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Poison Gas Collection

Poison Gas in World War I: A Deadly Reality From the trenches of Loos, France, on September 25, 1915, to the frozen lands of Poland during World War II

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: Hooded British Territorials charging the German Trenches at Loos, September 25th, 1915, 1916

Hooded British Territorials charging the German Trenches at Loos, September 25th, 1915, 1916. British troops in gas masks charged German trenches at the Battle of Loos on the Western Front

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: World War I, Chemical Warfare

World War I, Chemical Warfare
3501361 World War I, Chemical Warfare; Private Collection; (add.info.: WWI Russian Zelinsky-Kummant Gas Mask in a metal case); © Don Troiani. All Rights Reserved 2023

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: World War I, Chemical Warfare

World War I, Chemical Warfare
3501358 World War I, Chemical Warfare; Private Collection; (add.info.: German c.1915 Early WWI Commercial Gas Mask); © Don Troiani. All Rights Reserved 2023

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: World War I, Chemical Warfare

World War I, Chemical Warfare
3501356 World War I, Chemical Warfare; Private Collection; (add.info.: Early 1915 french gas mask with goggles and case); © Don Troiani. All Rights Reserved 2022

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: World War I, Chemical Warfare

World War I, Chemical Warfare
3501355 World War I, Chemical Warfare; Private Collection; (add.info.: Early WWI British Experimental Gas Mask); © Don Troiani. All Rights Reserved 2022

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: World War I, Chemical Warfare

World War I, Chemical Warfare
3501357 World War I, Chemical Warfare; Private Collection; (add.info.: WWI German Gas Chemical Agent Bursting Glass Bottle); © Don Troiani. All Rights Reserved 2022

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: World War I, Chemical Warfare

World War I, Chemical Warfare
3501360 World War I, Chemical Warfare; Private Collection; (add.info.: German M-1915 Gas Mask Segeltuchtasche in canister with cloth carry bag); © Don Troiani. All Rights Reserved 2022

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: World War I, Chemical Warfare

World War I, Chemical Warfare
3501359 World War I, Chemical Warfare; Private Collection; (add.info.: M-1917 German Army Spare Gasmask Filter And Pouch); © Don Troiani. All Rights Reserved 2022

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: World War I, Chemical Warfare

World War I, Chemical Warfare
3501354 World War I, Chemical Warfare; Private Collection; (add.info.: WWI British Poisonous Gas Remedy Capsule Tin With Instructions); © Don Troiani. All Rights Reserved 2022

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: Respirator for British soldiers, between 1914 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service

Respirator for British soldiers, between 1914 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service
Respirator for British soldiers, between 1914 and c1915. A British soldier wearing a face mask to protect against poison gas, standing with a woman holding another face mask, during World War I

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: Beware Poison Gas?

Beware Poison Gas?
Andreas Magnusson

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: Les Gaz Allemands; Photographie publiee par les journaux illustres anglais avec une breve... 1916

Les Gaz Allemands; Photographie publiee par les journaux illustres anglais avec une breve... 1916. Creator: Unknown
Les Gaz Allemands; Photographie publiee par les journaux illustres anglais avec une breve legande disant simplement que le cliche aurait ete pris par un aviateur russe au debut attaque allemande

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: Les Gaz Allemands; une autre cloche, trouvee dans les decombres d'une eglise de village... 1916

Les Gaz Allemands; une autre cloche, trouvee dans les decombres d'une eglise de village... 1916. Creator: Unknown
Les Gaz Allemands; une autre cloche, trouvee dans les decombres d'une eglise de village, installee un peu a l'arriere, et don't le son propage l'alarme au loin dans tout un secteur

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: Les Gaz Allemands; Cloche installee pres d'un abri de guetteur pour lui... 1916. Creator: Unknown

Les Gaz Allemands; Cloche installee pres d'un abri de guetteur pour lui... 1916. Creator: Unknown
Les Gaz Allemands; Cloche installee pres d'un abri de guetteur pour lui permettre de signaler l'arrivee d'une nappe gazeuse ; des qu'elle sonne

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: German soldiers asphyxiated by poison gas deployed by them against the Russians but blown back

German soldiers asphyxiated by poison gas deployed by them against the Russians but blown back into their own trenches
6000321 German soldiers asphyxiated by poison gas deployed by them against the Russians but blown back into their own trenches by the wind, World War I, 1915 (colour litho) by Damblans

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: WWI German gunners load poison gas shell wearing gas masks on the Western Front

WWI German gunners load poison gas shell wearing gas masks on the Western Front
870233 WWI German gunners load poison gas shell wearing gas masks on the Western Front, 1917 (b/w photo) by German Photographer (20th Century); Private Collection; Peter Newark Pictures; German

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: Historical views of Italy

Historical views of Italy
6338059 Historical views of Italy by English School, (18th century); (add.info.: Historical views of Italy. The volcanic Mount Etna in Sicily 34, the rocks of Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis 35)

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: Allied victims of a poison gas, temporarily blinded, at a French hospital, World War I, c1915-c1918

Allied victims of a poison gas, temporarily blinded, at a French hospital, World War I, c1915-c1918. On 22 April 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: Gas Alarm!, Loos, France, World War I, c1915-c1918. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers

Gas Alarm!, Loos, France, World War I, c1915-c1918. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
Gas Alarm!, Loos, France, World War I, c1915-c1918. On 22 April 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, the Germans released 168 tons of chlorine gas over a four mile front

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: British gunners donning masks as protection against German gas shells, World War I, c1914-c1918

British gunners donning masks as protection against German gas shells, World War I, c1914-c1918. The board on the right of the photograph identifies the men as being from the 8th Battery

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: British troops advancing through gas, Passchandaele, Ypres, Belgium, World War I, c1914-c1918

British troops advancing through gas, Passchandaele, Ypres, Belgium, World War I, c1914-c1918. Stereoscopic card. Detail

Background imagePoison Gas Collection: Two soldiers wearing respirators to protect them from poison gas during WWI

Two soldiers wearing respirators to protect them from poison gas during WWI. From The Pageant of the Century, published 1934



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Poison Gas in World War I: A Deadly Reality From the trenches of Loos, France, on September 25, 1915, to the frozen lands of Poland during World War II, poison gas left an indelible mark on the history of warfare. In this era, the use was a chilling innovation, with both sides employing it to gain the upper hand. Hooded British Territorials charged against the German trenches at Loos, oblivious to the deadly gas awaiting them. Meanwhile, German soldiers asphyxiated by their own they were tragically blown back into their own trenches by the wind. German gunners loaded poison gas shells on the Western Front, donning masks for protection. Yet, the winds of war were unpredictable, and the gas could just as easily turn against its creators. Allied victims of poison gas, temporarily blinded, sought refuge in French hospitals. The horrors of the gas attacks were palpable, with soldiers and civilians alike suffering from its effects. Gas Alarm. Blared as British troops advanced through the gas-filled battlefields of Passchandaele, Ypres, Belgium. The ominous warning was a constant reminder of the deadly reality that lurked just beyond the trenches. Two soldiers, protected by respirators, continued their march through the war-torn landscape. The masks were a testament to the relentless nature of war and the lengths to which soldiers would go to survive. The investigation into the use in Poland during World War II continued to unravel the dark secrets of this deadly weapon. The legacy in warfare serves as a stark reminder of the brutal realities of conflict and the importance of adhering to international norms against its use.