Blue Cross (Blaukreuz) is a
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
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 a ...
agent consisting of
diphenylchloroarsine (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 that was used during Worl ...
(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
G ...
(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 proper an ...
, during "
Operation Strandfest". 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.
See also
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Green Cross (chemical warfare)
Green Cross (Grünkreuz) is a World War I chemical warfare pulmonary agent consisting of chloropicrin (PS, Aquinite, Klop), phosgene (CG, Collongite) and/or trichloromethyl chloroformate (Surpalite, Perstoff).
Green Cross is also a generic Wor ...
*
Yellow Cross (chemical warfare)
Yellow Cross (Gelbkreuz) is a World War I chemical warfare agent usually based on sulfur mustard (mustard gas, HS, Yperite, Lost).
The original Gelbkreuz was a composition of 80–90% of sulfur mustard and 10–20% of tetrachloromethane or chlo ...
*
White Cross (chemical warfare)
*
Lewisite
Lewisite (L) (A-243) is an organoarsenic compound. It was once manufactured in the U.S., Japan, Germany and the Soviet Union for use as a chemical weapon, acting as a vesicant (blister agent) and lung irritant. Although the substance is colorless ...
References
Pulmonary agents
World War I chemical weapons
Organoarsenic chlorides
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1917
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