[First chemical mass attack in history of wars, Bolimów, January 31, 1915].
World War I was the conflict, during which it was first used chemical warfare on a massive scale. The earliest chemical attack occurred on the Western Front in October 1914 in Neuve Chapelle, but its effects were so minimal that the Allies learned about it only after the war from German documents. The attack in the area Bolimow, made by the Germans against the Russian army with artillery shells containing gas T (xylyl and benzyl bromides), was therefore the first attack on a massive scale recorded on the victim side. The attack, which occurred after it made it possible to obtain some tactical success, but without a strategic breakthrough. Some of the later German attacks on the eastern front where chlorine was used proved to be more effective, but despite the many victims there was not any major strategic success achieved. The Russians did not take attempts to use chemical weapons in the First World War.
Zakład Epidemiologii Narodowego Instytutu Zdrowia Publicznego Państwowego Zakładu Higieny w Warszawie. azielinski@pzh.gov.pl
Andrzej
A
Zieliński
D002618:Chemical Warfare / Q000266:history*; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000266:history*; D005060:Europe; D005858:Germany; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008377:Maps as Topic; D012134:Respiratory Protective Devices / Q000266:history; D012426:Russia; D047828:World War I
D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents