In Their Words

American Corrected English Box Respirator (Gas Mask)

Towards the end of the war, The U.S. began producing its own gas mask. Up to this point, American soldiers had been using the British mask or any of the multiple French masks available. The new gas mask was based on the British Small Box Respirator and aptly, if presumptuously, called the American Corrected English Small Box Respirator.

Essentially copying the British mask, only slight changes were made to the carrying bag and mask itself. A service card was added to the mask, listing instructions on how to wear the gas mask, how to make simple adjustments, and how to make minor repairs using the included adhesive tape. The carrying bag was modified by simply changing the type of fasteners used to close it and by adding a metal grip instead of leather thong on the front. An anti-fogging stick was also included in the mask’s carrying case and could be used by a soldier to coat the lenses prior to wearing the mask.

The mask’s filtration system functions the same as that of the British Small Box Respirator. A flexible hose attached the mask to the filter canister, which was filled with activated coconut charcoal, soda-lime, and cotton pads to protect against toxic gasses. The instruction card was typically attached to the hose for easy access.

While serving the men of the A.E.F. quite well on the battlefield, some took issue with certain aspects of the mask. In particular, the nose clip and mouth piece on the inside of the mask were uncomfortable for many soldiers. This discomfort lead to fatigue when soldiers had to wear the mask for extended periods of time, thus reducing their efficiency on the battlefield. Wearing the mask gave soldiers greatly reduced vision and hearing, two complaints that would plague gas mask development for some time. While no changes were made to remedy these problems during the course of the war, these factors inspired later changes to the mask and spawned several gas mask variants in later years.

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