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The Ypres Times.
sole object was not the liberation of asphyxiating or deleterious gases as forbidden by the
Hague Convention. It was, of course, quite blear what the spirit of the Hague Convention
was, and there is no denying that Germany certainly did not fulfil her obligations.
It now seems to be clear from various publications on the subject that the Germans
had made no plans for the use of gas prior to mobilisation, but that when their first offensive
was checked, the idea of using irritant and toxic substances to assist their attacks was
suggested by various individuals. In October, 1914, shrapnel shell containing a substance
which gave an irritant dust on burst, were employed, but they were quite ineffective,
as may be gathered from the fact that they were never noticed by the Allies. By the
end of the Battle of the Marne, the Germans realised the unprecedented expenditure of
ammunition required and turned to the use of offensive substances which could be pro
duced in dye factories without interfering with the production of high explosives, as a
means of increasing the shell supply. The first Battle of Ypres had also taught them that
a preliminary bombardment with high explosive and shrapnel may not provide an adequate
preparation for an infantry attack against an entrenched position defended with rifles
and machine guns. They hoped to find in gas an auxiliary to the older weapons, which
would enable them to break up the rigid front of trench warfare and would offer an oppor
tunity for decisive success, especially when used as a surprise against unprotected troops.
For the purpose they chose chlorine, an asphyxiating lethal gas, as large amounts of it
were available for commercial use, in the liquid form, in steel cylinders suitable for the
purpose. The first chlorine or gas cloud attack was made, as is well known, on April
22nd, 1915, to the north of Ypres. The 22nd was a glorious spring day, and about 5 p.m.,
when firing seemed to have died down and most of the troops were sitting about airing
themselves in fancied security, a curious greenish yellow cloud began to appear on the
ground in front of the German line on either side of Langemarck, and move before a light
wind towards the French lines. The French 75's began rapid fire, but soon coloured
troops were fleeing through the British lines, followed by the French Territorials in close
bodies.
The effect of the gas on the unprotected troops was practically to eliminate immediate
resistance on the front affected, all the defenders being killed or incapacitated for a depth
of at least a mile. Fortunately for the Allies, the Germans did not anticipate the full
measure of the success, and they let slip the opportunity for a decisive stroke owing to
the narrow front of attack, the comparatively small amount of gas used, and their failure
to exploit the partial success they had gained. Luckily for us, chlorine is an easy gas
to protect against, and respirators were hurriedly improvised and rushed out to the troops
with the result that though subsequent discharges in May and June caused serious
casualties, the chlorine cloud from then onwards had lost its terrors and its value as a
preparation for an infantry attack.
About the same time as the first chlorine cloud attack the first gas shells were used,
their contents being mainly lachrymators or tear gases. They had a high explosive
bursting charge, and were really a compromise between high explosive and gas shell.
These shells did not prove particularly effective, though they caused a certain amount of
inconvenience.
The first German gas attack was immediately followed by a vigorous press propaganda
in this country against what was then called this inhumane method of warfare, but the
agitation was more against the breach of the spirit of the Hague Convention than against
the weapon itself, though it must be admitted that chlorine poisoning is a very horrible
form of death in fact, chlorine may be regarded as the most painful of all the gases.
Retaliatory measures were at once taken up by the Allies, and our first use of cloud gas
was at Loos in September, 1915. For some time after that date, cloud gas was used
extensively on both sides, and we continued to employ it right up to the end of the War,
the latest method being what was called a beam discharge." This consisted in running
