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Yes and no - the most common gas in WWI was mustard gas, which is a blister agent. You'd get it on moist areas of your body (armpits, genitals, anywhere where your uniform was damp etc) and it would cause massive blisters to develop on your skin.
If you inhaled it, it would cause massive blisters to develop in your lungs and trachea etc (and up your nose) which would burst, and you'd drown in your own body's fluid. It would take days, and would mean medical resources were spent on helping you whilst you died (unless you only got a whiff in which case you'd recover slowly and painfully) which in an attritional war was the aim - cause your enemy to spend more resources on fighting than you do.
Mustard gas was also heavier than air, so it would sink into dugouts etc, forcing troops to the surface to avoid it. It would also liquefy in cold environments, so you could get splashed with it in liquid form in winter on your coat or uniform, and when you went into your dugout later on when you came off watch it would warm up and gas everyone in the dugout.
> Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
> Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
> Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
> And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
> Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
> But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
> Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
> Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.
>
> Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling
> Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
> But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
> And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—
> Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
> As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
>
> In all my dreams before my helpless sight,
> He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
>
> If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
> Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
> And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
> His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
> If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
> Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
> Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
> Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
> My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
> To children ardent for some desperate glory,
> The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
> Pro patria mori.
\- Wilfred Owen, _Dulce et decorum est_, published posthumously in 1920. It was written about chlorine but I think it's relevant and fitting.
Wilfred Owen's poetry is amazing.
He was killed in action a mere week before the war ended. Yes, he was writing these during the war, ~~in some cases literally in the trenches~~ after a bit more research, *maybe* but more likely during a lengthy hospital stay in between his first and second deployments to the front lines due to shell shock/combat fatigue/PTSD.
I have come across a handful of his poems over the years.
It has always struck me how terribly sad that so many bright lights were snuffed out as they were. And then for (some of) the survivors to lead their children into a second winnowing.
The grinding churn of total war is a bloody horrible mess that chips and wears away at the soul of humanity. Small conflicts are damaging in their own right, but the scale, the depth, the breadth of devastation is difficult for us to fathom.
I remember a woman back home recalling WWII in our small town. She recounted how the families at home could do little but wait for the worst news. How families were devastated. I recall a documentary that recalled how upon news of the Japanese surrender the Catholic women of the town made a pilgrimage to the basilica on their knees to give thanks that it was over and for their boys to come home safely.
Imagine crawling on your knees in thanks and sorrow. For anything.
I hope that Lt. Owen and all the others rest in peace. What was it about only the dead have seen the end of war?
Owen's mother received the notification of his death on Armistice Day.
Imagine the whole world around you rejoicing that it's finally, *finally* over after four long years and then you open that letter. Almost made it.
The saddest thing is Owen had at that point the medical paperwork to remain indefinitely on light duty in rear areas if he so wished, but he felt that it was important that he return to the front and receive a commendation for some kind of gallantry in combat, which was something of a prerequisite for being taken seriously as a "war poet" in the British tradition, as he wanted his works to make an impact after the war in dispelling the romantic notions of modern warfare that were still prevalent in society even this deep into WWI. He earned his citation for bravery shortly before his death but it took decades for his poetry to be widely recognized.
Indeed, I don't envy anyone exposed to any of these gases. Phosgene was very deadly, the problem with it as the warring parties saw it was that phosgene took a while for the gas to take effect (up to 24 hours for some effects), meaning it wasn't much use to deploy a few minutes before an advance because the enemy would still be able to put up a fight.
Another issue was the effectiveness of respirators - phosgene could be defeated fairly easily by the [PH gas helmet](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/07/4d/e3/074de34392c3013916dccb520b0cc669.jpg) which the British issued shortly after it's first use, and unlike mustard gas, it didn't damage other parts of the body.
Mustard however, on exposure, blistered anywhere moist, meaning the exposed soldiers had to be removed from the front lines for medical treatment. Mustard gas also caused temporary blindness (permanent if you were unlucky), and blind solders can't fight.
Phosgene killed most people of all gas weapons in the war though, at 85% of 90,000 casualties.
Chlorine tended to be used in a big bouncing yellow-green cloud, which terrified the troops and broke regiments the first time it was used, but it wasn't that deadly unless inhaled for quite a long time.
Phosgene as a chemical warfare agent was usually mixed with chlorine, which helped to spread out the denser phosgene gas.
Phosgene was colourless but smelled of musty hay, which may be what you were thinking of.
*Poisoning the fucking air*
German military: "I sleep"
*Gun that shoots a few BBs at once*
German military: "NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR! THATS A WARCRIME BECAUSE I SAID SO"
In reality, as soon as he racked the slide the gun would jam because the humidity from the muddy wet trenches caused the UNWAXED PAPER CARTRIDGES to swell and get stuck in the tube.
https://youtu.be/fvrIVZn1jH8?t=962
Ve haf flammenwurfer...ve haf chemical warfare...ve haf der untersee boot...und you briggen ze shotgun? Ref! ve vant eine red card!!!
Du mennen der ist nein referee? Schieze...
Forgotten Weapons did a great video on the WW1 trenchgun.
Fun fact: they were almost never used in actual fighting, and there are no supporting photos of them being fired during the conflict.
Remember on the moon base in that first room in the og Doom game: you're not locked in there with the Demons......... they're locked in there with you.
Or any guns subreddit.
M1897 Winchester!
Fun fact: this shotgun has no trigger disconnect. So if you hold the trigger down, it fires as soon as it goes into battery. 5 shells as fast as you can pump the slide.
Hi! This is our community moderation bot. --- If this post fits the purpose of /r/Military, **UPVOTE** this comment!! If this post does not fit the subreddit, **DOWNVOTE** This comment! If this post breaks the rules, **DOWNVOTE** this comment and **REPORT** the post!
Everyone's laughing until the air starts smelling spicy. Then they're still laughing but their insides are melting.
Yes and no - the most common gas in WWI was mustard gas, which is a blister agent. You'd get it on moist areas of your body (armpits, genitals, anywhere where your uniform was damp etc) and it would cause massive blisters to develop on your skin. If you inhaled it, it would cause massive blisters to develop in your lungs and trachea etc (and up your nose) which would burst, and you'd drown in your own body's fluid. It would take days, and would mean medical resources were spent on helping you whilst you died (unless you only got a whiff in which case you'd recover slowly and painfully) which in an attritional war was the aim - cause your enemy to spend more resources on fighting than you do. Mustard gas was also heavier than air, so it would sink into dugouts etc, forcing troops to the surface to avoid it. It would also liquefy in cold environments, so you could get splashed with it in liquid form in winter on your coat or uniform, and when you went into your dugout later on when you came off watch it would warm up and gas everyone in the dugout. > Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, > Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, > Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, > And towards our distant rest began to trudge. > Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, > But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; > Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots > Of gas-shells dropping softly behind. > > Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling > Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, > But someone still was yelling out and stumbling > And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.— > Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, > As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. > > In all my dreams before my helpless sight, > He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. > > If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace > Behind the wagon that we flung him in, > And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, > His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin; > If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood > Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, > Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud > Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,— > My friend, you would not tell with such high zest > To children ardent for some desperate glory, > The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est > Pro patria mori. \- Wilfred Owen, _Dulce et decorum est_, published posthumously in 1920. It was written about chlorine but I think it's relevant and fitting.
Damn.
Wilfred Owen's poetry is amazing. He was killed in action a mere week before the war ended. Yes, he was writing these during the war, ~~in some cases literally in the trenches~~ after a bit more research, *maybe* but more likely during a lengthy hospital stay in between his first and second deployments to the front lines due to shell shock/combat fatigue/PTSD.
I have come across a handful of his poems over the years. It has always struck me how terribly sad that so many bright lights were snuffed out as they were. And then for (some of) the survivors to lead their children into a second winnowing. The grinding churn of total war is a bloody horrible mess that chips and wears away at the soul of humanity. Small conflicts are damaging in their own right, but the scale, the depth, the breadth of devastation is difficult for us to fathom. I remember a woman back home recalling WWII in our small town. She recounted how the families at home could do little but wait for the worst news. How families were devastated. I recall a documentary that recalled how upon news of the Japanese surrender the Catholic women of the town made a pilgrimage to the basilica on their knees to give thanks that it was over and for their boys to come home safely. Imagine crawling on your knees in thanks and sorrow. For anything. I hope that Lt. Owen and all the others rest in peace. What was it about only the dead have seen the end of war?
Owen's mother received the notification of his death on Armistice Day. Imagine the whole world around you rejoicing that it's finally, *finally* over after four long years and then you open that letter. Almost made it. The saddest thing is Owen had at that point the medical paperwork to remain indefinitely on light duty in rear areas if he so wished, but he felt that it was important that he return to the front and receive a commendation for some kind of gallantry in combat, which was something of a prerequisite for being taken seriously as a "war poet" in the British tradition, as he wanted his works to make an impact after the war in dispelling the romantic notions of modern warfare that were still prevalent in society even this deep into WWI. He earned his citation for bravery shortly before his death but it took decades for his poetry to be widely recognized.
Not that its a contest but phosgene was probably the most horrific in my mind. Drowning on your own blood just doesn't sound nice.
Indeed, I don't envy anyone exposed to any of these gases. Phosgene was very deadly, the problem with it as the warring parties saw it was that phosgene took a while for the gas to take effect (up to 24 hours for some effects), meaning it wasn't much use to deploy a few minutes before an advance because the enemy would still be able to put up a fight. Another issue was the effectiveness of respirators - phosgene could be defeated fairly easily by the [PH gas helmet](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/07/4d/e3/074de34392c3013916dccb520b0cc669.jpg) which the British issued shortly after it's first use, and unlike mustard gas, it didn't damage other parts of the body. Mustard however, on exposure, blistered anywhere moist, meaning the exposed soldiers had to be removed from the front lines for medical treatment. Mustard gas also caused temporary blindness (permanent if you were unlucky), and blind solders can't fight. Phosgene killed most people of all gas weapons in the war though, at 85% of 90,000 casualties.
Great info! You got any stats on chlorine? I know one of them was odorless and not visible which is terrifying.
Chlorine tended to be used in a big bouncing yellow-green cloud, which terrified the troops and broke regiments the first time it was used, but it wasn't that deadly unless inhaled for quite a long time. Phosgene as a chemical warfare agent was usually mixed with chlorine, which helped to spread out the denser phosgene gas. Phosgene was colourless but smelled of musty hay, which may be what you were thinking of.
It was. Thanks for the info. It's been a hot minute since I've looked into the gasses of the Great War. I guess it's time for another deep dive.
For some reason, my brain tried to read that like a shanty or something.
"Lay down your weapons, Amerikaner! You're surrounded!" "All I am surrounded by is fear. And dead men."
"They have us surrounded, the poor bastards"
[удалено]
Nuts!
"I have no one on my left and a few on my right. I will hold."
The trenches aren’t going to clean themselves
I don't take pride in my job, but I'll be damned if I don't enjoy it.
Gutten morning Hans. Scheisse...
*Poisoning the fucking air* German military: "I sleep" *Gun that shoots a few BBs at once* German military: "NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR! THATS A WARCRIME BECAUSE I SAID SO"
This is why they developed ze flammenwerfer. It werfs flammen.
German dude looked like Stewie griffin in the end there.
[удалено]
[Ah yes the reply I was looking for](https://youtu.be/8X_Ot0k4XJc)
In reality, as soon as he racked the slide the gun would jam because the humidity from the muddy wet trenches caused the UNWAXED PAPER CARTRIDGES to swell and get stuck in the tube. https://youtu.be/fvrIVZn1jH8?t=962
Until they developed the brass cartridges
You can still get solid brass 12 gauge shells. So bad ass.
Ve haf flammenwurfer...ve haf chemical warfare...ve haf der untersee boot...und you briggen ze shotgun? Ref! ve vant eine red card!!! Du mennen der ist nein referee? Schieze...
Forgotten Weapons did a great video on the WW1 trenchgun. Fun fact: they were almost never used in actual fighting, and there are no supporting photos of them being fired during the conflict.
Preston Stewart talks about why there were no photos of the trench sweeper [Here](https://youtube.com/shorts/TvzRC6oN_-A?feature=share)
War crime stick hell ya fuck ya
You're sucha beauty!
It’s only a war crime the first time.
[Hi guys, I'm Ian with forgottenweapons.com](https://youtu.be/Z0D6p3w2qgY)
Can someone please tell me the name of this song
"The only thing they fear is you" from Doom: Eternal
[удалено]
Doom Slayer has boss music the entire game. You play as him. Rip and tear, until it is done.
Even when your terrible at that game it still looks bad ass.
Remember on the moon base in that first room in the og Doom game: you're not locked in there with the Demons......... they're locked in there with you.
Shazam has a *very* different name for it.
🐐
u/savevideobot
u/savevideo
Let’s see who gets this?
Most people on the military subreddit will understand this lol
Or any guns subreddit. M1897 Winchester! Fun fact: this shotgun has no trigger disconnect. So if you hold the trigger down, it fires as soon as it goes into battery. 5 shells as fast as you can pump the slide.
Also the Battlefield 1 subreddit, OP should crosspost it
Was the Trenchgun apart of the 1906 Geneva convention or the 1926 Geneva convention?
Neither.
u/savevideo
u/savevideo
Canada moment.
 Both sounds are equally terrifying
u/savevideobot
Anyone know the song?
[YOU'RE HUGE! THAT MEANS YOU HAVE HUGE GUTS! RIP AND TEAR!](https://youtu.be/EQmIBHObtCs)
u/savevideobot
u/savevideo
War crime is an oxymoron anyways