The Nazi origins of deadly nerve gases

Among chemical weapons, nerve gases are arguably the most nefarious. Trace amounts can wreak long-term havoc on a victim's nervous system, and high doses can cause painful deaths, typically by asphyxiation. Nerve agents have been used by armies and terrorists alike. They were dispatched on the battlefield of the Iran-Iraq War, during the Tokyo subway attack of 1995, and more recently on demonstrators in Syria. Despite their infamy, these chemical weapons have a curious history unknown to many people: Eighty years ago, just before World War II began, nerve agents were invented in Nazi Germany. During the Third Reich, German scientists developed bombs capable of deploying the chemical weapons on the Allies, and the Nazi armed forces secretly stockpiled nerve gas munitions. Had Germany employed nerve agents on the battlefield or for strategic attacks against British cities, "there was little doubt that the initial effects would have been devastating," noted