Chemical Warfare in World War 1 - Essay Example

Chemical Warfare in World War 1 Introduction Each war comes up with new weapons, as those countries at war use their every available resource to influence the outcome of the war. Those countries may therefore use the technology available to them to develop sophisticated weapons, which may have never been seen before. During the times of war, the intellectuals of a country usually play a very vital role in the discovery and development of the weapons. World War I saw the development of weapons, which were deadlier to a degree than had never before been expected. Among the deadliest weapons that had never been used before were the 420 mm guns, which the Germans used to bombard France from Liege, Belgium. This led the countries to look for developing deadlier weapons with the help of their intellectuals, as it was clear that weapons would greatly determine the countries that won the war. Therefore, as expected, deadlier weapons were developed by the countries. However, the deadliest and most inhumane of all the weapons developed was the poisonous gas, which was made by the German genius and Nobel laureate Fritz Haber (Bosco, Bosco & Bowman 38). Poisonous gas Prior to the World War I, several European countries including Germany, France and Britain had signed a treaty known as the Hague Convention on war on land in 1907 which forbid the use of poisonous gas in war. However, this did not deter the use of poisonous gases in World War I (Stoltzenberg 151). Germany first used chemical weapons on British and Indian troops in 1914. Berlin was triggered to use chemical weapons after France had used on them. The chemical weapon used by the Germans was dianisidine chlorosulphonate, a chemical that causes irritation to the mucus membrane (Hilmas, Smart & Hill 14). However, the use of chemical weapons, which lead to widespread outcry by the rest of the world, was by Fritz Haber. Prior to the war, Haber was involved in various chemical researches; and he was appointed the head of the chemistry department of the Ministry of War. This was done upon the realization that the raw materials for the manufacture of weapons could only last a few months, something that would have Germany in great peril. The government wanted to use Haber’s chemical knowledge to help avert the problem (Stoltzenberg 129) Chlorine This was among the first gases that Haber used in the war. The main characteristic of the gas that made it to be used by the German army in the war was the fact that chlorine leads to choking. In addition, the gas leads to the corrosion of weapons used by the enemies, hence making them to be ineffective. Haber proposed the use of gas in cylinders, as the cylinders were capable of producing large amounts of gas, which would have a significant effect on the enemies (Stoltzenberg 135). Haber came up with a detailed plan on how to use the gas; he proposed that cylinders with 20 kilograms be inserted with siphon tubes to provide route of escape of the gas. The cylinders were then placed in the trenches and buried in the ground at intervals of about one meter in a continuous line along the war front. A pipe was then screwed on the cylinders and directed towards the direction of the foe. Once the wind direction was towards the enemy, the cylinders were opened simultaneously. This made the gas mix with the air and flow towards the direction of the enemy. Due to the fact that chlorine is denser than air, it would remain suspended close to the ground and hence force the enemy to flee. The German army would then pursue them and inflict harm upon them (Stoltzenberg 135). Mustard gas This is perhaps the deadliest chemical weapon used in the world war. The large-scale production of the gas during the war was developed by Lommel and Steinkopf. Haber had facilitated the setting up of several gas filling points, which would produce the necessary quantities of gas cylinders that were required in the war. Due to the harmful effects of mustard gas, Haber facilitated the expansion of available facilities and even approached commercial establishments to help in the production of the gases. Haber was directly in charge of the expansion of the plants for chemical filling. Mustard gas was finally used on a large scale against the British at Nieuport. The gas was successful as it affected more than 14,000 people. However, about 500 of the people died within three week after contact with the lethal gas. The gas’ main method of inflicting injury was through causing internal and external blisters several hours after the soldiers had been exposed to the gas (Hilmas, Smart & Hill 20). Several other gases were also used in the World War I. Most of the gases used mainly choked the victims leading to injury or death. In deploying the gases, the military relied upon the weather conditions such as wind to be favorable to them. In most of the cases, the enemy usually developed defensive mechanisms against the poisonous gases. However, one important point to note is the fact that the chemical weapons were not used only by the Germans, the Allied forces also used the chemical weapons several time in their attacks. The aftermath of the chemical weapon use Soon after the war, most countries that were involved signed a treaty that restricted them from using chemical weapons in any other war. However, the use of chemical weapons showed the importance of scientists in the developing of offensive or defensive weapons. During the war, Haber’s group worked directly with the military to aid in the development and deployment of the chemical weapons (Hamblin 49). In addition, the importance of science in determining the social progress of the society is clearly evidenced by the fact that after guiding Germany into the chemical war Haber later received the Nobel price in chemistry in 1919. In addition, the importance of the chemical weapons made the Nazis invest a considerable amount of resources in coming creating stockpiles of the chemical weapons. During the Second World War, Germany had stockpiled 27,597 tons of mustard gas, the chemical agent which most of the countries preferred. During the First World War, the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institute was critical to the development of various chemical weapons. Haber had proposed the setting up of an institution that would be involved in research work even after the end of the war. His idea materialized in the late 1920s after funds became available. The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institute was critical in the development science and technology during the Nazi Germany (Wieland Para. 9). Most the developments in science and technology were mainly for military use. In addition there were projects, which were aimed at making Germany self-sufficient and avoid over reliance in other so as to safeguard its interests incase war with the other countries erupted. Works Cited Bosco, Peter I., Bosco, Antoinette & Bowman, John S. World War 1. NY: Infobase Publishing, 2003. Hamblin, Jacob Darwin. Science in the early twentieth century: an encyclopedia. NY: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Hilmas, Corey J., Smart, Jeffrey K & Hill, Benjamin A. History of chemical warfare. N.d. 28 February 2011. http://www.bordeninstitute.army.mil/published_volumes/chemwarfare/CHAP2_Pg_09-76.pdf. Stoltzenberg, Dietrich. Fritz Haber: chemist, Nobel Laureate, German, Jew. Philadelphia: Chemical Heritage Foundation, 2004. Wieland, Thomas. “Autarky and Lebensraum. The political agenda of academic plant breeding in Nazi Germany.” Journal of history science and technology. 2009. 28 February 2011. http://johost.eu/?oid=3&act=&area=3&ri=1. Read More