Customer Reviews

War of Nerves: Chemical Warfare from World War I to al-Qaeda

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In my opinion, this book has a slight misnomer in the title. It's not really on chemical warfare as it is on nerve agents -- It could almost be titled 'All you ever wanted to know about nerve gas but didn't know who to ask.' The story begins with World War I, and the standard gasses that were used such as mustard and chlorine.

It is an excellent primer on the history, manufacture, use, storage, disposal, and just about everything else regarding nerve gas. One thing that I was surprised to not find was any reference to Japan's Unit 731 which conducted chemical warfare experiments in China during World War II.

Finally, since the book was written information has come out about one of the roadside bombs that the insurgents set off in Iraq. This was a binary nerve gas artillery shell. Fortunately, the shell was designed so that it had to be fired from a cannon to be armed. When it was set off on the ground the two agents did not mix and only a very small amount of nerve agent was generated.

This book is not exactly light, fun reading, but it is a sign of our times and it is to be expected that al-Queda or some other organization will succeed one day.

The subtitle of this book, Chemical Warfare from World War I to Al-Qaeda, is a bit misleading. While the first chapter does provide a quick overview of the military use of chemical weapons in the Great War, this is really a history of one type of chemical weapon: nerve agents. And, as a history of nerve agents, it is an outstanding one. Covering the early days of German development in a fine detail as well as post-war US and, a more difficult proposition, Soviet work (And even a few words about the French and British), it presents a coherent picture of the whys and wherefores of these agents. Its coverage of the Novichok/Foliant programs is probably the best unclassified version you will see. It also gives a good overview of the Iraqi projects and use, and provides a useful level of detail about the Aum uses of sarin. In short, if you are interested in these agents, either from a historical perspective or because you need to know what to do about them, this is worth your time. (And it is not a painful read, although one doesn't use words like entertaining when talking about this topic.)

For my money, the best and certainly the most current book on the history of Chemical Warfare. Provides a lot of extraordinary detail on both the U.S. and Soviet Union's offensive Chemical Warfare programs. Easily readable with good, clear prose. Contains more detail than a casual reader might prefer, but for those with an interest, this book definitely satisfies. Deserves a place on the shelf of anyone that is engaged in this profession or with an active interest.

Any studying modern warfare won't want to miss WAR OF NERVES: CHEMICAL WARFARE FROM WORLD WAR I TO AL-QAEDA: it provides a long-range history of the world use of chemical weapons in war and comes from an expert on chemical and biological weapons who considers such usage from World War 1 to modern times. It was during this war when the large-scale use of toxic chemicals in battle became cheap and feasible, resulting in over a million casualties on both sides. His survey includes investigation of the inventors of gasses, weaponry, delivery systems and more, blending in world politics with a survey which is clear and powerful. A 'must' for any who would receive solid background for understanding modern events.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

As a scientist in this field I was looking for a historical overview of chemicals weapons. This is a very comprehensive overview of nerve agents. While it does containing a lot of technical details, it is still very readable and moves at a good pace. This is a fascinating and revealing history and the author does a great job of explaining why countries but so much effort into developing these weapons yet only rarely used them.

Great review of chemical warfare past & present. Perfect reference for anyone involved with homeland security or disaster preparedness.