Figure 1.--

The German military had a range of programs to evade the Versailles limitations. I am not sure to what extent they worked on gas weapons during the Weimar era or to what extent civilians wew aware of the work. The Germans secretly worked on chemical weapons in the Soviet Union. IG Farben developed much more effective chenical agents, tauben and sarin--much more potent nerve agents. Hitler and the Gerrman High Commnd were not aware of their lead in chemical weapons. German intelligence believed that both the United States and the Soviet Union had developed similar weapons. [Tucker] IG Farben of course is the same corporatuin that produced the Zyklon-B used in the Holocaust.. After the NAZIs seized power (1933) the Germans launched a chenical warfare program and by the start of the War (1939) had substantial stockpiles, but larger than those helf by Britain and France. Germany developed the much more effective poison gases (tabun, sarin, and soman) during the War. They also developed Zyklon B used at NAZI death camps. .

Research in the Soviet Union

The Russians suffered terribly from German gas attacks during World War I. And after the War, the Germans were prohiited from producing chemical weapons. Thus cooperation on chemical weapons between the Soviets and Germans was a natural development. The Germans secretly worked on chemical weapons in the Soviet Union. This was part of a much larger program of cooperation undertaken as part of the Rapallo Treaty (1922). Poison gas was manufactured by a German owned and staffed plant. [Rosenbaum] The German parner was Stolzenberg. Bersol was manufactured as a poison gas plant near Samara. The plant was disguised as a civilian plant. The German War Ministry provided the needed financing. TThis means that it was a program authorized by the new German Republic and not surepticiously by the German Army. The Yale Russian Archive Prohect has found arange of dodunents from the 1920s involving Gernan-Soviet cooperatiom on various aspects of chemical warfare, including aerial sprayers and gas masks.

IG Farben

Germany before World War I was the world leader in chemictry and industrial chemicals. The industry was, however, formed of quite a number of relatively small companies and several medium-sized companies. After the War the pressure of international competition resulted in consolidation, not only in Germany, but in other questions as well. One result of this consolidation was the creation of IG Farben (1925). It was the merger of six of the most important chemical/pharmesutical companies in Germany. They included BASF (27.4 percent of equity capital), Bayer (27.4 percent), Hoechst including Cassella and Chemische Fabrik Kalle (27.4 percent), Agfa (9.0 percent), Chemische Fabrik Griesheim-Elektron (6.9 percent) and Chemische Fabrik vorm. Weiler Ter Meer (1.9 percent). The result was a scientific and industrial powerhouse. IG Farben had a market capitalization of 1.4 billion Reichsmark and a workforce of 100,000 people. About 2.6 percent were university educated.

Nerve Gases

Out of IG Farben's research programs came more effective chemical agents, tauben and sarin--much more potent nerve agents, although this was not what the company set out to do. IG Farben worked om improved pesticides at irs Bayer lanortories. Gerhardt Schrader made a major discovery (1936). He produced a new chemical which he called Tabun found was extremely effective on lice. [Tschanz, p. 48.] Dr. Schraeder sprayed the new compound leaf lice and was startled when they died instantly even though a very weak solution was used (1 part in 200,000 was used). And he found accidentally that it was extremely leathful for humans. Dr. Schrader accidentally camre in contact with the liquid ansexperienced a rapid contraction of his pupils--effectively blinding him. He also lost his hearing along with the most of his muscular coordination. His assistants were also exposed and similarly affected. His laboratory had to be closed down. The institute staff took a month to detocify the lab. Dr. Schraeder and his assistants only survived because they were exposed to a very diluted sollution. Tabun (methyl-isopropoxyl-fluorophosphine oxide) was a nerve gas and exponential leap in toxicity level of chemical weaoons. This of course meant that it could not be used as am insecticide. Schrader recognizing the military implications contacted the War Ministry. Tests were carried out for the Wehrmacht which was impressed. Schrader was set up in a new laboratory to develop new compounds for the Wehrmacht (1938). Here he developed a another nerve gas--isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate (Sarin) (1942) Tests showed that Sarin was ten times more lethal than Tabun. [Tschanz, p. 55.] German scientists continued to work on additional compounds. They were working on Soman when the NAZIs surrendeed. Soman was a compound similar to Tabun, but estimated to be 200 times more leathal.

NAZI Program

After the NAZIs seized power (1933) the Germans launched a chenical warfare program. A number of agents were develooed and tested on concentration camps inmates. The first nerve agent developed was Tabun (GA) (1936). The second was sarin (GB) (1938). And by the start of the War (1939) had substantial stockpiles, but larger than those held by Britain and France. The most deadly German nerve agent was Soman (GD) developed late in the War (1944).

World War II

The Germans did not use poison gas during World War II. There are some reports of incidents in Poland and the Soviet Union. The circumstances of these incidents are not well understood and documented. Germany developed the much more effective poison gases (tabun, sarin, and soman) during the War. The chemical wepons used in World war I were relatively crude weaons. Nerve gas was a very different matter. The first nerve gas was was Tabun. Nerve agenrs are so named because they attack the nervous system. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, muscular twitching, convulsions, cessation of breathing and death. The Germans also developed Sarin and Soman, two additional nerve agents. Soman was the most deadly. After inhalation, a person goes into convulsions within seconds. The US Army Manual TM 3-215 estimated that a person exposed to Soman would die within only two minutes.

German Intelligence Assessment

Hitler and the Gerrman High Commnd were not aware of their lead in chemical weapons. German intelligence believed, incorrectly as it proved, that both the United States and the Soviet Union had developed similar weapons. [Tucker] We are not sure on what basis this assessment was made are just who made it. We have not yet found these details. Perhaps somereaders will have insights here. Other intelligence agents believed that even if the Allies did not have these agents yet, they could quickly develop them andmoreimportantly, tghe Allies had the air cpability to deliverthem in volume anywhere in the Reich. This was aey factor that had to be part of any intelligence assessment. The Germans were losing their battlefield superiority even in the East. And air superiority was lost even over the Reich (early 1944). This meant tht the Allies could deliver devestating gas attacks in large scale anywher in thecReich, including german cities where the attacks would be most devestating. This may not hve affected Hitler's thinking, but it must have affected the thinking of the scientists and militry men reporting to him on chemical weapons capabilities and deployment .

The Holocaust: Poison Gas Usage

Despite the existence of stockpiles of Tabun, the SS turned to less lethal gases for the Holocaust; carbon monoxide and Zyklon-B. IG Farben was also involved with Zyklon-B, but not directly. The existen of Tabun was a state secret and the stockpiles in the hands of the Wehrmacht. We are mot entirely sure why Tabun was not used, but the SS killers probably did not know about Tabun. Information on the killing operation is not well established at all the death camps, but considerable information has been found. Carbon monoxide was commonly used because the Holocaust killers turned to the personnel involved in the T-4 eutenasia killing. Zyklon-B was adopted while the killing was well underway. Zyklon B was developed at Fritz Haber’s institute. Haber was Jewish and dismissed when the NAZIs seized power. It was a cyanide gas compound used as an insecticide, used as a fumigant for protecting grain stores. I.G. Farben sold the production rights of Zyklon-B before the out break of the War to two private firms (Tesch and Stabenow, of Hamburg and DEGESCH, of Dessau). Carbon monoxide was very extendively used, but methods of generating varied.
Chelmo: NAZI industrial-scale killing began at Chelmo. There the Jews 'evacuated' from the Lublin Ghetto were 'herded into the vans in which they were asphyxiated with carbon monoxide fumes'. [Mayer, p. 391.]
Belzec: Carbon momoxide was also used at Belzec. Reports suggest that bottled carbon momoxide was used at first and then the SS switched to truck exahusts. [Mayer, p. 402.]
Sobibor: Both carbon monoxide and Zyklon-B is believed to have been used at Sorbior. The SS seems to have obtained some kind of engine to generate the carbon monoxide.
Treblinka: Carbon monoxide was used at Treblinka. One report suggests a captured Soviet tank engine was used to generate the carbon monoxide. Auschwitz Commandant Höss toured Treblinka and viewed the killing operation as inefficient. [Hilberg, p. 565.]
Majdanek: Zyklon-B was used at Majdanek.
Auschwitz: Zyklon-B was used at Auschwitz. At Auschwitz, once the victims had been undressed and driven into the gas chanber, an SS man would climb a ladder above the gas chamber and open a can of Zyklon B with a special can opener. He would then shakes out the solidified pellets of hydrogen cyanide into a special shaft in the supporting column of the chamber where the pellets would turn into a gas. [Pressac and van Pelt, p. 235.]

Sources

Hilberg, Raul. The Destruction of the European Jews (Quadrangle Books, Chicago, 1967). , p. 565.

Mayer, Arno. Why Did the Heavens Not Darken? The "Final Solution" in History (Pantheon Books, New York, 1988).

PosenbaumKurt. Community of Fate: German-Soviet Diplomatic Relations, 1922-28 (Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1965), 325p.

Pressac, Jean-Claude and Robert-Jan van Pelt, "The Machinery of Mass Murder at Auschwitz." Chapter 8 in Yisrael Gutman and Michael Berenbaum, ed. Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp (Indiana University Press. Bloomington and Indianapolis). Pressac and van Pelt trport that most of the Zyklon-B shipped to Auschwitz was used for delousing. Some Holocaust deniers used this to claim the killing did not take place. This in fact makes perfect sence. Auschwitz wa a huge labor camp. The killing operation at the Birkenau killing operation was a small part of the camp. Most of the people gassed at Birenau were Jews. Most of the workers in the work camp were not Jews.

Tschanz, David. "A Whiff of Death: Chemical Warfare in the World Wars," Command Issue Vol. 33 (March-April 1995).

Tucker, Jonathan B. War of Nerves: Chemical Warfare from World War I to Al-Qaeda (Pantheon, 2006), 479p.

"Soviet-German Military Cooperatio, 1920-33" International Cooperation No. 7 Vol. 26 (1990), pp. 95-113.

Created: 4:34 AM 7/2/2009
Last updated: 11:50 PM 6/2/2013