WWII Civilian Gas Masks: Terror on the Home Front

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  • Опубліковано 11 жов 2024
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    In the buildup to the Second World War, both the Allied and Axis nations lived in fear of large-scale poison gas attacks on civilians. Extensive precautions were thus taken against such attacks, including the issuing of millions of specially-designed gas masks to civilians. In this episode, we look a few of the more common masks issued in the British Commonwealth, the United States, and Germany.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 32

  • @bassett_green
    @bassett_green 11 місяців тому +6

    The designer gas mask bags reminds me of the fashion trends of N95 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

  • @yankeeclipper4326
    @yankeeclipper4326 11 місяців тому +4

    That is my favorite episode of Dr. Who

  • @spacemissing
    @spacemissing 9 місяців тому +4

    Policy and required practice aside:
    The ultimate penalty for not carrying the thing with you would have been exposure to poison gas.
    Anyone with a gram of functional gray matter would have been fully compliant with all recommendations.

    • @Mike-bh7sh
      @Mike-bh7sh 6 місяців тому

      Unless you considered that a mask would only (possibly) protect you from massive chemical attack for an hour or so.
      If the attack was accompanied by massive bombings as well then the destruction and penalization of the cities transportation, etc., would likely have seen you die once the cartridge allowed enough chemical through.
      Remember, as Gilles pointed out, the ARP masks only were 10% as effective as the others.
      Just as when, at the height of the cold war, many people did not build bunkers in their back yards because they realized that living a few more hours or days would probably be worse than being killed immediately.

  • @lordbarristertimsh8050
    @lordbarristertimsh8050 8 місяців тому +1

    It's interesting that picric acid would be mentioned in this video from a Canadian UA-camr because picric acid was one of the explosives involved in one of Canada's most infamous disasters, the SS Mont-Blanc explosion in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Also, picric acid was probably included in ARP gas-attack kit because picric acid is a good ointment for use on burns { like the burns from a blistering agent like mustard gas } for this reason some first aid kits actually included bandages impregnated with picric acid specifically for burn injuries.

  • @BichaelStevens
    @BichaelStevens 9 місяців тому +1

    Reminds me of a Soviet first aid shelf I found in the basement of my workplace, it was almost empty, had a small bottle of "ant acid" which google says is Formic acid, label says it cost 15 kopeks. Next to it, a small bottle of 5% ethanol solution with expiry date of 2001.

  • @typograf62
    @typograf62 11 місяців тому +2

    And a great thanks to the German horses.
    My mother was issued a British gas mask, she lived in the Faroe Islands under British occupation (not that they complained much about being occupied). I think I have it in a box somewhere, looked like 7:28. Probably dust now.

  • @lvl_antoni_lvl
    @lvl_antoni_lvl 3 роки тому +19

    hello good video mate, I am an expert on the subject and I wanted to tell you that in the filter of these masks are made with active charcoal and asbestos fiber and resin, so for its age it makes it dangerous to use it in the long term, It will be fine if you leave it on display, just don't wear them, good luck

    • @Tmilitaria
      @Tmilitaria 4 місяці тому

      Agreed, he also put one of his gas masks on a foam head, the chemicals in the foam heads can eat up the rubber. Thus it’s best to avoid doing so.
      Cheers,
      TM.

  • @James45786
    @James45786 4 місяці тому

    The GCR in the vid is actually canadian the British version is black rubber with orange around the eye piece

  • @frankentronics
    @frankentronics Рік тому +2

    Fascinating. I'm sure the filter on the gas mask you wore, at the start of this video, is not one of the filters that contains asbestos, right?

    • @nicholashodges201
      @nicholashodges201 Рік тому +3

      You're generally ok as long as the filter isn't damaged. The asbestos is pretty deep inside under multiple layers of filter cloth or paper depending on the design.
      Probably safer than the mid century Soviet filters which used asbestos filter paper to contain the loose asbestos.
      Another "win" for the People's Engineering Department there

  • @dondouglass6415
    @dondouglass6415 11 місяців тому

    Once again... Absolutely fascinating... Huzzah!!!

  • @cperuffo
    @cperuffo 8 місяців тому

    Please be careful with that picric acid! It gets frisky when it dries out.

  • @pendo546
    @pendo546 3 роки тому +1

    hope you make more content about masks

  • @600322
    @600322 7 місяців тому

    He is very interesting: in swedish calling möp or military over interested person.

  • @Mountain-Man-3000
    @Mountain-Man-3000 Рік тому

    Let's hope civilians never need to use these during a war...

  • @stevenblack7928
    @stevenblack7928 Рік тому

  • @LILFOOL.
    @LILFOOL. 2 роки тому

    Asbestos asbestos asbestos

    • @WarblesOnALot
      @WarblesOnALot 10 місяців тому

      G'day,
      Mesothelioma
      Pleural and
      Parietal...;
      It's a worry
      Worthy of
      Consideration.
      All the Treatment is
      Supportive and then
      Palliative...;
      Nothing
      Curative is yet an
      Option.
      Just(ifiably ?) sayin'.
      Such is life,
      Have a good one...
      Stay safe.
      ;-p
      Ciao !

  • @Tmilitaria
    @Tmilitaria Рік тому +1

    No the GSR is not an updated version of the SBR, totally different. Suggest you should research first.

  • @Tmilitaria
    @Tmilitaria Рік тому +1

    No mate the Beige GCR isn’t British it’s Canadian.

    • @DSlyde
      @DSlyde Рік тому +1

      Wdym? He doesn't say otherwise. He says the GCR, i.e. the pattern, was used across the British Commonwealth, which includes Canada.

    • @Tmilitaria
      @Tmilitaria Рік тому +2

      @@DSlyde honestly never mind

  • @oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368
    @oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 3 роки тому +4

    I've heard that some people would put dried oats in the filter. Any truth to that? What would be the reasoning for it? Or is it just a convenient way to store your breakfast?

    • @jeromezp
      @jeromezp 3 роки тому +2

      Activated charcoal was made with all sorts of seeds and hard shelled fruit as base ingredients, so it's reasonably possible

    • @oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368
      @oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 3 роки тому

      ​@@jeromezp I don't know if the rumor I heard was that they burned the oats first, or just shoved in a handful of horse feed and it was an effective air scrubber.