31 January 1915
Eastern Front
Minor German attack in the area west of Warsaw designed to draw Russian attention towards that area and away from East Prussia, where the Germans were massing for an attack that would lead to the second battle of the Masurian Lakes. The battle of Bolimov saw the first use of poisoned gas during the First World war when the Germans fired 18,000 shells filled with a form of tear gas. The gas attack was a failure as the gas froze solid, but it was a precursor to the introduction of more deadly Chlorine Gas at Ypres on 22 April 1915.
How to cite this article: Rickard, J (28 December 2007), 31 January 1915, http://www.historyofwar.org/firstworldwar/daybyday/1915_01_31.html