Casualties, Allied

Phosgene was used tactically as a delayed or immediate action casualty gas. It was first employed by the Germans in WWI (Dec, 1915) in cylinders under the name D-Stoff. The French iater (1916) employed phosgene as an artillery shell filler (Collingite). During the remainder of the war it was the Allies principal war gas, used also in trench mortars, bombs, and projector drums (Ref 2)... 

Gas Shells. No casualty-producing gas shells were used until near the end of WWI (June 1915) when the Germans brought out their K shell. The allies began firing such shells in Jan 1916. From then on die percentage of gas shells used on both sides steadily increased. By far the greatest number of all gas shells used in WWI was fired on the Western Front, next came the Eastern Front, and the Austro-Italian Fronts followed... 

Despite these problems the British relied on cylinders as a delivery method until the end of the war but several factors influenced the British decision to continue using them. First, the prevailing winds on the Western Front favoured Allied gas clouds secondly, the British suffered from a chronic shortage of shells and were reluctant to convert the production of high-explosive shells to the production of gas shells and thirdly, British intelligence reports indicated a dense cloud attack was effective in producing mass casualties.55... 

Uses Powerful incendiary burning pieces adhere to skin and clothes and have a limited casualty effect. Was largely used by Allies in World War 1 for screening smokes in hand grenades and mortars. It is now also extensively used for incendiary purposes, in shells, bombs, and incendiary leaves, P5. 

During the war chlorine aras the principal gas used for cloud-giu-sttack. . At first, when the Allies had little or no means of protection, it was a very effective weapon and caused many thousands of casualties. 

British front near Ypres in Flanders, marked the beginniag of a new phase of gas warfare. It came as a complete surprise to the Allies and raufM d thousands of casualties before any form of defense emild be devised against it. Its tremendous effectiveness perfectly illastratcs the c vcr-threatening potential power of chemical warfare. 

The Allies claimed that the German Blue Cross shells were. not effective, and based their opinion upon the fact that the high explosive in the shell did not sufficiently atomize the toxic chemical tAmerican Expeditionary Forces owing to gassing with respiratory-irritant compounds. Deaths from these compounds were very rare. 

The author aecordiugty l>elievo8 the following revision of Table XXI would give a clearer picture of the actual facts. First, the chlorine casualties are merged with the phosgeiip. as the nearest allied and... 

At the main British factory, there were 1400 casualties among the plant workers, the accidentally burned and blistered exceeding 100 per cent of the staff every three months (presumably some members of staff were injured more than once). Conditions at the principal French plant, which supplied three quarters of the Allied-fired mustard gas, were equally unpleasant the personnel. .. is 90 per cent voiceless. About 50 per cent cough continuously. ... By long exposure to the small amounts of vapour constantly in the air of the work rooms, the initial resistance of the skin is finally broken down. The chief result is that the itch makes sleep nearly impossible and the labourers are very much run down. 

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