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Early in the evening or 21 July 1944 and just before the evening
meal, division headquarters was coiled in a field in hedgerow
country near Ie Mesnil Veneron when a three quarter ton weapons
carrier careened down the road in front of the command post,
a sergeant standing next to the driver firing his carbine into
the air and shouting, at the top of his voice, "GAS!!"
At this point he caught everyone's attention. Within the command
post area was the Division Chemical Warfare Officer, Lieutenant
Colonel Marion Whitten. Under his supervision we had been issued
gas masks, dubbin to put on our combat boots and tank crews and
others furnished with impregnated coveralls. At Indiantown Gap
we had gone through gas chambers wearing the masks.
We had been trained for gas warfare, knew that the Germans
had at least three types of poison gas in adequate supply, one
being the dreaded mustard gas of World War I.
What ensued was a mad scramble on the part of everyone, and
not all could immediately find their masks, some of which nestled
among a profusion of Hershey bars, cigarettes and candy. Looking
back, it was funny, but not at the time. And the confusion applied
to all ranks. About that no more will be said.
A telephone call to Corps headquarters, fortunately now we
were under VII Corps, and a Captain Wilson reassured us. There
was no gas attack.
What had happened was that, in the burning of some German
ammunition supplies, the resulting cloud of smoke had reacted
to swatches of paint on the hood of some vehicles and designed
to react to poison gas. Unfortunately, it did so to the burning
powder.
Calls to units within the division brought acknowledgment,
but by this time the troops were in full bay. Full of exuberance
and in a just-for-the-hell-of-it mood, the calls went on until
well in the night, starting at one quarter, being picked up in
the next and going clockwise around division headquarters. Commands
by officers appeared to have no effect.
Eventually the cathartic output cleansed the emotional systems
and quiet prevailed.
This brings up the question as to why, if the Germans, famous
as they were for their chemicals, did not use this weapon? After
the war, in the Nuremberg trials, the question was put to Herman
Goering. He said that they did not have suitable masks for their
horses and the standard German infantry division had horsedrawn
transport.
In the index of Martin Blumenson's Breakout and Pursuit
there is no mention of gas, poison gas or gas under chemical
warfare.
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