Poison Gas — The Seven Most Feared Chemical Weapons of WWI–world history and facts
Poison Gas — The Seven Most Feared Chemical Weapons of WWI –world history and facts British gas casualties, 1918. (Image source: WikiCommons) “I wish those people who talk about going on with this war whatever it costs could see the soldiers suffering from mustard gas poisoning.” Vera Brittain, First World War nurse “The use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases has been justly condemned by the general opinion of the civilized world.” Geneva Protocol, 1925 OF ALL THE grim legacies of the First World War, none has achieved the infamy of poison gas. Despite prohibitions under the 1899 Hague Declaration Concerning Asphyxiating Gases and the 1907 Hague Convention of Land Warfare, both the Allies and Central Powers introduced chemical weapons early on in the conflict. Soon, lethal agents like chlorine, phosgene and others were commonplace on the battlefield. By 1918, more than 1.2 million gas casualties had been recorded, with 90,000 of those victims killed. Although this f