Franco-British military co-operation in the Great Gas War 1915-1918

Abstract

Because the Anglophone historiography has tended to marginalize the French contribution to the allied chemical war during the Great War 1914-1918, this study has attempted to re-balance the historical narrative by emphasizing the collective nature and importance of this joint Franco-British enterprise. By interrogating a raft of under-utilized primary evidence in the French and British archives, elements of the two armies’ defensive and offensive gas warfare performance have been reassessed through the co-operation prism. The investigation demonstrates how closely, comprehensively, and effectively the two allies worked together in chemical weapon production and exchange, research and development, anti-gas protection, and indirect battlefield applications.