Toxic Gas Production During World War I

Just after the beginning of the First World War (1914), Germany is already threatened with a severe shortage of ammunition as there is not enough nitric acid to manufacture explosives. For this reason, armies on both sides are looking for new weapons. Fritz Haber (1868-1934), who had developed ammonia synthesis together with BASF and since then became the head of the Chemicals Department in the Prussian Ministry of War, suggests waging chemical warfare with chlorine gas. A raw material at every chemical company, chlorine gas is readily available. In 1915, the first chemical attack is carried out on the Western Front near Ypres, Belgium – “chemical warfare” has begun.

Over the course of the First World War, more chemicals such as phosgene (Green Cross) are used as warfare agents and new warfare agents such as nitrogen mustard/mustard gas (Yellow Cross) are developed.

BASF becomes the main supplier of chlorine gas and phosgene during the First World War. Phosgene, which has been produced as an intermediate product to manufacture dyes since the turn of the century, is delivered directly to the Military Administration. BASF supplies other companies with intermediate products (e.g. ethylene chlorohydrin and thiodiglycol) to be processed further into mustard gas.

Many estimates have been suggested regarding the exact number of toxic gas victims. It has been established that tens of thousands of soldiers were gassed to death by the end of the war (1918).