World War I Era Mask

During World War I, chemical warfare was first used on a large scale by the German Empire, starting in 1915. The first recorded use was on April 22, 1915, when German forces released chlorine gas at Ypres, Belgium, killing over 5,000 Allied soldiers. This marked the beginning of a new era in warfare, as chemical agents were quite new and dangerous for both sides of the war, therefore gas mask were neccessary during this time.