"Cyclone B" is an extremely strong poison that is now used in various sectors of agricultural production.
However, he gained the greatest fame as a weapon for the mass extermination of people by the Nazis during the Second World War. Since then, this chemical has been produced under a different name to avoid terrible associations.
basic information
Cyclone B is a unique pesticide. This category of chemicals is commonly used in agricultural business. Since the nineteenth century they have been used to control pests and parasites. Pesticides kill many foodborne bacteria. They can also protect wood from being corroded by various insects. "Cyclone B" is made on the basis of hydrocyanic acid.
By itself, it is found in many plants, industrial gas, and even cigarettes. However, in large quantities, acid is extremely dangerous to human health. It is based on hydrogen and cyanide. The latter has active chemical properties. Hydrocyanic acid has no color, but has a bright smell. Molecules of poison are lighter than air molecules; due to this, the acid is very volatile and moves quickly.
Start of research
The active use of chemicals as a weapon began during the First World War. Many poisons, such as mustard gas, got their name in honor of the place of the first combat use. After the war, Germany could not have its own armed forces. Therefore, it was decided to direct the main forces to the study of methods of mass destruction of the enemy. The head of these studies was Fritz Haber, who four years before received the Nobel Prize. Fritz since 1911 was engaged in secret developments under the personal guidance of the Kaiser.
Gaber, along with other German chemists, tried to create a new poison that would surpass all existing ones. During the Great War, Germany actively used chlorine. However, he was too heavy and slow. After the first successful attacks, the Allies equipped their advanced units with chemical protection. So the soldiers managed to put on gas masks as soon as they saw a creeping white cloud. Scientists took this flaw into account and turned their attention to hydrocyanic acid.
Creating a Cyclone
The cyanide, which was the basis of this poison, became very "popular" in Germany at that time. He found a wide variety of applications. Luftwaffe pilots always had an ampoule in the medicine cabinet so as not to surrender alive. And all the prominent figures of the Nazi regime by the forty-fifth year wore such ampoules literally in their teeth. Gaber began to experiment with cyanide and developed its new properties. So, in the twenty-second year they created "Cyclone B".
Its advantage was in the state of aggregation. All the existing combat poisons were gaseous, and the Cyclone was an adsorbent. The gypsum granules were saturated with hydrocyanic acid, then stabilizing substances and methyl ether were added. The granules released a
toxic, colorless gas for several hours.
"Cyclone B": action on the human body
The poison affects the human body in different ways, depending on the dosage. With a defeat in the open air, a fatal outcome can be avoided by providing timely medical care. Even with severe poisoning, the first signs appear after fifteen to sixty minutes.
This form of poisoning is called delayed. Light intoxication involves nausea, dizziness, an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth. Strong muscle fatigue leads to severe shortness of breath when performing even minor physical exertion. All symptoms with mild intoxication disappear after three days. With a moderate form of intoxication, the following symptoms are added: hallucinations, frequent loss of consciousness, cramps, decreased heart rate, redness of skin pigments. Symptoms can last up to a week, with medical intervention, you can avoid loss of consciousness.
The action of "Cyclone B" in a confined space leads to death. When poisoning with a large amount of poisonous gas, a person develops a fulminant form of intoxication. Immediately after the defeat, a person loses consciousness. Then breathing and pulse become more frequent. Constant cramps almost never stop. Breathing stops after a few minutes, and this leads to death.
Nazi use
The effect of the Cyclone B gas on humans was first tested in 1941. In the Auschwitz concentration camp, he was used against Soviet prisoners of war and other prisoners.
The initiator of the poisoning was Karl Fritsch. Gas acted very quickly and did not require special expenses. Cyclone B was produced by the German company Degesh, which produced pest control chemicals. Four kilograms of Cyclone is enough to kill thousands of people. This method of killing was approved by SS Obersturmbannführer
Rudolf Höss. He personally stated this at the Nuremberg trial of war criminals.
At first it was used only for groups of "suicide bombers". Then the camp doctors began to select prisoners who had been ill for more than four weeks. Also in the gas chambers, prisoners unable to work were exterminated. The action of cyanic crystals pleased the Nazis. In Auschwitz, gas chambers were created that accommodate up to two thousand people at a time.
After that, this experience was extended to other concentration camps.
Group "Cyclone B"
Contrasting associations of poison arouse interest in him from many radical currents. In particular, the Russian thrash rock band took the name of poison as a name. The Cyclone B group adhered to right-wing nationalist views. The interest in Nazi aesthetics most likely led to the choice of just such a name.
The musical group was very popular among nationalists and right-wing skinheads. However, in 2007 it broke up. Many songs of the collective are included in the register of extremist materials and are prohibited. Nevertheless, the members of the group managed to avoid arrest. In 2016, they announced the creation of a new music project. The theme of the songs remains the same, but the name has been changed to "Opposition."