The first chemical weapons were dropped during World War I. A total of 18.5 million people were killed in this war.
The first successful attack with poison gas with cylinders took place at the battle of Ypres in 1915. This area was of strategic importance to both the French and the Germans. Specifically, the Germans threw chlorine at the French.
There were some French attacks on the Germans with tear gas but they were not successful.
The man who made the bleach gas was the German professor and ‘father of chemical weapons’, Humber.
He, in order to see the results of his creation, attended the battle of Ypr. There the Germans surprised the French with 168 tons of chlorine. There was a cloud of fog over the French lines and the field turned white with chlorine. Then the French soldiers collapsed as soon as they inhaled the chlorine. They could not breathe and their eyes and lungs ached.
Only one Canadian general found that it was chlorine and was only able to deal with it partially. He ordered the soldiers to urinate on a garment, put it on their face and then inhale. Unfortunately, the results were not very saving.
After this event, other chemicals were used in other battles of the war to exterminate the enemies. The most powerful substance that caused the most deaths of any kind was phosgene, which was dropped by the Germans and killed 85,000 French people. This was very powerful asphyxiant.
It is worth mentioning that a total of 100,000 people died from chemical gases on both sides. But the number of soldiers attacked reached 1 million.
Another substance that caused blindness and suffocation was the caustic mustard gas used in 1917.
Anti-asphyxiating masks were made to counteract such attacks.
A total of 113,000 tonnes of chemicals were released during the war.
[Resource: www.mixanitouxronou.gr]
