Chemical weapons in World War I

**In World War I, chemical weapons** were used often. They were a major part of the war. This was the first time in history that chemical weapons were widely used in warfare. 

Poison gas attacks were a very effective way of attacking the enemy from a distance, without direct contact. Tear gas, chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas were all used during World War I (WWI). 

Soldiers tried to protect themselves using gas masks, but they were big, clumsy, and did not always work. Soldiers on both sides could be poisoned in a gas attack, because the wind would often blow gas back towards the attackers. For these reasons, soldiers in the trenches feared gas attacks more than anything else.  

## History 
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WWI began in 1914. The two sides (the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente) competed against each other to build better fighting technology that would win the war.

The French were the first to use poison gas in the war, in 1914 against the Germans. The following year, on 31st January 1915, the Germans launched over 18,000 shells (very large bullets) filled with tear gas towards the Russians. (This attack failed.) 

Chlorine gas was first used on the 22nd of April 1915, by the Germans against French Algerian soldiers at the Battle of Ypres. Thousands of soldiers smothered in the attack.

Britain first used gas in December of 1915. Many British people thought this was inhumane, and there was a public outcry that continued even after the war. The commander of British Expeditionary Force, Sir John French (who had previously criticized the use of gas in warfare) stated:

## Types of gas
 poster teaching soldiers how to identify the invisible phosgene gas by its smell]]
Several types of poison gases were used during WWI.

### Tear gas 
*See the main article: Tear gas*

Tear gas was effective, but not deadly. It was first used by the French in 1914.

### Chlorine gas 
*See the main article: Chlorine*

Chlorine gas was very deadly. It painfully damaged the eyes, throat, nose, ears, and lungs. Then it caused death by asphyxiation.

Chlorine gas is a highly visible green cloud. It was first used by the Germans in April 1915 at the Battle of Ypres, where it killed around 1,100 French Algerian soldiers. Its effects can appear nearly 24 hours after an attack. It was the most effective gas used in the war, because it worked even when soldiers were wearing gas masks. It caused huge, painful yellow blisters when it touched skin. If soldiers were not wearing gas masks, the gas would blister their lungs, which could kill them. It settled at the bottom of trenches and got into cracks and crevices there, staying for weeks or even months.

## Casualties 
Nearly 100,000 soldiers died from gas attacks during World War I. However, only about 3% of soldiers who were victims of attacks died in them (though many were blinded). When death occurred, it was slow and very painful (sometimes taking months). In these cases, most soldiers were sent home to die. 

Russia suffered the most casualties from gas attacks: around 57,000 soldiers.

## After the war 
In 1925, an international treaty called the Geneva Protocol made it illegal to use chemical weapons in warfare.

## Related pages 
* Chemical warfare
* World War I
* Weapons of World War I
* Phosgene
* Mustard gas

## References