Hello Dusty,
I have to disagree with you on this one.
First of all the comparison with war time comment is completely unfair.
Consider the facts that at the time the Nazi's would have had a major security blanket around the project and there was no prior history or knowledge about rocketry of the type they developed so intelligence would have been difficult to gather. A fairer counter argument, consider the expert advice Mr Blair had about the WMD in Iraq!
This topic of gassing has been bubbling along for a long time now. and it really doesn't ring true. Compared to the early development of incendiary rocketry, there is plenty of knowledge about anesthetics. It would be entirely reasonable for a anesthetist to offer a cogent argument based on the wide scope of knowledge available.
How much gas would be needed to fill a house, yet alone a mansion to a level that would ensure all the occupants were subdued? Its not a small cylinder like the dentist has, it would have to be a massive tanker. Then there are the practicalities of delivering into the house, and what about all the natural ventilation that would there, don't forget this was in the height of summer, windows would be open, draughts under doors, and any chimneys they may have. It would be very difficult to get the necessary narcotic density of gas distributed adequately around the whole property
What about the cost to the criminals, they would have to obtain the gas and all the ancillary equipment needed, That wouldn't come cheaply, so they would have to be dead certain there was enough value in the heist to make it worthwhile.
Now lets consider a more macabre problem. Most anesthetic gasses are highly inflammable which is one of the reasons why hospital theatres are all very well earthed, and all the gear used and worn naturally discharges static buildup. These criminals are unlikely to trained in the use of this gas, How would they know when enough has been delivered to subdue the occupants?.
If this modus operandi were as common as the stories would have us believe, I am fairly sure that by now we would have heard of fatalities, either from too much gas, or the other elephant in the house which is the gas igniting and setting the property on fire.
If Jeson and his party were drugged, it's infinitely more likely to have been through ingestion with food or drink.
Ironically I composed this comment before seeing the items in the newspapers, and virtually all the point I have made are echoed there. The Mail online :-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3189403/Were-Jenson-Button-wife-REALLY-gassed-thieves-French-police-pour-doubt-theory-saying-F1-ace-based-claim-solely-chauffeur-feeling-sick.html
remembers the incident in Russia when the authorities tried to anesthetize the occupied theatre, and even with the control the military could muster, there were fatalities.
Lets stop these ill informed scaremongering comments now.