23116
W. Britain
While not the most effective, gas was certainly the cruelest weapon of World War I. A mchine gun could saw you in half, an artillery shell could vaporize you in an instant, but gas....
Depending on ehich agent was deployed, gas would leave a soldier weeping and wheezing, blind and helpless; make his skin blister and burn; cause a build-up of fluid in his lungs, ultimately drowning him. Gas was heavier than air and would fill the trenches, dugouts and shell holes popular in this war. It could linger for 2-3 days. It would permeate a soldier's clothing and cling to his equipment. Many of those who suffered exposure were unable to return to the front lines. Those who did recover were a higher risk of developing cancer and disease alter in life.
Gas accounted for less than 1% of the total deaths in WWI, by the end of the conflict, one in four of the artillery shells fired on the Western Front contained gas.