<P> The first instance of large - scale use of gas as a weapon was on 31 January 1915 , when Germany fired 18,000 artillery shells containing liquid xylyl bromide tear gas on Russian positions on the Rawka River , west of Warsaw during the Battle of Bolimov . However , instead of vaporizing , the chemical froze and failed to have the desired effect . </P>
<P> The first instance of large - scale use of gas as a weapon was on 31 January 1915 , when Germany fired 18,000 artillery shells containing liquid xylyl bromide tear gas on Russian positions on the Rawka River , west of Warsaw during the Battle of Bolimov . However , instead of vaporizing , the chemical froze and failed to have the desired effect . </P>
when did germany first use poison gas in ww1
when did germany first use poison gas in ww1
31 January 1915
31 January 1915