If you see a Pale Green Cloud along the ground, it's only a German Gas Attack, they've been known to behave that way in the past. It has No effects on pilots or engines, but I'd hate to be in the infantry, beneath it.
Basically Clorine Gas is Heavier than air, sooo every foxhole or trench would be full of the stuff. One breath is all it takes. Your Lungs are History, without Lungs you die.

The really nasty schitt was the blister agents, like Mustard Gas, that was colorless. The only way you knew that was being used, was everybody around you died screaming in pain, as the gas destroyed human skin and eye balls, and it didn't help your Lungs much either

Soo When your Nieuport is going down in FLAMES, just think about it, jumping ain't that Bad of a way to go. If you have to go

You certainly have a flair for putting things into perspective, Unc! I try to get this very point across when lecturing my students on trench warfare. The looks on their faces show just how little is understood - let alone "absorbed" by students now. We're getting so far away from the actual events that a disconnect is forming.

Discussing the brutal, often horrific events of the war in great detail drives the point home.

Then again, if I have to pick between falling from my Nieuport or being gassed... yikes, not sure which is worse. I've seen photographs of pilots who fell from the air...

God, what a horrible war.

Mustard gas was actually yellow-brown in colour, hence the name. Phosgene was the colourless stuff:

Things sure have progressed when it comes to killing your fellow MAN. Today we have Fire and Forget Targeting Systems where you PAINT your target with a Laser Beam ( even at night ) wearing night vision gear.

And once you get the proper indication on the rocket launcher ( small red light). Point it in the proper direction ( close will do nicely ) Fire and Forget, one target less.

Or it can be a 500 pounder dropped by an F16, above the clouds. As soon as the Pilot gets the proper indication, he drops. You ask any weapons man in the USAF,if he can drop a 500lber into the window of a house. he'll say Which Window

In World War One, Gas attacks had to just right, if the wind changed your troops got Gassed. It was basically an artillery shell that exploded in mid air atomizing the gas from it's liquid form, into the cloud

The original Fire BUT DON'T Forget. Many times Special Dispencers were used where the explosive charge was detonated by wire, so it was 100 yards from the Enemy, yet 1000 yards from your guys, as long as the wind didn't shift, it was a homerun

One NASTY trick used was to Booby Trap Your Own Trench with Gas Dispensers. You'd evacuate your position to the rear, letting the enemy make it his, then the Gas Dispenser went off and everybody in that trench died.

The guy in the observation balloon just saw a German Retreat, so you and your chums were ordered to take the Trench. And you did . . . SURPRIZE

CaptSopwith,

I actually prefer the use of a revolver, fairly quick and painless (compared to the other options outlined).

According to German Wikipedia, the very first chemical warfare attack was made
by French troops in August 1914, using Xylolbromid (a kind of tear gas).

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasangriff#Erster_Weltkrieg

But yes, the first really killing stuff used was chlorine gas, which was simply
poured out from big flasks by the Germans in the 2. Battle of Flanders near Ypres
on 22 April 1915. The gas was heavier than air and sank into the British trenches.
It is nowadays estimated, that it killed 1200, and wounded 3000 men.

On 31. Mai 1915, Germany used Chlorine gas with 5% Phosgen added.
On 22 February 1916, France was the first nation to use pure Phosgen gas.
Phosgen gas is held responsible for the majority of the gas victims in the Great War.
The gas was later fired in gas granades.

Mankind can be perfidious at war, and so the later artillery tactics were to fire
a mix of gas granades. One gas, which would only just irritate the upper airways and
which could penetrate the gas mask filters, caused the soldiers to take off the masks.
Then they were exposed to the other, lethal gasses.

Even without a parachute, I would have prefered to be a pilot.