The Gas and Flame MenWhen the United States officially entered World War I in 1917, it was woefully underprepared for chemical warfare, in which the British, French, and Germans had been engaged since 1915. In response, the U. S. Army created an entirely new branch: the Chemical Warfare Service. The army turned to trained chemists and engineers to lead the chargeand called on an array of others, including baseball players, to fill out the ranks. The Gas and Flame Men is