The international community banned the use of chemical and biological weapons after World War 1 and reinforced the ban in 1972 and 1993 by prohibiting their development, stockpiling and transfer.
The Protocol, which was signed by most First World War combatants in 1925, bans the use (but not the stockpiling) of lethal gas and bacteriological weapons.
Although chemical warfare caused less than 1% of the total deaths in this war, the 'psy-war' or fear factor was formidable. Thus, chemical warfare with gases was subsequently absolutely prohibited by the Geneva Protocol of 1925.
The 1925 Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, commonly known as the 1925 Geneva Protocol, bans the use of chemical and bacteriological (biological) weapons in war.
Faced with the growing use of poisonous gases on the battlefield, causing terrible injuries, the ICRC appealed publicly for a ban on their use. Despite the controversy surrounding the issue, the call helped bring about the 1925 Geneva Protocol – still in force today.
Mustard gas caused the highest number of casualties from chemical weapons—upward of 120,000 by some estimates—but it caused few direct deaths because the open air of the battlefield kept concentrations below the lethal threshold.
Although the US military no longer fields the weapons, there are no laws prohibiting their use against enemy combatants. While the flamethrower may never again be used as extensively as it was in World War II, fire-spewing guns will always have their time and place.
Mustard Gas, when pure, is a colorless and odorless oily liquid. Warfare Agent grade Mustard Gas is yellow to dark brown. The odor may be like burning garlic, horseradish, or sweet and agreeable. It is used as a chemical warfare agent and in organic synthesis.
A Chemical Weapon is a chemical used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties. Munitions, devices and other equipment specifically designed to weaponise toxic chemicals also fall under the definition of chemical weapons.
The international community banned the use of chemical and biological weapons after World War 1 and reinforced the ban in 1972 and 1993 by prohibiting their development, stockpiling and transfer.
The loss of life was greater than in any previous war in history, in part because militaries were using new technologies, including tanks, airplanes, submarines, machine guns, modern artillery, flamethrowers, and poison gas.
These include prohibition on exploding or expanding bullets (1868), expanding bullets (1899), poison and asphyxiating gases (1925), biological weapons (1972), chemical weapons (1993), munitions using undetectable fragments (1980), blinding laser weapons (1995), anti-personnel mines (1997), cluster munitions (2008), ...
Although they did not openly swear outside the military, the use of profanity by soldiers did contribute to words such as f*ck becoming more popular in the general population after the war. Swearing was habitual for soldiers, as the isolation meant that there was no one around to stop them from speaking in this manner.
60% of the battlefield casualties in WWI were caused by artillery shells exploding. Shrapnel wounds were particularly brutal for soldiers. The word 'shrapnel' comes from the small lead balls placed in an artillery shell that would spread out over the battlefield when exploded.
"On 19 September 1918, the German government issued a diplomatic protest against the American use of shotguns, alleging that the shotgun was prohibited by the law of war."
Military technology of the time included important innovations in machine guns, grenades, and artillery, along with essentially new weapons such as submarines, poison gas, warplanes and tanks.
Vast quantities of Zyklon B gas and carbon monoxide were used in the gas chambers of Nazi extermination camps, resulting in the overwhelming majority of some three million deaths. This remains the deadliest use of poison gas in history. The post-war era has seen limited, though devastating, use of chemical weapons.
While both nuclear and chemical weapons form parts of WMD they are essentially different. Nuclear weapons are more dangerous than chemical weapons because of the extent of destruction that they can cause. A nuclear weapon can destroy everything in its wake, including lives and structures.
The primary remaining chemical weapon storage facilities in the U.S. are Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky.
Arsine is a colorless, flammable, non-irritating toxic gas with a mild garlic odor. Arsine is formed when arsenic comes in contact with an acid. Arsine is similar to a gas called stibine, which is formed when the metal antimony comes in contact with an acid.
Benzene Benzene is a colorless liquid with a sweet odor. It evaporates into the air very quickly and dissolves slightly in water. It is flammable and is formed from both natural processes and human activities. Benzene is widely used in the United States; it ranks in the top 20 chemicals for production volume.
While in Australia it is illegal to import or own a flamethrower, in the United States, private ownership is not restricted by federal law and the devices are legal in most states. Obviously, a flamethrower is a super terrible idea. Definitely don't buy one.
The United Nations banned napalm usage against civilian targets in 1980, but this has not stopped its use in many conflicts around the world. Although the use of traditional napalm has generally ceased, modern variants are deployed, allowing some countries to assert that they do not use “napalm.”
Shotguns are very niche weapons within the United States military; however, within their niche, they are impossible to beat. Pump-action shotguns have served since the 1890s and continue to this day. Over time, the United States military has used a wide variety of shotguns.