Whys and Hows of Chemical Warfare in WWII

The land, sea and air battles of World War II are well documented, as is the story of the atomic bomb. The history of chemical warfare during the war is less well known and deserves examination, if only to understand why some weapons were used and not others. This page provides annotated sources to encourage and facilitate your investigations.

A few questions to consider:

  1. Chemical weapons such as mustard agent were used extensively in WWI, but were far less used in WWII. Why?

  2. The US military was prepared to begin strategic bombing of Japan with a variety of chemical weapons, but only used conventional explosives, napalm and its two available atomic bombs. How close did the US come to using its full arsenal of chemical weapons?

  3. What was the experience of US soldiers, both white and non-white, who were part of the supply chain that could have prepared and delivered chemical bombs?

  4. What was the experience of the Indian people?

“Gassed” by John Singer Sargent. Used with permission of Imperial War Museums, London. © IWM Art.IWM ART 1460

“Gassed” by John Singer Sargent. Used with permission of Imperial War Museums, London. © IWM Art.IWM ART 1460

Gas in The Great War

The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 prohibited the use of “asphyxiating or deleterious gases," but WWI saw gases used extensively. France first deployed tear gas in August 1914, and Germany used chlorine in April 1915. Mustard agent became the most common chemical weapon.

Trusted Writing on History, Travel, Food and Culture Since 1949

Trusted Writing on History, Travel, Food and Culture Since 1949

Why We Didn’t Use Poison Gas in World War II

This article by historian, Barton J. Bernstein, documents an active debate among US leaders about using chemical weapons in the war against Japan. “The costly struggle was eroding American repugnance to gas,” Bernstein writes, “and future battles in Japan, with thousands of GI deaths, might well have led American citizens to push their government to use gas warfare.”

American Soldiers n 1943, preparing to tour a Jain Temple, National Archives at College Park, Still Picture Unit, 208-11-45-AEF-HH-2, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

American Soldiers n 1943, preparing to tour a Jain Temple, National Archives at College Park, Still Picture Unit, 208-11-45-AEF-HH-2, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Indian Context

Calcutta was the port of entry to India for many US troops, weapons and supplies. It was a complicated place, with British colonialism, Hindu-Muslim conflicts and the US Army’s racial segregation sometimes overshadowing the war itself. This article presents an Indian view of the time.

Chemical Warfare Digest
June 1945

This report to the XXI Bomber Command of the XXth Air Force provides details (secret until 2009) about the methods, extent and effects of incendiary bombing.

Firebombing of Tokyo (1)

A 4-minute YouTube video from the Council on Foreign Relations, discussing the strategic bombing of Japan with incendiary bombs in the months before the dropping of two atomic bombs. Incendiary bombs were typically handled by CWS troops, although they are not always considered to be chemical weapons.

Firebombing of Tokyo (2)

Another discussion of the Firebombing, this from the Defense Media Network. It is an excerpt from the book, Mission to Tokyo: The American Airmen Who Took the War to the Heart of Japan, by Robert F. Dorr.