Defeating the enemy by any means has always been a goal of warring parties. This was also true during the First World War, when no stone was left unturned to eliminate the enemy, even by using aggressive chemicals or poisonous substances, which science readily provided. For this reason, it soon became necessary to provide ones own soldiers with special equipment to protect them against this invisible enemy. In recent years the study of the gas-defence equipment supplied to the warring armies has seen growing interest. This book, comprehensively illustrated with photographs of more than 200 original specimens preserved in private collections or museums, seeks to describe and illustrate the most important gas-defence equipment used during the First World War by the imperial armies of Germany and Austria-Hungary and by the army of the Kingdom of Italy.
This book, extensively illustrated with more than 200 images of original specimens preserved in private collections or museums, aims to illustrate the main gas protection equipment in use by the German and Austro-Hungarian imperial armies and the Royal Italian Army during the Great War. Through a meticulous analysis, the book illustrates its evolution over time, from the first respiratory protections borrowed from the sanitary field to the most evolved systems with filters, their corresponding containers, protective clothing against blister agents, and the numerous official doc-uments drawn up during the conflict, all accompanied by an important series of period images testifying to the extensive use of gas protections in the trenches of the First World War. The book also includes an historical overview of the research in the field of toxic gases in the three nations, hints about the industries involved in the production, as well as a chapter dedicated to the main types of poisonous gas. Defeating the enemy with any and all available means has always been a goal of warring parties. So it was during the First World War, when even aggressive chemicals or poisonous substances, which science willingly provided, were used in an attempt to destroy the enemy. For this reason, it soon became necessary to provide ones own troops with equipment to defend them against this invisible enemy. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the study of the gas defence equipment supplied to armies.
