"There were so many bad odors around that I had to watch the gas sentries from sounding unnecessary alarms." (Memoir, page 43)

Earle Covington Smith

Page from Earle Smith's diary [detail] War: World War, 1914-1918 Branch: Army Unit: 7th Infantry Brigade, 4th Division Service Location: Baltimore, Maryland; Sandy Hook Proving Ground, New Jersey; Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Fort Russell, Cheyenne, Wyoming; France Rank: Captain

Trained as an engineer, Captain Earle Covington Smith anticipated the US entrance into the war in 1917, requesting a commission in the Ordnance Officers Reserve Corps. After a stint as a proof officer, during which he tested various brands of ammunition, he was transferred to France, where he eventually became a gas officer. In his diary, he made notes on such topics as the chemical makeup of particular toxic gases, the construction of hand grenades, and how to remove mustard gas from the skin. Along with his diary, his memoir provides a glimpse into the role played by chemical warfare during World War I. Serving as an "official nose," he worked to make sure that soldiers were properly equipped with functional gas masks and that they were able to recognize different gases and identify the start of an attack. As he relates, the smell of death on the battlefield was so strong that it sometimes led to false alarms.