Chemical Warfare in Australia, Geoff Plunkett, Australian Military : Chemical Warfare

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Catalogue > World War 2 > Australian: General War History > Chemical Warfare In Australia, Australia's Involvement In Chemical Warfare, 1914-1945. Plunkett, Geoff.

Description


From Book Description: - This meticulously researched book unearthed sixty year secret. As the Japanese swept south towards Australia late 1941, they carried with them chemical weapons, already used with deadly effect in China. Forced to counter the chemical warfare threat, Australia covertly imported about 1000,000 chemical weapons - including 16 types of Mustard Gas - and hid them in tunnels and other sites around the country. This book tells the story of the importation, storage and 'live trials' of the deadly weapons. It reveals details of the chemical warfare agents themselves, Australia's retaliatory planes, the involvement of the USA, the training of the weapon handlers and, finally, the dangerous disposal of the volatile agents. Most of all, this is the story of the men who lived with deadly weapons on a daily basis, handling them constantly despite the immense risks and suffering as a consequence. They were the chemical warfare armourers and two died of a result of mustard gads exposure. Almost every armourer suffered physically and often mentally from the effects of the weapons and terrible burden of maintaining secrecy. This remarkable book contains over 300 photographs - many taken surreptitiously - that illustrates all too starkly the conditions and danger to which these men were exposed. This is an unprecedented visual history. This book is published in association with the Australian Army History Unit. CONTENTS: Foreward - Acknowledgments - Introduction - List of Photographs, Maps and Figures - Acronyms and Abbreviations - The Armourers remember: The gassed World War 1 Diggers - Chemical Weapons Procurement: The Initial Debate - Chemical Weapons Procurement and their Retaliatory use, A necessary insurance policy - Importation - Chemical Warfare Agents in Australia - The Armourers remember : the need for secrecy - Chemical Warfare Organization - Royall Australian Air force Training - Army Training - The Chemical Warfare Units - Production and Storage - The Armourers Remember: Daily routine at the chemical warfare sites - Transportation: The Armourers' stories - The chemical Warfare Plan - The Armourers remember: The experimental stations and the Brook island trials - Liaison - Inter service and International - The Armourers remember: Accidents, Incidents and Medical Treatment - Stockage Policy and Disposal - The Armourers Remember: Disposal of chemical warfare stocks - Sea Dumping - The Aftermath: the Armourers reflect - Chemical weapons Convention and other arrangements - Conclusion -Appendices: - Chemical Warfare Agents Present In Australia - Summary of codes used for the most common types of chemical agents in existence in World War II - Transportation between storage sites - Ships - Ships - Safety issues - Chemical munition types - Field trial with 25 pounder shells - Storage sites - Summary of storage rates per site - The chemical warfare plan (SWPA) - Chemical warfare units - RAAF stocks available for disposal - Disposal - Chemical Weapons timeline - Air raid precautions (ARP) civilian defense - Classification of war cases - Japanese chemical warfare munitions - Gas incidents, WWI - Bibliography - Index -

Details


SKU:	Chemical Warfare
Quantity:	- out of stock -
Author/s:	Geoff Plunkett
Book Size(cm):	25 x 18
Condition:	NEW
Format:	Hardcover with dustjacket
Pages:	731 extensive
Printing &/or Publishing Information:	Australian Military History Publications
Printing Year:	2007 - 1st edition
Military Campaign:	General War History
ISBN:	9781876439880
Weight:	2.28 kg
Price:	$ 44.95