Gas Masks
| Factions | Gas Masks | Icon | Classes | Equip Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US |
 Gas Mask |
 |
ALL |
1 |
 VC |
 Gas Mask |
 |
ALL |
1 |
Gas masks are equipment available to both U.S. and VC forces. Their role is defensive, helping the wearer survive hazardous gas or smoke but with the downsides of limited visibility. They also prevent coughing while in smoke.
HISTORY
Gas masks are protective face coverings used to reduce exposure to chemical, biological, and riot-control agents. Military gas masks developed rapidly during World War I after chemical weapons became a major battlefield threat. By the Cold War, protective masks had become standard chemical-biological defense equipment for many armies, intended to protect the face, eyes, and respiratory tract from battlefield concentrations of chemical, biological, and riot-control agents. U.S. forces used several protective masks during the Vietnam era, with the M17-series field protective mask being one of the best-known American examples. The M17 series used internal cheek filter elements and was issued with accessories such as a carrier, waterproofing bag, and protective eyelens outserts.
During the Vietnam War, gas masks were most closely associated with protection from riot-control agents such as CS gas, which U.S. forces used extensively before 1975. CS and similar agents irritated the eyes and respiratory tract, making masks important for troops operating near gas-filled bunkers, tunnels, or contested enclosed spaces. U.S. troops could use protective masks during tunnel and bunker-clearing operations, while VC and PAVN forces sometimes relied on captured, supplied, or improvised protection depending on availability. Locally made masks also existed, reflecting the uneven supply conditions faced by communist forces in the field.
Sources
- TM 43-0001-26-1: Chemical Defense Equipment | U.S. Army
- Chapter 12: Riot Control Agents, Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare | Borden Institute / U.S. Army
- M17 Protective Mask | VietnamGear
- Viet Cong gas mask | Australian War Memorial
- Riot Control Agents | CDC