Poison Gas Attacks
In April of 1915 Germany released a deadly weapon in Northwestern Belgium, poison chlorine gas. Although the Germans were the first to release a deadly gas, the French were the first to use gas as a weapon, however, they used tear gas, which was more irritating than anything. The French soldiers would fall to the ground choking, convulsing, and gasping for air. These victims would die a slow, horrible death as their lungs would fill with fluid. The Allies made gas masks in order to protect their men, but they also added the gas to their weapon arsenal. By 1917 the gas was a standard issue, but each army continued to use it. Because of the masks, it could take up to 5 weeks to kill the victim. Although it was a deadly weapon, it was not a decisive factor in the war because it relied on wind and the development of effective gas masks. However it did have an affect on the war. At the first attack of the gas, the French and Algerian troops fled about 4 miles back in fear. The Germans succeeded in taking a large portion of this area, but had they been more prepared for this reaction, they could have changed a lot about this war.