[George W. Bush]

it took the Germans until WW2 to invent (and use, on Jews and others) nerve gasses like Sarin.

They mostly used Zyklon B on the Jews. A cynanide-based insecticide from the Twenties. It was a delousing agent and had an additive to make it stink as a warning to anyone nearby. The U.S. supposedly used it to delouse Mexican migrant workers and the trains they rode on to go pick crops back in the Twenties and Thirties. When the Nazis gassed the Jews with it, they had the manufacturer remove the warning smell so they couldn't tell they were being gassed until they started to drop. Earlier, the Nazis did use it properly to keep down lice in the camps as well.

Zyklon B has a weird history. First, to delouse. Then later misused to murder Jews in the camps.

[Ancesthntr]

Actually, we are both correct. Sarin was invented in 1938 by 2 German scientists (looking for a good pesticide). It was produced - but obviously not used in the war - by the Nazis. It was not used (at least per Wikipedia) to gas anyone. I’m a bit skeptical about that - the Germans were infamous for doing all types of human experiments, so it would surprise me if they didn’t use it on some unfortunate human subjects.

But you’re correct about the Zyklon-B history. FYI, Zyklon B is still in production in Czech Republic in factory Draslovka Kolín a.s. in the city Kolín under the tradename Uragan D2, sold for eradicating insects and small animals.