Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
April,  1918.  -* 
Methods  of  Gas  Warfare. 
267 
targets,  and  this,  fortunately,  the  Germans  did  not  realize  at  the 
Somme,  although  they  have  found  it  out  since. 
The  use  of  gas  out  of  a  projectile  has  a  number  of  advantages 
over  its  use  in  a  gas  cloud.  First,  it  is  not  so  dependent  on  the 
wind.  Again,  the  gunners  have  their  ordinary  job  of  shelling,  and 
there  is  no  such  elaborate  and  unwelcome  organization  to  put  into 
the  front  trenches  as  is  necessary  for  the  cloud.  Third,  the  targets 
are  picked  with  all  the  accuracy  of  artillery  fire.  Fourth,  the  gas 
shells  succeed  with  targets  that  are  not  accessible  to  high  explosives 
or  to  gas  clouds.  Take,  for  instance,  a  field  howitzer,  dug  into  a 
pit  with  a  certain  amount  of  overhead  cover  for  the  men,  who  come 
in  from  behind  the  gun.  The  men  are  safe  from  splinters,  and  only 
a  direct  hit  will  put  the  gun  out  of  action.  But  the  gas  will  go  in 
where  the  shell  would  not.  It  is  certain  to  gas  some  of  the  men 
inside  the  emplacement.  The  crew  of  the  gun  must  go  on  firing 
with  gas  masks  on,  and  with  depleted  numbers.  Thus  it  nearly  puts 
the  gun  out  of  commission,  reducing  the  number  of  shots  say  from 
two  rounds  a  minute  to  a  round  in  two  minutes,  and  may  even 
silence  it  entirely.  Another  example  is  a  position  on  a  hillside  with 
dugouts  at  the  back,  just  over  the  crest,  or  with  a  sunken  road  be- 
hind the  slope.  Almost  absolute  protection  is  afforded  by  the  dug- 
outs. The  French  tried  three  times  to  take  such  a  position  after 
preparation  with  high  explosives,  and  each  assault  failed.  Then 
they  tried  gas  shells,  and  succeeded.  The  gas  flows  rapidly  into 
such  a  dugout,  especially  if  it  has  two  or  more  doors. 
Among  the  effective  materials  used  by  the  Germans  for  gas 
shells  were  mono-  and  tri-chloromethyl-chloroformate.  Prussic  acid 
never  appeared ;  the  Germans  rate  it  lower  than  phosgene  in  toxicity, 
and  the  reports  concerning  it  were  obviously  meant  merely  to  pro- 
duce fear  and  distract  the  provisions  for  protection. 
During  the  last  five  months  the  actual  materials  and  the  tactics 
used  by  the  Germans  have  undergone  a  complete  change.  The 
lachrymator  shells  are  less  depended  upon  than  formerly  for  "  neu- 
tralization," but  are  still  a  source  of  annoyance.  Mere  annoyance, 
however,  may  be  an  effective  method  of  neutralizing  infantry.  For 
instance,  where  large  amounts  of  supplies  and  ammunition  are  being 
brought  up  there  are  always  cross-roads  where  there  is  confusion 
and  interference  of  traffic.  A  few  gas  shells  placed  there  make 
every  man  put  on  his  mask,  and  if  it  is  a  dark  night  and  the  roads 
are  muddy,  the  resulting  confusion  can  be  only  faintly  imagined. 
