April 22nd 1915 - 1st use of poison gas on battlefield. With the wind blowing toward the French and Canadian trenches, the German army released chlorine gas. That day the yellow green cloud of gas proved ineffective as the allied lines held. Soon more deadly forms of gas, and delivery methods, were being used. Both sides were firing shells containing mustard gas at the opposing trenches and even at supply lines. All told there were about a million casualties, including permanent blindness, from the chemical warfare. Because of the horror of this type of warfare, in 1925 the Geneva Protocol banned the use of chemical weapons.
This Day in History
This Day in History
This Day in History
April 22nd 1915 - 1st use of poison gas on battlefield. With the wind blowing toward the French and Canadian trenches, the German army released chlorine gas. That day the yellow green cloud of gas proved ineffective as the allied lines held. Soon more deadly forms of gas, and delivery methods, were being used. Both sides were firing shells containing mustard gas at the opposing trenches and even at supply lines. All told there were about a million casualties, including permanent blindness, from the chemical warfare. Because of the horror of this type of warfare, in 1925 the Geneva Protocol banned the use of chemical weapons.