The history of World War II is being studied by thousands of scientists. However, there are still a lot of white spots in this epoch-making event. No less than others are interested in the question of chemical weapons and the reasons why they were not used. There is only one officially confirmed use of it by the Germans. At the same time, both the Third Reich and the Allied countries have been actively developing these weapons for decades. But, despite all their efforts, they did not let poison gases and chemical bombs into the battlefield.
During the First World War, humanity clearly saw what a "chemical weapon" is and what lethal power it has. In the conditions of trench warfare, the use of harmful substances was a way out of the stalemate of the inexpediency of conducting large-scale offensive operations. It was poisonous gases that were the first to receive the status of weapons of mass destruction. After the surrender of Germany in 1918, both the victorious countries and the Germans themselves had substantial reserves of mustard gas, phosgene and chlorine.
Looking back at the results of the First World War, which in some sources quite rightly began to be called the "war of chemists", in the early 1920s, the opinion among society that chemical weapons is a more humane way of influencing the enemy than the use of firearms: according to information Novate.ru, the lethal potential of toxic substances is no more than 4% of the total number of those affected. Therefore, during this period, there is an increase in activity in the development of new types of chemical weapons.
At the same time, on June 17, 1925, a Protocol was signed prohibiting the use of asphyxiant, poisonous or other similar gases and bacteriological agents in war, better known as the "Geneva Protocol". However, restrictions on it were imposed only on the use of chemical weapons. The signatory countries did not have a ban on its production, transportation and storage. In addition, many states have ratified the treaty with a number of different reservations. So, for example, the USSR had the right to terminate compliance with the terms of the treaty in the event of an attack on it by an external enemy, if he does not take into account the terms of the protocol.
Thus, the limitations of the Geneva Protocol did not stop the development of chemical weapons. For many years, mustard gas occupied the lead among toxic substances in popularity. But after a few years, the list of gases began to increase. So, in 1934, the Germans invented a substance called "herd". This connection was fatal: the person affected by it died in a matter of minutes. Until the end of World War II, at least two more new poisonous gases were developed in Germany - sarin and soman.
In the interwar period, there was one clear, even demonstrative violation of the Geneva Protocol - the Second Italo-Ethiopian War (also - the Italo-Abyssinian conflict) of 1935-1936. The fighting, which ended with the annexation of Ethiopia by Italy, was carried out by the latter with the widespread use of prohibited mustard gas and phosgene: the enemy, not having even the simplest chemical protection, was defenseless against the deadly gases.
Since the outbreak of World War II, both sides have repeatedly returned to the issue of the use of chemical weapons. So, in 1940, the British command, in order to prevent the occupation of their state, seriously considered the option of carrying out the mustard gas bombardment with the help of aviation bridgeheads that were under German occupation.
Fortunately, the British abandoned this crazy idea, because Hitler's answer would have been terrible. The Fuhrer, relying on the successful, and, most importantly, the unpunished experience of the Italians in Ethiopia, would have poured the entire potential of the German chemical industry onto the Western Front. The Wehrmacht's armament included chemical mortars, separate chemical battalions and degassing detachments were created. The Third Reich would be ready to wage a large-scale chemical war.
However, the only documented episode of the use of chemical weapons occurred in the East during the Great Patriotic War. In 1941, during the defense of the Crimea in the Kerch region, Soviet troops hit the enemy with incendiary missiles. In response, the Germans used a poisonous substance known as thermite mixture, which reacted with the snow that had already fallen to form a deadly flammable cocktail. This action carried a subtext: Hitler wanted to show Stalin that, if necessary, he was not going to adhere to the Geneva Protocol. However, later, chemical weapons were no longer used by the Germans.
Although plans for the use of toxic substances were still considered. In the sources of 1942, you can find references to the planning of the use of chemical weapons on the territory of the same Kerch Peninsula. However, these "measures" did not go further than the papers. The Germans seriously feared the deployment of the USSR in response to the large-scale use of chemical weapons, which it possessed in abundance.
During the interwar period, the Soviet Union, along with other countries, was actively involved in the development of poisonous substances of mass destruction. So, more than a dozen different poisonous compounds were adopted by the USSR army, including adamsite, diphosgene and mustard gas. Therefore, the Germans rightly judged that the use of chemical weapons could bring them only a temporary advantage, and they clearly did not have enough antidotes for Soviet poison bombs.
In addition, mother nature intervened in plans to use chemical weapons, not surprisingly. The fact is that the use of poisonous gases was seriously dependent on weather conditions, such as the speed and direction of the wind. After all, air currents can prevent the spread of the substance and the affected area can decrease. Or it can change direction altogether, and a chemical attack against the enemy will "rush" towards the attackers themselves. Some chemicals generally lose their properties and effectiveness if there is no wind and the gases "stagnate" in one area.
In fact, in order to use chemical weapons, it is necessary to wait for favorable weather conditions in the form of suitable wind speed, strength and direction. This tactic was deemed inappropriate. And the thoughtless use of toxic substances can lead to tragic consequences, and for the party that used them. The Germans considered it untenable and simply stupid to take such a risk. In addition, unleashing a large-scale chemical war could cause a catastrophe on an almost continental scale. Therefore, despite the active development of past years, chemical weapons were never used during the Second World War.
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