Though Germany is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, since World War II it has generally refrained from using this technology to outfit its own armed forces with weapons of mass destruction (WMD), although it participates in the NATO nuclear weapons sharing arrangements and trains for delivering nuclear weapons. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including For the military meaning see Armed forces. For the Soviet sports society see Armed Forces (sports society Armed Forces A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e The North Atlantic Treaty Nuclear sharing is a concept in NATO 's policy of nuclear deterrence, which involves member countries without Nuclear weapons of their own in the planning A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion.

Germany is among the powers which possess the ability to create nuclear weapons but has agreed not to do so (under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as reaffirmed by the Two Plus Four Treaty). Nations that are known or believed to possess Nuclear weapons are sometimes referred to as the nuclear club. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT or NNPT) is a Treaty to limit the spread The Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany, (or the Two Plus Four Agreement) was negotiated in 1990 between the Federal Republic of Germany Along with most other industrial nations, Germany produces components that can be used for creating deadly agents, chemical weapons, and other WMD. Alongside other companies from the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, India, The United States, Belgium, Spain, and Brazil, German companies provided Iraq with precursors of chemical agents used by Iraq to engage in chemical warfare during the Iran-Iraq war^[1]. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics.

Contents 1 History 1.1 World War I 1.2 World War II 1.3 Cold War and beyond 1.4 German participation to aid Iraqi production of weapons of mass destruction 2 References 3 External links

History

World War I

Main article: Use of poison gas in World War I

As one of the major combatants in World War I, Germany used and developed what we would today describe as weapons of mass destruction. The use of poison gas in World War I was a major military innovation World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All During World War I, Germany developed and used chemical weapons, for instance mustard gas. Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of Chemical substances to kill injure or incapacitate an enemy. The sulfur mustards, of which mustard gas ( Bis (2-chloroethyl sulfide is a member are a class of related Cytotoxic, Vesicant Chemical These weapons were also employed by the Allies.

World War II

During World War II, Germany worked to develop atomic weapons, though Allied scientists ultimately beat the Germans to this goal - the international team included many displaced émigré scientists from Germany itself; see German nuclear energy project. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. The German nuclear energy project in Nazi Germany was informally known as the Uranverein (Uranium Club and it began in April 1939 just months German scientists also did research on other chemical weapons during the war, including human experimentation with mustard gas. Nazi human experimentation was a series of controversial medical experiments on large numbers of prisoners by the German Nazi regime in its Concentration The first nerve gas, tabun, was invented by the German researcher Gerhard Schrader in 1937. Nerve agents (also being referred to as nerve gases, though these chemicals are liquid at room temperature are a class of Phosphorus -containing organic chemicals During the war, Germany stockpiled tabun, sarin, and soman but refrained from their use on the battlefield. Zyklon B was used by Nazi Germany as a chemical weapon to poison prisoners in the gas chambers of the largest extermination camp, Auschwitz Birkenau, and also at Majdanek, one of the Operation Reinhard camps. Zyklon B (tsykloːn ˈbeː also spelled Cyclon B or Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of Chemical substances to kill injure or incapacitate an enemy. A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing consisting of a sealed chamber into which a Poisonous or Asphyxiant gas is introduced Extermination camps were two types of facilities that Nazi Germany built during World War II for the systematic killing of millions of people in what has become "Auschwitz" redirects here For the town see Oświęcim Auschwitz-Birkenau () was the largest of Nazi Germany Majdanek was a Nazi Concentration camp on the outskirts of Lublin, Poland. Operation Reinhard ( Aktion Reinhard or Einsatz Reinhard in German) was the code name given to the Nazi plan to murder Polish Jews At the other extermination camps, engine exhaust was used in the gas chambers. Exhaust gas is Flue gas which occurs as a result of the Combustion of fuels such as Natural gas, Gasoline /petrol Diesel, Fuel Many of the victims were Jews and the Zyklon B gas became a central symbol of the Holocaust. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as

Cold War and beyond

During the Cold War, nuclear weapons were deployed in Germany by both the United States (in West Germany) and the Soviet Union (in East Germany). Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state Despite not being among the nuclear powers during the Cold War, Germany had a political and military interest in the balance of nuclear capability. In 1977, after the Soviet deployment of the new SS-20 IRBM, West German chancellor Helmut Schmidt expressed concern over the capability of NATO's nuclear forces compared to those of the Soviets. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays An intermediate-range ballistic missile ( IRBM) is a Ballistic missile with a range of 3000-5500 km (1865-3420 miles between a Medium-range ballistic missile Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (born 23 December 1918 is a German Social Democratic Politician who served as Chancellor of West Germany The North Atlantic Treaty Later in the Cold War under the chancellorship of Helmut Kohl, the West German government expressed concern about the progress of the nuclear arms race. Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (born 3 April 1930 is a German conservative politician and statesman Particularly, they addressed the eagerness of Germany's NATO allies, the United States and United Kingdom, to seek restrictions on long-range strategic weapons while modernizing their short-range and tactical nuclear systems. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Germany wanted to see such short range systems eliminated, because their major use was not deterrence but battlefield employment. Germany itself, straddling the division of the Eastern and Western blocs in Europe, was a likely battlefield in any escalation of the Cold War and battlefield use of nuclear weapons would be devastating to German territory.

In 1957 the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) was created to promote the use of nuclear energy in Europe. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom is an international organisation which is semi-independent of but completely controlled by the European Community Under cover of the peaceful use of nuclear power, West Germany hoped to develop the basis of a nuclear weapons programme with France and Italy. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest ^[2] The West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer told his cabinet that he "wanted to achieve, through EURATOM, as quickly as possible, the chance of producing our own nuclear weapons". Konrad Hermann Josef Adenauer ( 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967 was a German Statesman. ^[3] The idea was short-lived. In 1958 Charles De Gaulle became President of France and Germany and Italy were excluded from the weapons project. Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French Euratom continued as the European agency for the peaceful use of nuclear technology, becoming part of the structure of the European Economic Community in 1967. The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992

Germany ratified the Geneva Protocol on 25 April 1929, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on 2 May 1975, the Biological Weapons Convention on 7 April 1983 and the Chemical Weapons Convention on 12 August 1994. The Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating Poisonous or other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, usually called the Geneva Protocol Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT or NNPT) is a Treaty to limit the spread Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (usually referred to as the Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) The Chemical Weapons Convention ( CWC) is an Arms control agreement which outlaws the production stockpiling and use of chemical weapons Its full name is Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) These dates signify ratification by the Federal Republic of Germany, during the division of Germany the NPT and the BWC were ratified separately by the German Democratic Republic (on 31 October 1969 and 28 November 1972, respectively). Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The United States provides about 60 tactical B61 nuclear bombs for use by Germany under a NATO nuclear weapons sharing agreement. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The B61 Nuclear bomb is the primary Thermonuclear weapon in the U The North Atlantic Treaty Nuclear sharing is a concept in NATO 's policy of nuclear deterrence, which involves member countries without Nuclear weapons of their own in the planning The weapons are stored at Büchel and Ramstein Air Bases, and in time of war would be delivered by Luftwaffe Panavia Tornado warplanes. Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Many countries believe this violates Articles I and II of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), where Germany has committed:

". The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT or NNPT) is a Treaty to limit the spread . . not to receive the transfer from any transferor whatsoever of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or of control over such weapons or explosive devices directly, or indirectly . . . or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices . . . ".

The U. S. insists its forces control the weapons and that no transfer of the nuclear bombs or control over them is intended "unless and until a decision were made to go to war, at which the [NPT] treaty would no longer be controlling", so there is no breach of the NPT. However German pilots and other staff practice handling and delivering the U. S. nuclear bombs^[4] Even if the NATO argument is considered legally correct, such peacetime operations could arguably contravene both the objective and the spirit of the NPT.

Like other countries of its size and wealth, Germany has the skills and resources to create its own nuclear weapons quite quickly if desired. The Zippe-type centrifuge was, indeed, invented by captured Germans working in the Soviet Union in the 1950s, and URENCO operates a centrifuge uranium enrichment plant in Germany. The Zippe-type centrifuge is a device designed to collect Uranium-235. The Urenco Group operates Uranium enrichment plants in Germany The Netherlands and the United Kingdom and supplies nuclear power stations in about 15 countries in Europe There are also several power reactors in Germany that could be used to produce bomb-grade plutonium if desired. Such a development is, of course, highly unlikely in the present benign security environment. In September 2007 the French president Sarkozy asked Germany, if doesn't want to take part in the French nuclear programme and be so also a nuclear power. ^[5]

German participation to aid Iraqi production of weapons of mass destruction

Two thousand Iranians who suffered from chemical warfare during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) submitted an indictment some years ago with a Tehran court against nine companies that had provided Saddam Hussein, then president of Iraq, with precursors of the chemical agents used in the Iran-Iraq war. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Several American and European companies provided aid to Iraq during its war with Iran. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Nations published a 12,000-page report about the conflict, naming also companies involved. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security After his fall, the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was brought to trial by an Iraqi tribunal; Iranian chemical victims were not allowed to be present in the closed-door trial, and the issue of Iranian victims was not part of the agenda in the tribunal. Tribunal is a generic term for any body acting judicially whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title

References

• [1]
• [2]
• [3]

External links

• Germany, The NPT, and the European Option, Matthias Küntzel, WISE
• Nerve gases: history at Espionageinfo. com

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