Today’s post from Gus’ Gear is on gas masks, I will present a few Allied
masks as well as German and Austrian.
It is not a well known fact that gas masks are classified as weapons of
mass destruction by the government of the United States of America,
specifically as defensive WMDs. Importation is restricted and may be a
felony.
The Germans were the first to use lethal poison gas on the 22nd of April
1915 when they released 168 tons of chlorine gas during the Second Battle
of Ypres. French Colonial troops were devastated by the gas, but the
Germans were unable to capitalize on the success due to the lack of
suitable respirators for their troops.
1.
The Germans first used cloth masks that covered the mouth and nose with
goggles to protect the eyes. The cloth was soaked with chemicals to
neutralize the poison, sodium thiosulphate was used to combat chlorine
gas, this chemical would be issued to the soldiers in a small vial to soak
the mask when needed. By the end of 1915, Germany was using phosgene gas,
which is 10 times as deadly as chlorine (phosgene is still used in
agriculture to fumigate stored grain to kill weevil). Germany fielded a
modern gas mask in late 1915, shown in the photograph. This is referred
to the the M1915 Gummimask (rubber mask) as it has a cloth body that is
coated with unvulcanized rubber on the inside to make it impervious to the
gasses. This mask had a screw on filter canister that had several layers
of material to filter the poison out. The filter could be changed without
removing the mask, and there are folds of cloth in the corners of the mask
that allowed the wearer to poke his finger in the fold to wipe
condensation from the inside of the lenses. At first these masks were
carried in a sailcloth bag on the belt with an extra filter, but in 1916
it was determined that the mask needed better protection when not in use.
The canister shown was developed early in 1916 and is nearly water proof
and protects the mask from being crushed. The paper disc shown has
instruction for use and care of the mask.
2.
This is an M1916 Lederschüzemask (leather protective mask) and was
developed due to shortages of rubber necessary to manufacture the
Gummimask. This mask used the same filters, although they were upgraded
with time to provide better protection for the newer poisons that were
being used. The mask did not have the fold to allow wiping the
condensation from the inside of the lens, so a rather ingenious systems
was developed. In the photo is a small paper package with round
contents, these are spare anti fog lenses. They were coated on one side
with a gelatin layer that could absorb moisture and remain clear. When it
would get saturated it would become opaque and then the inside lens could
be removed and replaced with a dry lens. The larger paper disc has
instructions for the use and care of the mask and the round object on the
bottom left is a particulate filter that could remove the small particles
of the tear gases that could not be removed by the standard filter.
3.
The Austrians used the same types of gas masks as the Germans and many
were provided by Germany. The third photo shows an example of an Austrian
Gummimask. It is virtually identical to the German Gummimask, but has
Austrian markings on the mask and filter. The Austrian carrying canister
differs as it has a stepped down diameter at the bottom of the canister.
4.
The British also used simple face masks in the beginning of the war and
quickly adapted a flannel hood with eye pieces that could be soaked in
sodium thiosulphate, this is a chemical that is common in the development
of photographs and it is called hypo-solution by photographers. For that
reason the first hoods were called hypo-hoods. Sodium thiosulphate would
only work against chlorine gas and because of good intelligence on the
part of the British Army, they were able to predict that the Germans would
use phosgene gas sometime in late 1915. Sodium phenolate was issued to
counter the phosgene and when the Germans released 88 tons of phosgene on
the 19th of December 1915, only 120 soldiers of 1069 casualties died from
the attack. The British found that hexamethylene tetramine worked better
and the new hoods were doused with this chemical, giving better
protection. The mask shown is one of the later hoods and they were
referred to as PH hoods. This hood is over 100 years old but it is still
moist from the chemicals applied to it. It would be pulled over the head
and a metal tube would be gripped in the mouth (there is a rubber exhale
flapper valve center below the eye pieces) and the wearer would breath in
through his nose and out through his mouth. This helped keep the lenses
from fogging with condensation and assured that too much carbon dioxide
did not fill the hood. The skirt of the hood would be tucked into the
collar of the tunic to seal the bottom to keep gas from entering the hood.
5.
This is a well known photo of British machine gunners wearing the PH hood.
6.
By late 1916 the British had developed a better gas mask, shown here. It
is referred to as the Small Box Respirator and had a rubberized cloth mask
with a mouth piece and a nose clip to insure that the wearer only breathed
filtered air. The face mask was to protect the eyes. The photo shows an
example of the SBR and how the mask is connected to a canister carried in
a haversack via a rubberized hose. These masks could be worn for a longer
time without having to change the filter and each mask had a log book to
keep track of the time worn so the filter could be replaced before it
became saturated. The filter was more difficult to replace than the
German filters as the hose had to be detached and sealed to the new filter
and tied in place. A special anti-dimming kit was issued with these masks
that used a wax that coated the lenses to minimize condensation.
7.
The French used the same expedients (improvised gas masks) in the
beginning but soon developed the M2 gas mask shown in the photo. It was
made of layers of flannel with a duck cover and two lenses. This mask was
also soaked with sodium thiosulphate to protect against chlorine gas and
hexamethylene tetramine to protect against phosgene gas. Television
historians claim that this mask had to be urinated on to make them work,
this is nonsense, it is probably based on the anecdotal stories of
soldiers urinating on handkerchiefs to protect themselves before masks
were issued. The example in the photo still feels moist from the
chemicals after 100 years. The haversack has a waterproof lining to
protect the mask and help keep it moist.
8.
By 1917, the French had developed a better mask, based on the German
masks. It had a rubberized cloth face with a screw on filter, it also had
an exhale valve that allowed the exhaled air to bypass the filter. It
also had ducting in the mask that directed the incoming air across the
lenses to keep them from fogging due to condensation. The steel carrying
canister was also a copy of the German model. The mask shown here is an
example that shows the normal condition after 100 years, the rubber
inevitably has hardened.
9.
This model was still being issued at the beginning of WWII in 1939 and
this example was made in 1931 and is still pliable.
10.
This is a Belgian mask, made from a captured M1916 German Lederschüzemask
(leather protective mask). The filter base was replaced with a French one
so it used the same filters as the French ARS1917 and the same carrying
canister too.
11.
The Russians fielded the Zelinski-Kummant gas mask by November of 1916.
Nikolay Zelinski had developed a process using activated charcoal to
purify vodka, and this was adapted to a gas mask filter. The face mask
was made of unvulcanized rubber with glass lenses. The protrusion in
front of the lenses was to allow the wearer to stick his finger in to wipe
the condensation off the inside of the lenses. The face mask was folded
and stored in the small lid on the top of the filter.
12.
The face mask of the Zelinski-Kummant gas mask was folded and stored in
the small lid on the top of the filter.
13.
The United States had the benefit of earlier lessons of the Allies on gas
protection. American soldiers were issued French M2 gas mask when they
first entered the war, as an American version of the British SBR was
developed. The American SBR (shown here) is easily distinguished from the
British SBR by the way the hose fits on the mask, the British version has
a 90° elbow of intersecting pipes while the American version has a 45°
contoured elbow. The U.S. haversack also has “lift the dot†fasteners
while the British haversack has standard snaps.
The example shown has the name of the soldier to whom it was issued, this
was done to insure that each soldier would always have his own mask so he
did not have to use another man’s mouth piece.
Shown in the photo is the record booklet and anti-dimming kit in the small
canister on the lower right. The owner has also marked on it “ A d===
good friend.†American gas masks are easy to find as every soldier was
allowed to bring his mask home after the war, they were also issued a
fresh new uniform so they would return looking their best. British SBRs
are difficult to find, but a number of American soldiers were issued
British masks and many of those made their way back to the United States.
14.
This is a record booklet that was issued with each mask, it has a place
for the soldiers name and unit, date issued and a place to log time worn
with gas. There is also a safety pin to help adjust or repair the straps
and three repair plasters if the mask should be torn.
15.
The Italians used a mask similar to the French M2 called the Polivolente
maschera (multi use mask) but it was only able to protect against chlorine
and phosgene gas, when the Austrians used mustard gas the British provided
them with SBRs. The photo shows a carrying canister for the Italian
Polivolenet maschera, it protected the mask and kept it moist, this
example is made of sheet metal, but some were made of cardboard due to
shortages of metal. Stenciled on the tin are the words “Chi si leva
maschera muora, Tenetela sempri con voi†(whoever takes off the mask
dies, keep it with you).