Chemical Warfare School Field Officers’ Course

There were three all-Navy courses of instruction at the Chemical Warfare School when the war ended. The most important of these was the four-week Navy and Coast Guard Officers Course. This was an outgrowth of the semiannual Navy Course which had been a regular feature of the curriculum for many years prior to the war. It stressed defense of Navy and Coast Guard units and shore stations against chemical attack, the offensive use of chemical weapons by naval forces, and the training of instructors in this field. As finally developed, this course consolidated separate courses which had previously been presented to Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers. 

Other Navy instruction included a series of eleven classes conducted in 1942 for training of petty officers in gas mask repair and a Navy Toxic Gas Handlers Course instituted early in 1943 to permit the practical training of both officers and enlisted men in handling bulk chemicals. The latter was eventually consolidated with the Toxic Gas Handlers Course which provided three weeks of training in this special technique for both Army and Navy students. In all of this work at the Chemical Warfare School, the object of naval instruction was to complement and further the Navy s own extensive training program in the field of chemical warfare. 

When the cumulative class record of the candidate, either academic or nonacademic, definitely fell below the standard set by the school, appearance before the Status Board was mandatory. This board consisted of three officers, at least one being of field grade. The board interviewed the individual, considered the records, and, where deficiency in leadership was involved, discussed the matter with his platoon commander. The personal impression made by the candidate upon the board obviously carried considerable weight in the determination of each case. After the hearing, the Status Board recommended to the commandant, Chemical Warfare School, that the candidate either be relieved from the course, be turned back to a succeeding class, or in exceptional cases be continued on probationary status. The action of the commandant on these recommendations was final. 

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