Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare (2008) - The Black Vault

Medical Aspects of Chemical WarfareFig. 4-7. An experimental 4.2-in chemical mortar, showing(1) the standard, (2) the barrel with the shock-absorbingmechanism, and (3) the tie rods connecting the standard tothe baseplate. This weapon differed from the Stokes mortar,its predecessor, in that it was easier to set up and it was rifled;the spiral grooves can be seen on the inside of the barrel atits muzzle.Photograph: Courtesy of Research, Development and EngineeringCommand Historical Research and Response Team,Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.by the CWS for chemical mortar battalions during thewar. 5,17 The other offensive weapons for chemical agentattack were to be delivered by artillery or by airplanes.The artillery had 75-mm, 105-mm, and 155-mm chemicalrounds that were primarily filled with mustard agent.In 1945 the CWS standardized the first chemicalrockets: a 7.2-in version used phosgene and cyanogenchloride, fired from a 24-barrel, multiple-rocket–launcherplatform, and a smaller, 2.36-in rocket fired cyanogenchloride–filledbazooka rounds. 18 The Army Air Forcehad 100-lb mustard agent bombs, 500-lb phosgene orcyanogen chloride bombs, and 1,000-lb phosgene, cyanogenchloride, or hydrocyanic acid bombs. The CWSstandardized the first good airplane smoke tank, theM10, for air delivery in 1940. This tank held 30 gallonsof mustard (320 lb), lewisite (470 lb), or smoke material(Figure 4-9). The system was simple: electrically firedblasting caps shattered frangible seals in the air inletand the discharge line, allowing air and gravity to forcethe liquid out; the plane’s slipstream then broke theliquid into a spray. In addition, a newer M33 spray tankcould hold 750 to 1,120 lb of mustard agent or lewisite.None of these weapons was used on the battlefieldto disseminate chemical agents during the war. 19,20The 1950s: Heyday of the Chemical Corpsplate, and a new standard connected to the baseplateby two tie rods for support. The M1A1 had a maximumrange of 2,400 yd. Each shell held 5 to 7 lb of phosgene,mustard agent, cyanogen chloride, white phosphorus,or smoke agent. 2,5 Additional new delivery systemsincluded the first standardized chemical land minefor mustard agent, developed in 1939. Designated the“M1,” this 1-gallon, gasoline-type mine held 10 lb ofmustard agent and required a detonating cord to burstthe can and disseminate the agent. 5The 1940s: World War II and the Nuclear AgeThe most important ground weapon for chemicalagent delivery during the 1940s was the 4.2-in chemicalmortar. In December 1941 there were only 44 chemicalmortars on hand, but the supply quickly increased as thedemand for the versatile weapon rose. The continuedneed for greater range, accuracy, durability, and ease inmanufacturing resulted in the improved M2 4.2-in mortarin 1943. The M2 had a maximum range of 3,200 yd whenstandardized, which was later increased to 5,600 yd bymodifying the propellant in test firings at EdgewoodArsenal in 1945. Despite a slow start, the M2 series 4.2-in chemical mortar rapidly became the central weaponof the CWS, not only for chemical agent delivery, butalso for high explosive, smoke, and white phosphorusrounds. Over 8,000 chemical mortars were procuredIn response to the deterrence lesson learned in WorldWar II and the growing Soviet threat (see Chapter 2),the Chemical Corps increased its chemical weaponscapacity. Following the discovery of the German nerveagents after the end of World War II, the United Statesselected sarin for production. The first items standardizedin 1954 for air delivery were the 1,000-lb M34 andM34A1 cluster bombs. These clusters held 76 M125 orM125A1 10-lb bombs, each containing 2.6 lb of sarin. 21The corps standardized the M360 105-mm and theM121 155-mm shells for ground delivery in 1954. Thesmaller shell held about 1.6 lb of agent and the largerabout 6.5 lb. In 1959 the corps standardized the firstnonclustered bomb, designated the “MC-1 750-lb GBbomb.” This was a modified general purpose demolitionbomb that held about 215 lb of sarin filling andwas suitable for high-speed aircraft. 22The 1960sHaving concentrated on sarin nerve agent bombsduring the 1950s, the corps turned its attentionto artillery, rocket, and other delivery systems,particularly for the newly standardized VX (O-ethyl-S-[2(diisopropylamino)ethyl]) nerve agent, in the 1960s.In 1960 the corps standardized the first nerve agentland mine, the M23 2-gallon VX mine (Figure 4-10).This mine resembled the conventional high-explosive120