Figure 1.--Here Paris school children at the beginning of the school year are being shown how to put on gas masks. They look like the masks obtained from the Czechs. The press caption read, "La rentrée des classes dans les écoles primaires de Paris. Un exercice d'alerte a eu lieu au cours de la première leçon. Après la démonstration de l'instituteur, les écoliers sortent leur masque a gaz de l'étui avec la plus grande célérité possible. Visa de la censure Nº 17.052. Telefrance." That means, "Back to school in the primary schools of Paris. An early warning exercise took place during the first lesson. After the teacher's demonstration, the school children take their gas mask out of the case with as much speed as possible. Telefrance. Censorship Visa Nº 17.052." The photograph is undated, but must have been taken in early 1940. France was at war when the boys came back to school. The teacher was explaining why France was at war. Notice what the teacher has written on the board, 'guerre pour ... et la civiliisation', meaning 'war for ... and civilization'. The teacher of course was more correct than he could have known. It would not the view of Marshal Pétain when again agreed to a armitice with Germany.

The M2 gas mask was a French-made gas mask used by French, British and American forces during World War I. Nearly 30 million were made. The French like others World War combatants were horrified by the casualties resulting from gas attacks during World War I. France along with Britain, Italy, and Germany ratified the Geneva Protocol banning the use of chemical and bacterolgical weapons (1925). We have been unable to find any information about French research on gas masks and production during the inter-War era. The French were preparing for a German gas attack. France, Britain, and Germany expcted chemicals weapons to be used in any future war. The Maginot Line and of communal shelters in Paris were equipped to withstand gas attack by maintaing a sligtly higher air pressure. Some gas masks were also issued in France, but nowhere did preparations reach the level pursued in Britain where everyone was issued gas masks. The Frnch scrambling to prepare for War, purchased gas masks from the Czecha before they were invaded and occupied by the Germans. We see French school children practicing with putting on gas masks, but we are not sure to what extent they were actually issued to the children. Some may have been World War I masks. The French stockpiles would have fallen into German hands after the fall of France (June 1940). We are not sure what the Germans did with them.

Created: 9:43 AM 1/18/2017
Last updated: 9:43 AM 1/18/2017