The 82nd Infantry Division in World War I included soldiers from every state in the union and was identified with a blue and red shoulder patch. Almost 25 years later the 82nd was redesignated as the 82nd Airborne Division.
This soldier is using the M2 gas mask and the British smallbox respirator, used for higher concentrations of gases and more poisonous gases. There were three main varieties of gases used in Gas Warfare. The first was tearing gas. This gas caused temporary blindness, and inflammation of the nose and throat. Asphynxiant was the second group. It is a poisonous group of gases. Gases in this class included chlorine and phosgene. This variety of gas was very lethal. The third and most deadly of the gas weapons was the Blistering Agents. Mustard Gas was the most used of this type of gas. Blistering gases affect the skin rather than the respiratory system, which meant a gas mask would do nothing. |
