Battle Of Ypres First Use Of Poison Gas
The first use of gas by the british was at the battle of loos 25 september 1915 but the attempt was a disaster.
Battle of ypres first use of poison gas. At around 5pm across a 6km front troops released almost 6 000 metal cannisters 168 tonnes of poisonous chlorine gas towards trenches held by french and algerian forces near the belgian. Although the gas attack opened a wide hole in the allied line the germans failed to exploit that advantage. The battle marked the germans first use of poison gas as a weapon. This was the first major gas attack by the germans and it devastated the allied line.
Chlorine codenamed red star was the agent to be used 140 tons arrayed in 5 100 cylinders and the attack was dependent on a favourable wind. Handout photo the canadian press german prisoners wear gas masks in ypres france in an april 1915 file photo gas warfare which recently killed hundreds of people in syria actually began on a sunny morning almost a century ago and among its first victims were hundreds of canadians. Germans introduce poison gas. In 1915 at ypres photo.
On april 22 1915 german forces shock allied soldiers along the western front by firing more than 150 tons of lethal chlorine gas against two french colonial divisions at ypres belgium. During the course of the battle the germans debuted the use of poison gas on the western front. It was at the commencement of the second battle of ypres on the evening of april 22nd that the enemy first made use of asphyxiating gas. At this stage of the war the famed ypres salient held by the british canadians and french ran for some 10 miles and bulged into german occupied territory for five miles.
Second battle of ypres april 22 may 25 1915 second of three costly battles in world war i at ypres now ieper in western flanders. The second battle of ypres was the first mass use by germany of poison gas on the western front. The first battle of ypres had been fought the previous autumn. The first poison gas attack.
It also marked the first time a former colonial force the 1st canadian division defeated a european power the german empire in europe at the battle of st.