+Digital Books - 31 Nazi Inventions That Changed the World

A factory was built in Dyhernfurth (now Brzeg Dolny , Poland), in 1939, to initially produce bombs and air bombs using a mixture of Tabun and chlorobenzene called “Variant A”. In the second half of World War II, its name changed to “Variant B”, consisting of an 80:20 mixture of Tabun and chlorobenzene, designed for easier dispersion. The factory was destroyed by the Soviet army, which seized more than 12 tons of Tabun gas before it was used.

Because GA is much easier to produce than other G-series weapons, and the process is relatively broad, countries that have developed a nerve agent production capacity without advanced manufacturing facilities generally began producing GA.

GB or Sarin (CH 3P(O)(F)OCH(CH 3) 2) is an extremely toxic synthetic compound. It is on a liquid form, is colorless and odorless. Sarin exposure is lethal even at very low concentrations. Death can occur within one to ten minutes after direct inhalation, caused by asphyxia due to pulmonary muscle paralysis, unless antidotes are rapidly administered. Non-lethal dose absorption can lead to permanent neurological damage, even with currently available medical treatments.

Sarin was discovered in 1938 at Wuppertal-Elberfeld in Germany by Gerhard Schrader and other I.G. Farben scientists. The compound was named after its discoverers: S chrader , A mbros , R itter and von der Li n de .

In 1939, the German government received information about the formula and, after some testing, the German Army Chemical Warfare Department ordered the product to be manufactured and stocked for use as a chemical weapon, mainly because of its high volatility (its easiness which the liquid can turn into gas).

After the end of World War II, both the Soviet Union and the United States manufactured large quantities of Sarin for use as a chemical weapon.

GD or Soman (C 7H 16FO 2P) is an extremely toxic synthetic chemical compound. It is on a liquid form, is corrosive and has a slight odor of rotten fruits. It is both more lethal and more persistent than Sarin or Tabun, but less than Cyclosarin.

At the summer of 1944, Soman was synthesized by the Nobel Prize winner Richard Kuhn, in conjunction with Konrad Henkel, through the collaboration and studies of Gerhard Schrader , during a research on pharmacology at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research, in Heidelberg . This research was commissioned by the German army, which was interested in the development of new chemical weapons. Soman was produced in small quantities at a pilot plant at I.G. Farben plant, at the city of Ludwigshafen .

Soman causes devastating effects on the central nervous system (CNS), and can kill a healthy adult in minutes. In addition to the direct toxic effects on the nervous system, people exposed to Soman can suffer long-term effects, most of which are characterized by psychological problems. Individuals who were exposed to a small dose of Soman suffered severe toxic effects; once treated, they often developed depression, had antisocial thoughts, were withdrawn and subdued, slept restlessly, and had nightmares.

GF or Cyclosarin (CH 3P(O)(F)OC 6H 11), is an extremely toxic synthetic chemical compound. It is a liquid form of low viscosity, is flammable and has a mild sweet peach smell. It is the most lethal chemical compound of the G-series agents. Cyclosarin is a persistent liquid, which means it has low vapor pressure and therefore evaporates slowly, about 69 times slower than Sarin and 20 times slower than water, so its persistence can be noticed for a month.

Cyclosarin was developed from the beginning to be an extremely lethal chemical weapon to supplement the Wehrmacht’s arsenal. Inhalation of Cyclosarin takes only a few seconds to cause permanent damage to the central nervous system. It has the highest toxicity among all G-series components, requiring only 0.6 grams to kill a healthy adult human.

Cyclosarin has a more complex and expensive manufacturing process, so it was never produced in large quantities during World War II.

Methadone is a substance of the opioid group, used primarily to treat heroin addiction and other opioids, as well as being used to control chronic pain. Pain-relieving effects last about six hours after a single dose, and it is possible a period of up to 24 hours in the body. Methadone is usually administered orally and rarely by injection into a muscle or vein. Its chemical formula is C 21H 27NO. Methadone is virtually identical to morphine and acts on the same receptors as heroin.

Methadone was developed in 1937, in Nazi Germany, by scientists working for I.G. Farben They sought to create an opiate from readily available precursors to solve the problem of opium shortages and other painkillers due to the economic embargoes that rival countries had imposed on Germany. The drug was used in the military and it was discovered that there was a risk of causing dependence, besides having a high toxic degree, so its use was restricted.

After the war, all German patents, trade names and research records were requested and expropriated by the Allies. I.G. Farben research records were confiscated by official US government agencies. The committee report noted that while methadone was potentially addictive, it produced less sedation and respiratory depression than morphine and was therefore interesting as a commercial drug. The drug was launched on the market by several different laboratories over the following decades, being produced and marketed to this day.

Anti-Ship Missiles (AShM) are guided missiles designed for use against ships and large vessels. They can be fired from ships, airplanes or from the ground.

Anti-ship missiles were the first types of short-range guided missiles used during World War II. German air force, Luftwaffe, used the Henschel-Hs 293 , FritzX and other missiles, all launched from their bombers, to cause serious damage to various Allied vessels, particularly in the years 1943 and 1944.

Most anti-ship missiles fly near the sea, are subsonic, and use a combination of inertial navigation system and radar scanning. Other anti-ship missiles use infrared to track the heat emitted by a ship or are guided by radio waves.

After the end of World War II, anti-ship missile technology evolved rapidly, increasing its range, speed, and destructive power. Today, many nations have their own anti-ship missiles with their own lethal characteristics.