Just been reading about this in a book review in a gardening magazine. ‘If You Smell Geraniums — You’re dead!’ The Government issued leaflet to the public as they were worried the Luftwaffe would drop blister agent that smelt like Gernaiums , (pelargoniums to be more accurate). Does anyone have a copy of one of those leaflets ? Had a look on IWM site & couldnt find one. This is all I could find about it. BBC - WW2 People's War - If You Smell Geraniums
Found this piece... World War II, Gas ALL GAS If you get a choking feeling, and a smell of musty hay, You can bet your bottom Dollar that there’s phosgene on the way. But the smell of bleaching powder will inevitably mean That the enemy you are meeting is the gas we call chlorine. When your eyes begin twitching, and for tears you cannot see, t is’nt mother peeling onions, but a dose of C.A.P. If the smell resembles pear drops, then you’d better not delay, It’s not father sucking toffee, it's that ruddy K.S.K. If you catch a pungent odour as you are coming home for tea, You can safely put your shirt on it, they’re using B.B.C. And lastly, while geraniums look pleasant in a bed, Beware their smell in war-time; if its lewisite, you’re dead. ARP Notice. WW2
Enemy Equipment. Gas Warfare. " ... It is reassuring to find that to date, with one exception, all the charges are well known war gases." I wonder what the exception was? Top of Page 3: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/brigade-guards/52007-news-guardian-gad-intelligence-report-may-45-a.html#post567495
Just found some excellent Japanese air raid posters here. Gas attack!: Vintage air raid defense posters ~ Pink Tentacle Including a Geranium one. The posters just pre-date WW2 & were released because of the war with China .