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German troops running from a British gas attack, WW1
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German troops running from a British gas attack, WW1
German troops near Fleurbaix, pictured running from a British gas attack. The attack was seen as justified by the British press because the Germans had used gas first. The accompanying caption quotes the war correspondent Philip Gibbs - It is the vengeance of the gods for that gas, foul and damnable, which they used against us in the second battle of Ypres and ever since. It is the worst weapon of modern warfare, and there can be no forgiveness for those who used it first. Date: 1917
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In this haunting image from the trenches of the Western Front during World War I, German troops are seen in a desperate retreat from a British gas attack near Fleurbaix in 1917. The use of chemical weapons in warfare was a brutal and devastating new development in the conflict, and the British press saw the attack as a justifiable response to the Germans' earlier use of gas in the Second Battle of Ypres. War correspondent Philip Gibbs poignantly described the scene, "It is the vengeance of the gods for that gas, foul and damnable, which they used against us in the second battle of Ypres and ever since. It is the worst weapon of modern warfare, and there can be no forgiveness for those who used it first." The terrified and disoriented soldiers, their faces masked with protective gear, run for cover as the acrid smoke from the gas attack billows behind them. The battlefield lies desolate in the background, a stark reminder of the horrors of war. This poignant image captures the fear and desperation of the soldiers on both sides, as well as the moral complexities of a conflict marked by the use of increasingly destructive weapons. The legacy of this dark chapter in history continues to resonate, as the world grapples with the ethical implications of chemical warfare and the enduring impact on soldiers and civilians alike.
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