Western Front, Argonne, France.
Photographer: Unknown.
In an unspecified location in the region of Argonne in Northeastern France, French soldiers stand in line for inspection, in this photo that was produced in the opening months of 1916.
After the German attack at Langemarck on the 22nd of April 1914, the allied nations had scrambled to not only produce their own stock of lethal gasses but also the protective gear to keep their own soldiers safe from the hazardous effects of chemical warfare.
While a panicked Britain had initially advised its soldiers to protect their respiration with anything from urine-soaked handkerchiefs to even a piece of cloth packed with a lump of mud, till a series of gas masks had been invented in quick succession. The French, having actually suffered the effects of chlorine along with the Algerians, Morrocans and later the Canadians who had rushed in to fill the gap, had invented their own range of gas masks even faster.
The Tampon TN model that these French soldiers can be seen wearing was the final evolution of the Tampon series of gas masks – which were basically a type of ‘pad masks’ soaked in a chemical solution and provided to soldiers together with goggles. The first model in the series, the Tampon P, had come with a single pad soaked in castor oil and sodium ricinate and had offered sufficient protection against tear gas and chlorine attacks.
But as more lethal gasses had begun to be developed and used, the number of pads had increased and the design of the mask had been altered for better usage and protection. In the Tampon TN model that had been introduced in January 1916 and remained in service till April 1916, the pads had been larger and conical in shape to fully cover the nose and the mouth of the wearer – and had additionally come with a waterproof cover.
Prior to being replaced by the French M2 Gas Maskin April 1916, almost 6.8 million units of the TN model had been produced for French and other allied soldiers.
This photo comes accompanied with the following caption in French: En Argonne. Le colonel d’un régiment passe en revue ses hommes munis d’un masque protecteur contre les gaz asphyxiants. Which in English translates as: In Argonne. The colonel of a regiment reviews his men equipped with protective masks against asphyxiating gases.
