Some Germans were exposed to the gas as well. By the end of the battle the Allies and Germans had suffered massive casualties. The Canadians alone suffered over 6000 casualties. Gas masks were rare at the time, and the Allied troops did not have them. A Canadian ceramic maker was able to recognize the color of the gas. He immediately told the soldiers to urinate on a towel and put it over their face. This isolated (separated) the gas components and stopped the gas from killing the Canadian soldiers.