![]() ![]() Delivered in artillery shells, mustard gas was heavier than air, and it settled to the ground as an oily liquid resembling sherry. Mustard gas is not a particularly effective killing agent (though in high enough doses it is fatal) but can be used to harass and disable the enemy and pollute the battlefield. ![]() It was known to the British as HS (Hun Stuff), while the French called it Yperite (named after Ypres). The Germans marked their shells yellow for mustard gas and green for chlorine and phosgene hence they called the new gas Yellow Cross. ![]() It was a vesicant that was introduced by Germany in July 1917 prior to the Third Battle of Ypres. The most widely reported and, perhaps, the most effective gas of the First World War was mustard gas. The use of poison gas performed by all major belligerents throughout World War I constituted war crimes as its use violated the 1899 Hague Declaration Concerning Asphyxiating Gases and the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare, which prohibited the use of "poison or poisoned weapons" in warfare. The widespread use of these agents of chemical warfare, and wartime advances in the composition of high explosives, gave rise to an occasionally expressed view of World War I as "the chemist's war" and also the era where "weapons of mass destruction" were created. In the later stages of the war, as the use of gas increased, its overall effectiveness diminished. Gas was unlike most other weapons of the period because it was possible to develop effective countermeasures, such as gas masks. The killing capacity of gas was limited, with only about 90 thousand fatalities from a total of some 1.2 million casualties caused by gas attacks. This chemical warfare was a major component of the first global war and first total war of the 20th century. The types of weapons employed ranged from disabling chemicals, such as tear gas, to lethal agents like phosgene, chlorine, and mustard gas. They were primarily used to demoralize, injure, and kill entrenched defenders, against whom the indiscriminate and generally very slow-moving or static nature of gas clouds would be most effective. Overall a great "battlefield pickup" condition gas mask that is already more than 100 years of age! Ready to display!Īlthough the use of toxic chemicals as weapons dates back thousands of years, the first large scale use of chemical weapons was during World War I. The carry strap is unfortunately missing, having degraded long ago. It has some dents in the housing, but is overall still solid. The carry can is in somewhat better condition, with much original paint remaining, though it also has some rust issues, and the compartment on the lid interior is missing. This definitely has the look of a Gas Mask that was left behind after the battle, and left to the elements for some time before being picked up as a trophy. ![]() The original tinted lenses are present, but dirty and somewhat degraded, and the dates are no longer visible. The filter is unfortunately quite rusted, so none of the original markings are visible. The mask is leather construction (still soft) with canvas straps, though the securing straps are mostly missing, and the leather is cracked and degraded. This is a totally genuine WWI issue Imperial German gas mask, offered in "relic" or "battlefield pickup" condition. The 1940 model has been part of the museum collection since 1959 and was provided by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine's Zootechnical Institute.Original Item: Only One Available. The Utrecht University Museum's Veterinary Medicine Collection includes two equine gas masks produced during World War II: one from 1940 and one from 1944. This included a special equine gas mask, which was subsequently improved upon by other researchers around the world. The team developed guidelines and new protective equipment for military animals, especially horses, dogs and pigeons. Arie Klarenbeek (1888 - 1972) and a small team of fellow researchers at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine conducted secret tests to find ways of protecting humans and animals from mustard gas. The aim was to protect both people and animals, feed, water and food from the weaponised gases. These efforts were based on a One Health approach. Experts, including veterinarians, were called in to help develop defensive tools and measures. In the wake of this gas war, military authorities - even in the 'neutral' Netherlands - started working to defend themselves against such weapons. ![]()
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