First World War battlefield in Verdun still a danger

ITV REPORT ^ | 7 August 2018 at 5:50pm | ITV News Europe Editor James Mates

[robowombat]

The US Army was establishing a chemical retaliatory capability in Europe at the time of the incident at Bari. Dumps and parks of munitions and specialized equipment had already been put in place in the UK. Italy was next up as there had been no landing yet in western Europe. All of this was cloaked in secrecy due to the very negative public perception of chemical weapons and because the Allies were in possession of intel that detailed the breakthrough the Germans had scored with nerve agent. Many think the information was deliberately leaked by the Germans to dissuade the Allies from going chemical. I do not know if a similar effort took place in the Pacific but I know there was a substantial chemical capability established on Oahu.

As a footnote, the city of Bari still remembers this event vividly. When NATO was contemplating major ground ops in Kossovo Bari was the logical port for marshaling material and logistical support. The Bari commercial elites closed ranks and presented financial demands that were extortionate and placed contractual limitations that would have made operations virtually impossible. Bari wants no part of mil ops it would seem

[jmacusa]

I have. All my life.

[jmacusa]

At any point, did indicate I was supporting the French General staff? All I said was the French Army mutinied. Dumb ass.

[jmacusa]

Thanks for the info.

[jmacusa]

Chlorine was used as poison gas in WW1 as well as phosgene.

[Reily]

Thank you for your courteous reply !

[NorthMountain]

Yes, I did note the use of elemental chlorine as a chemical warfare agent. It was found to be too light, and not poisonous enough ... So the Powers went on to using Sulfur Mustard compounds, Lewisite (organo-arsenic compound), and a whole bunch of other organic compounds involving chlorine and sulfur or arsenic in the molecule. Generally, they were either severe irritants, or blister agents. Organo-phosphate nerve agents were developed later.

[jmacusa]

You’re welcome smart guy. WW1 was personal to me. My grandfather was a veteran of the A.E.F and damn near lost his life to that poison gas crap.

[jmacusa]

Still though, ever look down into a bottle of chlorine bleach? Swear to God the stuff looks like a kind of mustard color. My grandfather was lucky to have survived that crap. My grandfather would never talk to us kids about his tie in France. When he died my father(recently passed away) told us some of the horror he endured. Things like having to go out on night time prisoner snatches were they has to blacken their faces, wear balaclava hats, carry a bayonet, a club and a pistol. The pistol was a last resort so as not to give away your position.

My Dad said sometimes he'd have nightmares and my poor grandmother would get a beating. He got involved in working with poison gas because he thought he was volunteering for a detail that would get him out of the front lines. Little did he realize what he was in for.

[NorthMountain]

Clorox looks kinda greenish to me ... different perceptions?

My grandfather was lucky to have survived that crap.

Yes, he was. The chemical agents used in The Great War got nastier as it progressed. Straight chlorine gas wasn't deadly enough (!!!) and could easily blow back at the people using it, so they got clever. The various phosgene, lewisite, and mustard agents were used because they were deadlier and less susceptible to weather. There were, in fact, over a dozen different chemicals, and various mixtures, employed by both sides. It was a nasty business; your grandfather's reluctance to talk about it is understandable.

[BradyLS]

That’s quite an ossuary! Which one is that? Is that one in the catacombs under Paris or under a church or cathedral somewhere else?

[Dogbert41]

I was just looking it up to tell you.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2582563/The-chapel-thousands-human-BONES-Walls-skeletons-including-one-giant-riddled-syphilis.html

[BradyLS]

Thanks for the link! That was one I wasn’t aware of. European ossuaries are marvelous and fascinating things. It amazes me that they have the wars that have ravaged that continent. They are shocking and scary to behold when you aren’t expecting it. But reading about their history demystifies them.

[BradyLS]

“...survived the wars...”

[Dogbert41]

You’re welcome! Back when I posted the pic I had thought it was from France! So actually, thank YOU!

[MileHi]

That’s hard to get your arms around.

[SamAdams76]

Another amazing fact is that the U.S.S. Arizona is still leaking quarts of oil every day into Pearl Harbor - nearly 80 years since the attack.

Makes you realize what an insignificant blip our lives here on earth are in the overall scheme of things.

[marktwain]

The senseless slaughter of WWI boggles the mind. But goes a long way in explaining British caution under Montgomery. The Brit public wouldn’t have accepted such losses again.

WWI was a really stupid war. The Germans, Brits, and French all had memories of wars that were much smaller, shorter, and less lethal.

Their young men clamored for war, for glory, with a "we can take those guys" attitude.

WWII was engendered by WWI.

WWI was the start of the suicide of the West.

[dfwgator]

Europe died on those fields.