Bolimov, Battle of

In World War I, inconclusive battle between German and Russian forces, part of the third German attack on Warsaw February 1915; mainly significant as the first battle in which gas was used as a weapon of war. Although the Russians held the Germans off in this engagement, they decided shortly after to abandon Poland as too costly to defend and the Germans occupied Warsaw August 1915.

The German artillery fired several thousand shells filled with xylyl bromide, a lachrymatory gas, but the liquid failed to vaporize because of the extreme cold and so the gas had no effect whatever on the Russian defenders. The Russians discovered that gas had been used, and took steps to issue rudimentary masks to their troops thereafter, as well as alerting Britain and France to the new tactic. However, it was not immediately followed up and the incident was forgotten and so the use of gas at Ypres still came as a surprise.