrection of an ancient form of warfare,strictly forbidden by The Hague convention, but new weaponsin war demand that they be met with similar weapons, and aweek later the allies had agreed to manufacture gas shells anduse gas in other ways in retaliation. From this beginning, gashas now become recognized as one of the accepted arms of themilitary service and is being used very extensively in all armies,especially in the form of gas shells.

INSTRUCTION IN THE METHODS OFGAS WARFARE.The importance of thoroughly instructing all soldiers in the

methods of gas warfare and the methods of defense against ithas been fully recognized in the armies of Europe. The wholeobject of such instruction is to make every man thoroughlyfamiliar with the conditions under which he will have to meetgas, and to make him proficient in the necessary measures ofdefense. This instruction is both theoretical and practical. Thetheoretical instruction covers the methods of employing gasesin attack, the character of gases used and their effects, while thepractical instruction covers the methods of defense, includingthe actual exposure to gas. Inboth England and France eachdistrict has one or more special antigas schools, where speciallyselected officers and men are trained to enable them to impartthis instruction to companies, troops, and batteries.

The school at Aldershot may be taken as a type. The trainingplant includes a lecture room with gassing apparatus and"charts, a gassing house," and an area in which model trenchesand dugouts have been prepared.The gassing house contains one room 15 by 15 feet, with cor-ridor entrances on either side and double doors to each corridor.


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Notes Gas Weapon Modern Warfare