Skip to content
Account Login Winnipeg Toll-Free: 1-800-561-1833 SK Toll-Free: 1-877-506-7456 Contact & Locations

parsed(2023-03-15) - pubdate: 2023-03-15
turn:
pub date: 1678856400
today: 1711602000, pubdate > today = false

nyp: 0;

Holding Their Breath

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

March 15, 2023 | Hardcover
ISBN: 9781501768361
$71.95
We will confirm the estimated shipping time with you when we process your order.
Checking Availibility...

Description

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.

We're sorry, but this item is not eligible for a Reader Reward discount.

About this Author

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.

ISBN: 9781501768361
Format: Hardcover
Series: Battlegrounds: Cornell Studies in Military History
Pages: 306
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: 2023-03-15

Reviews

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.

If the product is in stock at the store nearest you, we suggest you call ahead to have it set aside for you, or you may place an order online and choose in-store pickup.