Smoke Screens and Gas Masks: Chemistry Goes to War

Smoke Screens and Gas Masks: Chemistry Goes to War — page 1
CHEMISTRY AT WAR During World War I 1914 1918 German commanders wanted to capture a French fortress at Verdun on France's eastern border On February 21 1916 German artillery opened fire In just under five hours 800 big guns fired around one million shells at French positions The French defended the fort for nine more months before the Germans withdrew Despite its failure the bombardment was one of the biggest ever fired and it showed the importance of chemistry in warfare Chemists had not only developed explosives for the shells They had also figured out ways to make millions of shells quickly and relatively safely British workers make shells in a factory during World War