Holding Their Breath: How the Allies Confronted the Threat of Chemical Warfare in World War II

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Marion Girard Dorsey

Holding Their Breath

How the Allies Confronted the Threat of Chemical Warfare in World War II

Marion Girard Dorsey

$108

Hardback

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English

Cornell University Press
02 May 2023

Second World War; Diplomacy; Chemical & biological weapons

Series: Battlegrounds: Cornell Studies in Military History

Holding Their Breath uncovers just how close Britain, the United States, and Canada came to crossing the red line that restrained chemical weapon use during World War II. Unlike in World War I, belligerents did not release poison gas regularly during the Second World War. Yet, the looming threat of chemical warfare significantly affected the actions and attitudes of these three nations as they prepared their populations for war, mediated their diplomatic and military alliances, and attempted to defend their national identities and sovereignty.

The story of chemical weapons and World War II begins in the interwar period as politicians and citizens alike advocated to ban, to resist, and eventually to prepare for gas use in the next war. M. Girard Dorsey reveals, through extensive research in multinational archives and historical literature, that although poison gas was rarely released on the battlefield in World War II, experts as well as lay people dedicated significant time and energy to the weapon's potential use; they did not view chemical warfare as obsolete or taboo.

Poison gas was an influential weapon in World War II, even if not deployed in a traditional way, and arms control, for various reasons, worked. Thus, what did not happen is just as important as what did. Holding Their Breath provides insight into these potentialities by untangling World War II diplomacy and chemical weapons use in a new way.

By: Marion Girard Dorsey
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 907g
ISBN: 9781501768361
ISBN 10: 1501768360
Series: Battlegrounds: Cornell Studies in Military History
Pages: 306
Publication Date: 02 May 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

M. Girard Dorsey is Professor of History, Program Coordinator of Justice Studies, and core faculty of Medical Humanities, Society, & Ethics at the University of New Hampshire, focusing on military and medical history. Under the name Marion Girard, she is author of A Strange and Formidable Weapon.

Reviews for Holding Their Breath: How the Allies Confronted the Threat of Chemical Warfare in World War II

M. Girard Dorsey reminds us that this odious weapon has been around for a long time, and will always be there in the background. Still, under the planning, cooperation, and care of the international community, we can sigh in relief that the use of gassing, at least in a major war, may now reside in the dustbin of history. At least we can hope. * Metascience *