United States Army Gas School

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The United States Army Gas School was established during World War I at Camp A.A. Humphreys in Virginia. The first courses began in May 1918 and the school was designed to instruct commissioned and noncommissioned officers in chemical warfare.

History[]

In late October 1917 the War College was badly underprepared for large-scale chemical warfare in World War I. With many U.S. soldiers operating in a chemical environment with no knowledge of chemical warfare the War College requested a British gas officers and NCOs, the requests were granted. The British experts arrived and were directed and coordinated by Major S.J.M. Auld. Auld was tasked with composing a "working textbook on gas" for the U.S. Army.[1]

Among Auld's recommendations was an idea the General Staff had already been considering, the establishment of a central Army Gas School. As a result of Auld's suggestion the Army Gas School was established at Camp A.A. Humphreys, Virginia. The school, beginning in May 1918, offered two initial courses. One course was a four-day class on general information about gas warfare and was offered to commissioned and noncommissioned officers. The second course was a 12-day affair for Chief Gas Officers which went into greater detail about chemical warfare.[1]

Upon its establishment, Ross A. Baker was given charge of training for Chief Gas Officers at the Army Gas School. Baker was the Chief Gas Officer at in Arkansas and a professor of chemistry at the University of Minnesota before taking the post at Camp Humphreys.[2] Later in the month of October 1917 the entire Army Gas School operation was transferred to Camp Kendrick.[3]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Heller, Charles E. "Chemical Warfare in World War I: The American Experience, 1917 – 1918 Archived 4 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine", Combat Studies Institute U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, September 1984, accessed 19 October 2008.
  2. ^ "Scientific Notes and News", (Google Books), Science, 18 October 1917, Vol. XLVIII, No. 1242, pp. 390–91, accessed 19 October 2008.
  3. ^ "NAVAIR Lakehurst Early History as a Proving Ground", Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst 26 April 2000, accessed 19 October 2008.

Further reading[]

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