Biological Warfare in World War 2...

Who did it ? to whom ? how and what were th results ?

 

To the best of my knowledge no-one used chem/bio weapons in WW2.

I think the Germans considered using them late-war, to stem the Soviet tide, but didnt (probably because they knew they would get a double helping back!).

Incidentally the Germans referred to such weapons as "despair weapons" or similar, (cant remember the actual German), which shows a contemptuous regard for them.

 

as far i can remember the only ones to use biological weapons , the japs against the china population but only as an experiment , never as a deliverated attack,

 

Italy used gas in their war against Ethiopia in 1936-37, but then again that's not really WW2.

 

Hi

At least the japanese used gas against chinese troops until 1944, mainly mustard gas.

And they also used HCN-grenades against british tanks in Burma and against field fortifications. These grenades should force the crews to bail out. See http://www.fun-online.sk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1514

Yours

tom!

 

The Japanese were developing chemical and biological weapons during the war; nukes, too, for that matter. The war ended before anything came of these experiments, although I once read that Japan had detonated an atomic bomb somewhere off Korea, a story I have not been able to corraborate through other sources.

 

According to Dr K Alibek in Biohazard the Soviet Union used tularemia shortly before Stalingrad and possibly Q Fever in 1943.

 

Welcome to the forum, General Nuisance, would you care to post some more information about this?

 

There isn't very much about it in the book. In college Mr Alibek had to do a paper on an outbreak of Tularemia at Stalingrad. His initial conclusion was that it wasn't a natural outbreak. His advisor/professor told him to immediately drop that line of reasoning which Mr Alibek did. Mr Alibek was the first deputy chief of Biopreparat from 1988-1992- climbing through the ranks to get there. Anyways, after the paper incident he met with people that verified it happened.
I do not have a great way with words- especially when typing. I'd recommend his book ( coauthored with S Handleman) Biohazard. Very frightening stuff!

 

Hi General Nuisance, and welcome!

thanks for the info - just one question:
Who was Mr Alibek?
Was he a Soviet/Russian scientist?

 

Not only was he a scientist - doctorate of science in biotechnology- used to mass produce anthrax, but he was the 1st deputy chief of Bioprearat- the organization in the USSR that researched and then mass produced biological weapons. He defected to the US in 1992. I've seen him several times on news shows discussing Biological weapons ( Anthrax letter problem in US back in 2001-2002).
I haven't done so but I'm sure there is lots of info about him and the book online.

 

He defected to the US after the fall of the Soviet Union? :lol:

 

Yes, after the downfall of the USSR. It has been several years since I've read the book so my details might be a bit off, but he did play a major role in the USSR's Biological Warfare program- which was illegal. I believe he was offered a job with the gov't of Kazakhstan ( where he was born ) but turned it down. He had no interest in pursuing offensive biological weapons anymore. In fact he was part of a Soviet team sent to the USSR to verify that the USA had in fact stopped their offensive biological warfare program. He also escorted the US team through the USSR. This is when Mr Alibek began to realize that his government had lied to him.
Anyways, he chose to defect. The info in his mind alone would give most govt's reason to keep him home!
I'm trying to write from memory. Read the book if you can. I bought the book while in Maine celebrating our anniversary. I couldn't set the book down. My wife wasn't exactly pleased