Book Review: Philip Ball's Serving the Reich: The Struggle for the Soul of Physics under Hitler

Book Review: Philip Ball's Serving the Reich: The Struggle for the Soul of Physics under Hitler

Brad Trefz
Book Review, Nuclear Weapons, World War II

We are always reading here at CBRNPro.net. A lot of that includes books related to CBRN history or CBRN issues. So when we finish one of those we like to offer our readers a review. Philip Ball's Serving the Reich is not directly associated with CBRN, but it touches on a very real aspect of dealing with CBRN as developed by authoritarian states (which is most of it) through the case study of the Nazi nuclear program. Check our review out at CBRNPro.net and follow us on Facebook for news and updates.

Model Problems

Model Problems

Brad Trefz
Biological Weapons, Chemical Warfare, CBRN Operations, Nuclear Weapons

At CBRNPro.net we are too sexy for our Gaussian Dispersion model, yeah, too sexy for our plumes, yeah.  But seriously, we are not talking about cocaine, Zoolander turning left, or Tom Brady. We are talking about all of the issues associated with CBRN models from ALOHA to HPAC. CATS-JACE not Catwalks. We even break it all down into a top ten list. Oh and if you pay attention you might be able to win the trivia contest on our facebook page!

Podcasts Now Available on iTunes and our Superbowl Trivia Contest Continues

Podcasts Now Available on iTunes and our Superbowl Trivia Contest Continues

Brad Trefz

Did you have some friends over to watch the game? We here at CBRNPro.net had a little get together...

We also had a contest. We also listened to some podcasts, which by the way, did you know CBRNPro.net has podcasts?  Now you do. Please check out our podcasts page or iTunes to download and listen.

Also, there are two trivia questions from yesterday's Superbowl CBRN trivia contest still awaiting a correct answer on our facebook page.  Contest will run until someone gets the answers.  Winners receive a free "Keep Calm and Decon" Bumper Sticker.

Podcast 1 - William Sibert and the Long Journey to the Chemical Warfare Service

Podcast 1 - William Sibert and the Long Journey to the Chemical Warfare Service

Brad Trefz
Chemical Warfare, World War I

CBRNPro.net's inaugural podcast is live on our website! Download and listen today.

Trivia Question: Who designed the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal, was the first commander of the 1st Infantry Division "The Big Red One," and was the first commander of the US Chemical Warfare Service in World War I? 

Answer: Major General William Luther Sibert, the "Hero of Panama" and "Father of the Chemical Warfare Service."

To learn how MG Sibert accomplished all that, and got relieved of command along the way, download and listen to CBRNPro.net's inaugural podcast today!

Re-examining the History of Chemical Warfare Part III

Re-examining the History of Chemical Warfare Part III

Brad Trefz
Chemical Warfare, World War I

The massive scale of chemical warfare on the Western Front between March 21, 1918 and the armistice is a period most history of the war skips over.  Yet this period was marked by tactical innovation, more than at any point in the war. This innovation was concurrent with the height of American involvement: Belleau Wood,  Cantigny, St. Miheal, and the Meuse-Argonne battles all occurred in this period.  While the Americans struggled with everything, from battlefield effectiveness to logistics, the AEF reflects changes going on in the French and British Armies as well. 

Many have noted the importance of artillery to these new innovations, and some suggest this period was the harbinger of the "blitzkrieg" style of German warfare in WWII.  Few have noted the important role chemical weapons played in the final months of the Great War. CBRNPro.net examines the tactical utility of chemical weapons based on this history, in our latest post in an ongoing series re-examining the history of chemical warfare.

Re-examining the History of Chemical Warfare Part II

Re-examining the History of Chemical Warfare Part II

Brad Trefz
Chemical Warfare, World War I

During the German Spring Offensives of 1918, also known as the Ludendorff Offensives and Operation Michel, the Germans used chemical weapons to an extent never seen before, or since, on the battlefield. During the largest artillery bombardment, and chemical attack, in history, Mustard ran in the gutters of the French village of Armentiers "like rain." CBRNPro.net explores this tactical innovation, and what followed in the second part of its ongoing series re-examining the history of chemical warfare, and the lessons that history can teach us today. 

Re-examining the History of Chemical Warfare - Part I

Re-examining the History of Chemical Warfare - Part I

Brad Trefz
Chemical Warfare, World War I

Chemical warfare in the WWI is usually relegated to a side show in most history. That is a fundamental error. Chemical casualties in the last year of the war accounted for 30-40 percent of casualties in major operations. The final year of the war demonstrated the tactical efficiency of chemical weapons in both the offense and defense, a stark departure from chemical warfare between 1915 and 1917. Historians usually talk about the early attacks when chemical warfare was largely insignificant, but this leaves out the importance of the chemical war to the end of the war. 

In the first in a multi-part series re-examining chemical warfare in the First World War, with particular emphasis on the American Experience. CBRNPro.net examines long-held myths about chemical warfare in WWI, and the propaganda that pushed them into the history books. Many of the lessons that history failed to learn, still apply today.

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