HSTR 344A Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Radomir Putnik, Booby Trap, Chemical Warfare
7 Feb 2017
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Monday, january 30, 2017: 22 april, 1915: 5 000 cylinders of gas used, two french divisions flee but. Canadians were too dumb to run: canadians and french gassed, but germans never intended a breakthrough battle diversion from eastern offensive. Chemical warfare wasn"t effective enough in wwi to be used to any great extent in wwii: prevailing winds, development of primitive gas masks w/in a few months. Allies first use gas during british offensive of loos in september: 69 000 british casualties, general french dismissed, guns are ineffective against rows and rows of barbed wire. Guns had too straight a trajectory and didn"t explode at the right time. Wire is flexible absorbs impact: at the same time, french use gas in a futile attempt to take vimy ridge. Propaganda machine loves german use of poison gas helps spread the growing hatred for the germans that develops during the war. Scope of the war expanded by the end of 1915.
