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Military Gas Mask Types

Military gas masks are designed to protect military personnel from breathing in harmful chemical or biological agents. Their most important feature is the intake filter, which is responsible for removing dangerous substances from the air. One of the earliest gas masks was patented by Lewis P. Haslett of Louisville in 1847. His device relied on air being filtered through wool moistened with water. Despite this, the U.S. military didn't produce their own masks until 1917. Modern U.S. military gas masks have advanced filtering systems and may be equipped with drinking and communications systems.

World War I
- When the U.S. entered WWI in 1917, Germany and its allies were using five varieties of poisonous gases. According to the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media website, more than 30 percent of the Americans wounded in WWI were gas casualties. U.S. soldiers were initially issued Small Box Respirator (S.B.R.) masks borrowed from Britain and M2 masks borrowed from France. After a few failed attempts at producing their own masks, the U.S. army began manufacturing an improved version of the British S.B.R. in October 1917. According to the Brinskter website, about 1.6 million of these masks were made during the war.
World War II
- The week after the start of WWII, the U.S. Army established three gas mask assembly plants that were able to produce 1 million within six weeks, according to the Time website. The Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media website describes how overseas U.S. military personnel were legally required to carry gas masks at all times. According to the Oliver Drab website, some of the masks used during this period include the M2 to M4 series of lightweight service gas masks, the M5 assault gas mask, the M7 head-wound gas mask and the M8 snout-type gas mask. These masks were lighter, better fitting and allowed for more vision than their WWI counterparts.
1960 to 1990
- According to the Book Rags website, the development of the M17 gas mask in the 1960s proved to be a milestone in mask design. Unlike earlier masks, the M17 had no external canister or hose. Air was instead filtered through pads enclosed in the molded cavities of the face-piece. Other masks produced during this period include the M25 tank gas mask in 1963, and its successor, the M42 combat vehicle gas mask in 1987.
1990s to Present
- The M45 chemical-biological gas mask was developed in the late 1990s for the U.S. Army by a company in California. The M45 improved on earlier gas masks by replacing metal parts with plastic varieties. The mask's inner lining was made from a silicone-based compound for added comfort. According to the Book Rags website, it was during the 1990s that interchangeable lenses, drinking tubes and built-in microphones were introduced. According to the Olive Drab website, the joint service general purpose mask was introduced in 2006 to replace the M45.

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