Who used white phosphorus in ww2?

The US Army and Marines used M2 and M328 WP shells in 107mm (4.2 inch) mortars. White phosphorus was widely used by Allied soldiers for breaking up German attacks and creating havoc among enemy troop concentrations during the latter part of the war.

What is the use of white phosphorus?

DESCRIPTION: White phosphorus is a toxic substance produced from phosphate-containing rocks. Industries use white phosphorus to manufacture chemicals used in fertilizers, food additives, and cleaning compounds. In the past, it was used as a pesticide and in fireworks.

What are the effects of white phosphorus?

HIGHLIGHTS: White phosphorus is a waxy solid which burns easily and is used in chemical manufacturing and smoke munitions. Exposure to white phosphorus may cause burns and irritation, liver, kidney, heart, lung, or bone damage, and death.

When was white phosphorus used in war?

Munitions containing white phosphorus were used extensively in World War II , the Vietnam War, and the Korea War, including as an anti-personnel weapon. ICRC, Weapons that may Cause Unnecessary Suffering or have Indiscriminate Effects, Experts Report, Geneva, 1973, §188.

Can white phosphorus be used in war?

White phosphorus munitions are per se a lawful weapon that can be used against the enemy consistent with the normal laws of targeting. Focusing on the weapon, and not how it is being used, muddies the law and facts surrounding the circumstances in which a war crime may have occurred.

Is white phosphorus allowed in war?

Determining that it is illegal to use a certain weapon in armed conflict requires a positive showing of its treaty- or customary-based prohibition. White phosphorus is often incorrectly labeled as an “incendiary weapon” or a “chemical weapon.” Under the LOAC, it is legally neither.

When did the US stop using white phosphorus?

2013
The U.S. military has admitted using white phosphorus in the 2004 battle for Fallujah in Iraq, and in Afghanistan in 2009. Israel used it in the 2008 Gaza war, but said in 2013 that it would stop.

Was white phosphorus used in ww1?

White phosphorus has been used since World War I both as an incendiary agent and for creating smoke screens or smoke signals. Munitions containing white phosphorus were used extensively in World War II , the Vietnam War, and the Korea War, including as an anti-personnel weapon.

Was white phosphorus used in the Gulf War?

Asked if it was used as an offensive weapon during the siege of Falluja, he replied: “Yes, it was used as an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants.

Is white phosphorus illegal for militaries to use?

It is not illegal under international law for militaries to possess and use white phosphorus, and the United States’ and other Western militaries say they use it mainly to create smoke screens to hide troop movements. But it can also be used as an incendiary weapon, setting very hot fires.

What is a white phosphorus grenade used for?

White Phosphorus (WP), known as Willy Pete, is used for signaling, screening, and incendiary purposes. White Phosphorus can be used to destroy the enemy’s equipment or to limit his vision. It is used against vehicles, petroleum , oils and lubricants (POL) and ammunition storage areas, and enemy observers.

What is white phosphorus ammunition?

White phosphorus munitions. As a result, smoke-producing white phosphorus munitions are very common, particularly as smoke grenades for infantry, loaded in grenade launchers on tanks and other armoured vehicles, as part of the ammunition allotment for artillery or mortars and as payload of incendiary cluster bombs.

What is white phosphorus bomb?

US Air Force Douglas A-1E Skyraider drops a white phosphorus bomb on a Viet Cong position in South Vietnam in 1966. White phosphorus is a material made from a common allotrope of the chemical element phosphorus that is used in smoke, tracer, illumination, and incendiary munitions.