Blue Cross (Blaukreuz) is a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

chemical warfare Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN, the military acronym ...

agent consisting of

diphenylchloroarsine Diphenylchloroarsine (DA) is the organoarsenic compound with the formula (C6H5)2AsCl. It is highly toxic and was once used in chemical warfare. It is also an intermediate in the preparation of other organoarsenic compounds. The molecule consists o ...

(DA, Clark I),

diphenylcyanoarsine Diphenylcyanoarsine, also called Clark 2 (Chlor-Arsen-Kampfstoff 2, being the successor of Clark 1) by the Germans, was discovered in 1918 by Sturniolo and BellinzoniSturniolo, G. und Bellinzoni, G. (1919); ''Boll. chim. pharm.'', 58, 409–410 an ...

(CDA, Clark II),

ethyldichloroarsine Ethyldichloroarsine, sometimes abbreviated "ED" and also known as ethyl Dick, is an organoarsenic compound with the formula CH3CH2AsCl2. This colourless volatile liquid is a highly toxic obsolete vesicant or blister agent A blister agent (or v ...

(Dick), and/or

methyldichloroarsine Methyldichloroarsine, sometimes abbreviated "MD" and also known as methyl Dick, is an organoarsenic compound with the formula CH3AsCl2. This colourless volatile liquid is a highly toxic vesicant that has been used in chemical warfare. History ...

(Methyldick). Clark I and Clark II were the main agents used. Clark I was used with Green Cross munition earlier; however for the first time it was used as a standalone agent in the night from July 10 to July 11 1917 at

Nieuwpoort, Belgium Nieuwpoort ( , ; vls, Nieuwpôort; french: Nieuport ) is a city and municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Nieuwpoort prope ...

, during "

Operation Strandfest Operation Hush was a British plan to make amphibious landings on the Belgian coast in 1917 during the First World War, supported by an attack from Nieuwpoort and the Yser bridgehead, positions which were a legacy of the Battle of the Yser in ...

". The artillery munition used as a delivery vehicle contained a large amount of glass spheres closed with a cork and sealed with

trinitrotoluene Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reage ...

(TNT). Later N-ethylcarbazole was added. Depending on the caliber, the munition contained between 7 and 120 kilograms of the agent. Blue Cross is also a generic World War I German marking for artillery shells with chemical payload affecting the upper respiratory tract.

References

Pulmonary agents World War I chemical weapons Organoarsenic chlorides Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1917 {{weapon-stub

See also

References