Gas Mask and Respirator Wiki
Don't have an account?
Register
Advertisement
Register
Gas Mask and Respirator Wiki
Gas Mask and Respirator Wiki
750
pages
in: DIN 3182, Germany, Full Face Masks,
and 6 more

GM15

Sign in to edit

The GM15 is a gas mask that was issued to Imperial Germany and its allies during World War One.

GM15[]


Facepiece[]

The facepiece is made of rubber-coated grey colored canvas. The eyepieces are in metal assemblies, due to lack of Tissot-tube system and antifog inserts the cheeks were designed bigger so the user could wipe off the fog with them. The filter connection is in a metal house, the intake is the exhale valve too. This causes that the user has to blow out the air hard. The harness is 6 pointed and not adjustable, but the straps are flexible thanks to 2 springs in each strap.

Filter[]

The filter comes in a light grey painted cylindrical canister. The mask was used with Model 1915 and Model 11/11 (Also known as Model 11-C-11).

Model 1915[]

The first filter which came with this mask was very basic, the steel canister only contains activated carbon soaked with 40% potassium carbonate.

Model 11/11[]

This later filter was updated to be more effective against new chemical agents appeared in the later years of the war. The steel canister is now contains 3 layers separated with steel sieves. The first layer is activated carbon soaked with 40% potassium carbonate just like in the Model 1915. The next, midle, layer is pure activated carbon. The third layer contains diatomite soaked with 40% potassium carbonate, hexamine and piperasine.

Carrying canister[]

The mask was issued in a cylindrical metal box with a very simple strap.

History[]

The first masks were made from the coverage of a downed French airship called Alsace.

The mask was used with H.S.S. Gerät and Pneumatogen 1908 rebreathers.

The US Navy Gas Mask, Mark I (Mouth Canister Type) mask is the direct copy of the mask.

Users[]

  • Flag-de-kf Deutsches Heer (Imperial German Army)

Original user of the mask.

  • Flag-ah Kaiserlich und Königlich Armee (Austro-Hungarian Royal Army)

Prior to the Monte San Michele gas attack (29. Juni 1916) by the Austro-Hungarian empire the masks were bought from Germany and were issued to the army (in Austrian: Kaiserlich und Königlich Landwehr, shortened version: K. u. K., in Hungarian: Császári és Kiályi Hadsereg) to complete the protection of the soldiers beside of the rebreathers and M.15/15M masks. The only aspects where the K.u.K. used GM15 masks differed from the GM15 were the K. u. K. stamps on the left side of the facepiece and on the valve and the size number are under the manufacturing date. Most of these masks were used in action during the gas attacks on the Italian front at the battlefields of Isonzo and Doberdo. It was called as Stoffmaske (cloth mask), Gummimaske (Rubber mask) or Rahmenmaske (Frame mask).

  • Bulgaria:

The Kingdom of Bulgaria as part of the Central powers bought GM15 masks from Germany.

Gallery[]

M.17/17M[]

The M.17 or 17M, depending on the language is the direct Austro-Hungarian copy of the GM15, but the same designation can be used for the imported GM15 masks as well.

Mask[]

The facepiece is made of rubber-coated pale grey colored canvas. The celluloid eyepieces are in metal assemblies. Due to lack of Tissot-tube system and antifog inserts, the cheeks were designed bigger so the user could wipe off the fog with them but these "wiping wrinkles" are much smaller than on the GM15. The valve is in a metal house, the intake is the exhale valve too. This causes that the user has to blow out the air hard. The harness is 6 pointed and not adjustable, but the straps are rubberized. There are two types. One with K.u.K. stamps and GM15-styled eyepieces and one with the impressed metal stamp K.u.K. marking and has different updated eyepieces, this later variant uses the same shape of facepiece as the GM17.

Filter[]

The filter comes in a light grey painted cylindrical canister. First, the mask was used with German-made 11-C-11 filter and later with Austrian-made N-D, S-N-D and S-N-S filters which were the same as the 11-C-11. The Austrian-made ones had later variants which could protect better against Hydrogen cyanide, the letters were framed on those.

History[]

The production started in Austria around 1916 but the factory is unknown. The M.17 and 17M designation can be used for both Austrian made GM15 masks and German-made GM15 masks as both were used alongside each other. After the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed in 1918 the countries established or broke away continued to use the mask. Austria used it till the M.27. Hungary used it as 18M (not to confuse it with the Austro-Hungarian used GM17) and all previously mentioned filters were called 18M. In 1927 all were modernised to be a 27M. Young Czechoslovakia started to use it as one of the first mask in their army till the Vz.23 was designed. Rumours say that it was used by Yugoslavia and Poland as well.

Gallery[]

27M[]

The 27M is repaired 17M and 18M masks. The first "Hungarian" mask after the First World War.

Overview[]

Just like the GM15 and M.17/17M it is made of rubber-coated grey colored canvas. The eyepieces are in metal assemblies, a bit more modern than that on the GM15 because now it has anti-fog insert fixing ring. Due to lack of Tissot-tube system and antifog inserts, the cheeks were designed bigger so the user could wipe off the fog with them. The valve is in a metal house, the intake is the exhale valve too. This causes that the user has to blow out the air hard. The harness is 6 pointed and not adjustable, but the straps are rubberized. There are two types. One only with Hungarian markings and one with the K.u.K. marking is still visible on the metal mould. The carrying canister was the same as on the 17M. It was mostly used on training.

Filter[]

Main article: 27M filter The filter was the same as the 18M however all were refilled. Filters with a red "Gy" and line are training filters (Hungarian: Gyakorló).

Photos[]

References[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement

Fan Feed

More Gas Mask and Respirator Wiki