Animals in World War II: Dogs, Horses & Pigeons.
Latest WWII news. See also: Reenactment: Living History, Most decorated Soldiers - Military Medals, SS, Nazi Uniforms.
Animals of war showcased in the latest exhibit at the National World War II Museum
Smoky the Yorkshire terrier, Lady Astor the pigeon and a legion of horses and mules - 4 animals most often brought into the war - are among war animals featured in the "Loyal Forces: The Animals of WWII" exhibit at the National World War II Museum. In the first balcony, where a Sherman tank and a half-track represent the period's most common cavalry, is a figure of a Coast Guardsman on shore patrol with his horse. The shore patrols were set up after Nazi saboteurs landed on American beaches. The first thing visitors see in the special exhibits gallery is a German reconnaissance horse from Germany's 1st Cavalry Division. (onlineathens.com)
250,000 birds were used by the army, RAF and the Civil Defence Services like Home Guard
At the start of World War II 7,000 of Britain's pigeon hobbyists gave their birds to the war effort to act as message carriers. The National Pigeon Service was set up, and 250,000 birds were used by the army, RAF and the Civil Defence Services like Home Guard. In WWII, every military aircraft leaving Britain was recommended to carry pigeons. The Royal Racing Pigeon Association says that aircraft had pigeons in special watertight baskets so if the aircraft had to ditch, the pigeon could take a message back to land. Now an exhibit - The Pigeon Archive - explores the topic at The Shakespeare Barn at Lynn Arts Centre galleries. (lynnnews.co.uk)
Dogs of War: Unheard tales of gallantry in the Eastern Front
Dogs that served on the front delivered messages, laid wires, detected mines, dug out the injured in bombings and acted as guards or patrol dogs. "Sledge dogs were used for both carrying away wounded soldiers and bringing ammunition. During the war, animals hauled 6,000 tons of ammunition and 3,500 tons of other loads," said Yekaterina Vasilyeva, of the Military History Museum of the Artillery, Engineering and Signal Corps. "Dogs carried more than 200,000 reports and laid about 12,000km of cable," adds Sergei Paskhin. A special medal for dogs was created - the equivalent of the Order of Courage issued to soldiers. (themoscowtimes.com)
Bereiterinnen: Third Reich female Horse-breakers (forum thread with photographs)
While the German cavalry maintained integral remount units, the training task for riders and horses in the mounted elements of infantry and artillery units, and for draught animals, fell to a rather strange group. Due to a lack of qualified officers and NCO's in these units, German girls who were experienced in riding and breaking horses were used for these tasks. The horsewomen wore the standard uniform tunic of the staff auxiliaries riding breeches and boots. "Together with about 20 other girls and young women I became a female horse-breaker. We had the rank of Unteroffizier," recalls Margot von Schade. (forum.axishistory.com)
10 amazing warfare use of animals, including WWII-era cat bombs, bat bombs and anti-tank dogs
(1) Anti-tank dogs were dogs taught to carry explosives to tanks and armored vehicles. They were trained by the Soviet Red Army in 1930–1996 and used in 1941–1942 against Nazi tanks. The U.S. military trained anti-tank dogs in 1943, but never deployed them. (2) American Bat bombs were casings containing a bat with an incendiary bomb. Dropped from a bomber the casings would deploy a parachute and open to release the bats which would fly to attics where the incendiaries would start fires. (3) Cat bombs: The American OSS needed a way to guide bombs to sink German ships... (ranker.com)
War Dogs of the Pacific - documentary film
After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. military began a campaign against Japan on islands spread across the Pacific. The type of jungle warfare necessary to succeed was foreign to American forces. The Marine Corps decided on a new approach for the problems the jungle terrain presented. The documentary film "War Dogs of the Pacific" tells the story of the war dogs program. World War II dog handlers recall how they were recruited: One man was a horse trainer, so because he had at one point in his life worked with animals it was assumed he would be a natural dog handler - another one just happened to have a cocker spaniel back home, so he became a Marine dog handler. (blogcritics.org)
The only Nazi Memorial in London: Giro the Nazi Dog
Giro the Nazi Dog is the only Nazi memorial in London. Giro was owned by Dr Leopold von Hoesch - the German Ambassador in London 1932-1936. Giro died in 1934 from accidental eletrocution and was given a full Nazi burial. There was a Nazi Embassy in London 1936-1939 at 9 Carlton House Terrace - now used by the Royal Society - and Nazi architect Albert Speer was involved in the building's renovation. The Nazis had to leave when the second world war started and the Foreign Office removed most of the swastikas - but there is a border design of swastikas on the floor of one public room. (-)
Plaque for the Dickin medal winning pigeon which carried d-day message in record time
War hero Paddy the pigeon was the first bird to fly back with news of the D-Day landings in Normandy in the Second World War. Now, a plaque is being placed at Carnlough harbour in honour of the only Irish pigeon to win a Dickin medal - the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross medal. Two days after D-Day, 30 pigeons were shipped to France by a unit of the 1st US Army. Paddy's task - a secret mission codenamed "U2" - began in Normandy at 0815 BST on 12 June, when he was released with coded information on the Allied advance. He flew back in just 4 hours and 50 minutes, the fastest time recorded by a message-carrying pigeon during the Normandy landings. (bbc.co.uk)
War hero stray dog's medal is auctioned fetching 24,250 pounds
A medal awarded to a stray dog which find trapped survivors in London during the Blitz has been auctioned off for £24,250. Rip the mongrel was granted the Dickin Medal (animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross medal) after helping to find over 100 victims of Luftwaffe air raids. Found homeless and starving in 1940, Rip was adopted by an air raid warden based at Southill Street Air Raid Patrol in Poplar, east London. The founder of veterinary charity PDSA, Maria Dickin, began awarding the medals in 1943 to recognise animals which showed "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty". So far 62 medals have been awarded to dogs, pigeons, horses and a cat. (bbc.co.uk)
How a Nazi genetic engineering brought extinct aurochs to Devon
Through the misty sunlight a vision from the primeval past lumbers into view in a Devon field. The beast with its shaggy, russet-tinged coat, powerful shoulders and lyre-shaped horns could have stepped straight from a prehistoric cave painting. The vision is a creature of which even Julius Caesar was in awe: Bos primigenius, the aurochs, fearsome wild ancestor of all domestic cattle. But this herd of 13 bulls, cows and calves known as Heck cattle is the product of Nazi genetic engineering, an attempt to reintroduce the extinct aurochs, the last of which perished in a Polish forest 4 centuries ago. The herd has Luftwaffe chief Herman Goering to thank for its existence. (timesonline.co.uk)
Dog brings home World War II hand grenade holding it by the pin
Most dog owners have discovered that their dogs have brought home things they'd rather they didn't - like dirty bones. But a family in Inverness-shire found that their dog, described as "non-stop digger of holes," brought home something a little more unwanted. The collie puppy brought a Second World War hand grenade home, and dangled it from her mouth, holding it by the pin. Dog's owner Mylene MacDonald said: "Only rust and mud were keeping the pin in place. Had it worked loose hanging from Rox's mouth, she and my two wee boys could have been blown to bits." The area was previously used a training site for commandos. (dreamdogs.co.uk)
World War II hero stray dog to have medal auctioned
A stray dog who saved more than 100 lives in world war 2 is to have his medal auctioned. The stray dog, called Rip, was rescued by an Air Raid Precaution warden in 1940 when the Luftwaffe was bombing the Poplar area of London. After being saved, Rip paid his rescuer back by sniffing out victims of the Nazi air raids, saving over 100 people in London. As a result of his heroism, Rip was granted the Dickin Medal, which was the animal version of the Victoria Cross medal. (dreamdogs.co.uk)
Zoo seeking homeowner who kept Baby elephant as pet to save her from WWII blitz
A kindhearted homeowner kept a baby elephant in her back yard for months during World War II because zookeepers feared the animal would be killed in a Nazi bombing raid. Many animals were killed because of public safety fears of an escape during the bombing. But baby elephant Sheila was walked down the road by keepers to a red-brick house on the Whitewell Road where a woman gave her refuge in her back yard for several months until the so-called Belfast Blitz was over. Now, as part of the Belfast zoo's 75th anniversary, managers are trying to id the woman - known only as "the elephant angel." (telegraph.co.uk)
World War II pigeon trainer Richard Topus passes away at the age 84
In Jan 1942 Uncle Sam sounded a call to enlist. It wasn't men they wanted, but pigeons. 50,000 pigeons served the U.S. in the war: Many were shot down or caught by falcons released by the Nazis. Richard Topus had no birds to give, but his experience with pigeons qualified him to train American spies. WWII saw the last massive use of pigeons, and Topus was among the last of the several thousand pigeoneers (military pigeon handlers), who served the U.S. in the war. Technological advances seemed to end use of pigeons as wartime messengers, but WWII revealed defects of technology: Radio transmissions can be intercepted and triangulated. (nytimes.com)
MI5's secret D-Day pigeon plot to spread false rumours revealed
British spy chiefs planned to use pigeons to spread false rumours in Nazi-occupied France about the imminent D-Day landings, declassified MI5 files show. Nazi Germany had been intercepting pigeons with Allied notes, so MI5 considered to put extra pigeons over the west coast of France to give the impression the invasion would be there. The official historian of MI5, professor Christopher Andrew, commented: "Because pigeons are used to pass on messages, it's understandable someone thought of this." The intelligence use of pigeons started during WWI when the British dropped pigeons inside baskets attached to parachutes and balloons to gather information. (bbc.co.uk)
World War II hero dog's tale put in print - Norwegian sea dog Bamse
It is said that sea dog Bamse, a 14 stone St Bernard, saved the lives of two sailors during World War 2. He also did many other good deeds while the mascot on the Norwegian Navy minesweeper the Thorrod. A book has now been written to separate the fact from the fiction surrounding the canine hero. His exploits included knocking over a knifeman who was attacking a lieutenant. Angus Whitson, co-author of Sea Dog Bamse, said: "My favourite story is him taking the sailors out of the pub and making sure they got back to their ship on time. From what I have read he physically pushed the sailors out of the pubs." (bbc.co.uk)
Bear, trained to carry heavy mortar rounds, saw action at Monte Cassino
A campaign has been launched to construct a memorial to a bear which fought in World War II. The bear, called Voytek and known as the Soldier Bear, was adopted by Polish troops in 1943, and trained to carry heavy mortar rounds. When Polish forces were deployed the only way to take the bear with them was to "enlist" him. So he was given a name, rank and number and participated in the Italian campaign, seeing action at Monte Cassino. "He was just like a dog, nobody was scared of him," said Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski. (bbc)
Portraits of the World War II's feathered heroes for sale
They were the elite: trained at a secret location and dropped behind enemy lines. Some of them had to pose as German operatives. Now these heroes will have a moment in the sun when they feature in a sale. The heroes are pigeons, and the auction lots are oil paintings by Jack Lovell - approached by MI5 in 1939 to give his best birds for active duty. Some were used by the French Resistance and would fly to Bletchley Park, while others were fitted with leg tags copied from Nazi birds in the hope of penetrating German lofts. The pigeons faced the threat of being shot, or caught by the German falcons. Among the information brought back was film of the V1 rockets being built. (guardian)
9 insane weapons of war, many developed during World War II
Bat bombs were tiny incendiary bombs bound to bats, developed by the U.S. with the hope of attacking Japan. The bats would disperse, then at dawn they would hide in buildings and timers would ignite the bombs. The bat bomb idea, by Lytle S. Adams, was approved by Roosevelt. --- "Who Me?" was a top secret sulfurous stench weapon by the American OSS to be used by the French Resistance. It was meant to be sprayed on a German officer, humiliating him. --- Soviet Anti-tank dogs were hungry dogs with explosives tied to their backs and trained to seek food under battle tanks. By doing so, a detonator would go off, triggering the explosives and damaging the military vehicle. (oddee)
Adolf the dog was just following orders: New owner for Hitler-saluting dog?
Adolf the dog was trained to give the Hitler salute. The obedient German shepherd crossbreed is awaiting for a new home now that his owner Roland T. is going to jail to serve a 5-month sentence for displaying Nazi symbols. Adi - or Adolf, as he was known - has been trained to raise his right paw in a Hitler salute when he heard the command "Salute!" Adolf and his owner became infamous in 2003 after Roland T. got his dog to do his party trick in front of police. The gesture landed the him in court for displaying symbols of a banned organization. The use of Nazi symbols, slogans or gestures is banned in Germany. (spiegel)
Pigeon received a medal for his war-time bravery
Paddy the pigeon was decorated for being the first bird to fly back with news of the D-Day landings in Normandy in World War II. Paddy is one of 62 animals who got the PSDA Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross, for bravery in the war. Like many homing pigeons, he was "volunteered" by his owners to support the war effort. As radio signals could compromise operations, carrier pigeons were used to transport messages back to UK. The pigeons formed the National Pigeon Service. The Germans acknowledge the importance of the winged courier service and posted a flight of hawks at Calais to stop the Allied pigeons. (bbc)
Dogs of War
Dogs have been used in warfare for a very long time. Ancient civilisations like the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans used war dogs. In the Middle Ages Atilla the Hun used giant Molossian dogs in his military campaigns, and Napoleon also used dogs during his campaigns. Anti-tank dogs were used by the Russians in World War II. These unfortunate creatures were taught to seek food under battle tanks. They were starved until a battle occurred. The dogs wore an overcoat in which high explosives were placed. However, use of anti-tank dogs was discontinued as they had difficulty to distinguish between enemy and own tanks. (fijitimes)
WWII cavalry man one of last Buffalo Soldiers
They were an anachronism: soldiers on horseback in a war fought with battle tanks and B-17s. Nevertheless, here they were during World War Two, patrolling the hills and canyons along the border between California and Mexico. "They were about 4-hour shifts. We would ride back and forth looking for men. We never found any," says Andrew Whitaker, a member of the famed Buffalo Soldiers, all-black units formed by Congress after the Civil War. In 1944, the 10th Cavalry Regiment was inactivated and its men transferred to other units. With the cavalry's horses turned over to caretakers, the era of the horse soldier in the U.S. Army had ended. (buffalosoldiersw.com)
Nazi raccoon predators conquered all Europe except UK
In 1934, top Nazi party official Hermann Goering received a request from the Reich Forestry Service. A fur farm was seeking permission to release a batch of critters into the wild to "enrich the local fauna" and give hunters something new to shoot at. Goering approved the request and uncorked a disaster that is still spreading. The imported North American raccoon quickly took a liking to the forests of Germany. Encountering no natural predators the creatures multiplied and have stymied all attempts to prevent them from overtaking the Continent. British tabloids have warned that it's only a matter of time until the "Nazi raccoons" cross the English Channel. (dw-world.de)
10th Mountain Division drank 30 truckloads of vintage champagne (Article no longer available from the original source)
Bill Weiss remembers vintage French champagne liberated by 10th Mountain Division near Lake Garda in Italy at the end of World War II. "I think that it was all 1862 vintage and our division drank all 30 truckloads." Weiss was a mule packer and truck driver for the artillery. In his new Army mission, Weiss and 8 other soldiers were assigned to 125 mules. "We were Headquarters Company, service battery, for the 605th Field Artillery Battalion of the 10th Mountain Infantry Division. We carried the guns, the food and the ammunition. I think I rode my mule, Tom, nearly 8,000 miles. Mules live 25-30 years and one of our mules had served in WWI." (mansfieldnewsjournal)
Wild horses, linked to Nazi experiments, munch marshland back to life
Close to Canterbury, wild horses linked to Nazi experiments are helping to bring wildlife back to marshlands by munching the marshes back to life. The hardy Koniks, bred in Poland from the now extinct European Tarpan, are adapted to living on wetlands. The history of the Tarpan, featured in the folklore of Teutonic crusader knights, does have a dark side. After the Nazi invasion of Poland, whole herds were taken to nazi Germany where geneticists sought to recreate the pure Aryan wild horse. "Having a Teutonic horse was something to parade at Nazi rallies." When the Russians invaded Germany, the horses were eaten by the starving people of Munich and Berlin. (dailynews)
How Nazi spycatchers tried to subvert Britain`s bravest flying aces
The shadowy British organisation known as Source Columba operated from behind enemy lines from the earliest days of the 1939-1945 War bringing intelligence of German plans at top speed. The Confidential Pigeon Service was one of the most closely-guarded secrets of wartime espionage because of the value of the information it provided. Hundreds of trained birds were flown from Britain in bombers, the birds contained in small cases attached to parachutes, then dropped behind enemy lines at night. Each pigeon came with a miniature spying kit. However, as D-Day neared, the Germans became "pigeon-conscious" and came up with a fiendish plan to counter the winged spies. (telegraph.co.uk)
Teams of sled dogs exposed as hidden contributors to war effort (Article no longer available from the original source)
Drifts of snow more than waist high lay along the side of Rimini Road as Dave Armstrong's "Cream Team" sled dogs raced along during one of their World War II training runs at Camp Rimini. The rare film footage was part of his presentation at the Montana Historical Society, about historic Camp Rimini. But his stories and his sled dogs also grabbed the interest of the crowd. Armstrong, who's been called the "guru of sledding," is a wiry 86yo. He landed in Camp Rimini in 1943. It was there that the military trained 850 sled dogs and 150 pack dogs 1942-1944. The military planned to use them as part of an invasion into Norway. (billingsgazette)
WW2 Vet and Horrifying Top Secret Mission Beating Dogs
This is a disturbing look at the mentality of the American government half a century ago- and a moving tribute to the hearts of the brave men of the 100th Batallion. When the Japanese-American soldier Ray Nosaka learned he'd be working with dogs, he was excited at first. Until his commander told him he and 19 other Japanese-American soldiers would be dog bait. "I was supposed to smell like a Japanese enemy so they want us to train the dogs." For 5 months, he beat dogs. "I had to hit him hard till he bleeds." He taught them to attack him. The idea was to train them to kill Japanese. (khnl)
The only PoW dog's WWII medal goes on display
A medal awarded to the only dog to be officially registered as a PoW in World War II went on public display for the first time. Judy, a mascot on board a torpedoed Royal Navy vessel in South-East Asia, helped dozens of men survive a Japanese PoW camp after she was captured alongside marooned members of the ship's crew in 1942. Frank Williams, a British airman at the camp, befriended the pedigree pointer - and later persuaded Japanese officers to register her as a PoW. In 1946, Judy was presented with the Dickin Medal. (findarticles)
WW2 sea dog awarded posthumous George Cross
A sea dog which saved the lives of two sailors in the Second World War was today posthumously awarded the equivalent of the George Cross for animals. Bamse the St Bernard became a national hero in Norway for his efforts on board the minesweeper Thorodd. The 14-stone dog saved a young lieutenant who was being set upon by a knifeman by knocking the attacker into the water. He also rescued a sailor who fell overboard, going in after him and dragging him to the shore. All the schools in the town were closed as a mark of respect when he died on July 22 1944. (dailymail)
SAS dog with 20 parachute jumps may be a hoax
He is one of the most famous canine heroes of war, with 20 parachute jumps to his name and a citation for gallantry behind enemy lines. But the story of Rob the SAS dog — now in Imperial War Museum exhibition — has been exposed as a hoax. Rob, a collie known as war dog No 471/322, was said to have saved the lives of commandos. But his legendary reputation has been debunked by an officer who observed the dog`s war service first hand at the SAS base, claiming Rob never left the ground. "Quentin said that nobody survived 20 parachute drops, let alone a dog. You were lucky to survive three." (timesonline)
Dog who parachuted with the 13 Bn, Parachute Regt, on D-Day
The first thing people see when they go in is a dog hanging from a parachute. The Animals' War exhibition at the Imperial War Museum tells the story of the million and more horses of the First World War and the flocks of carrier pigeons in the Second. Among those featured will be Brian, the alsatian, who jumped with the 13 Bn, Parachute Regt, on D-Day and helped them through to the crossing of the Rhine. (telegraph.co.uk)
Ethiopia demand Italy's compensation for 500,000 lives lost
Italy paid Ethiopia $5 million after a 1947 peace treaty, although the Emperor Haile Selassie had demanded $600 million. 70 years on, memories are still fresh in Ethiopia of the 1935 invasion ordered by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, whose forces used mustard gas and other chemical weapons in the country then known as Abyssinia. When Addis Ababa fell, Ethiopia formed part of Italian East Africa with Eritrea and Italian Somaliland until its liberation by WW2 allies in 1941. Mussolini's troops torched 2,000 churches and killed 5 million cattle, 70 million sheep and goats, 1 million mules and horses, and 700,000 camels during the campaign. (eitb24)
World War II ace Fred J. Christensen flew with black cat, downed 6 planes in 2 minutes
To make a point to fellow fighter pilots in WWII, Col. Fred J. Christensen always flew with Sinbad, a stray black cat he had found. Seeing him return safe from combat missions — black cat and all — helped motivate the other pilots. And counter to traditional superstitions, Sinbad was very good luck for her father, who shot down 22 Nazi planes during the war, including 6 in a 2-minute span of one air battle. Though he flew 107 combat missions against the German Luftwaffe, he was a very humble man, who didn't want to be known as a war hero. (boston)
A secret Stalinist plan to create a master race of super apemen (Article no longer available from the original source)
According to declassified documents, the late dictator Josef Stalin in the mid-1920s ordered Russia`s top animal breeding scientist, Ilya Ivanov, to invent a mutant simian warrior. Stalin told the scientist: `I want a new invincible human being, insensitive to pain, resistant and indifferent about the quality of food they eat.` Ivanov was sent in 1926 to West Africa with $200,000 to conduct his experiments in impregnating chimpanzees. The effort, unsurprisingly, was a total failure. (experienceproject.com)
German man in court for teaching dog to perform Nazi salute
A German man who taught his dog to raise his right paw in a Hitler salute is to appear in court Thursday in Berlin. The black mongrel sheepdog, called Adolf, is alleged to have performed the trick at his master's request in front of two policemen. They had been called in to question 54-year-old Roland T after he shouted "Sieg Heil" and raised his own right arm in a salute. (News24)
Kind and paternal man who passionately loved his dog
Adolf Hitler, one of the greatest mass murderers in history, is remembered by his secretary Traudl Junge as a kind and paternal man who ate little aside from mashed potato and passionately loved his dog. Hitler's greatest pleasure was when his sheepdog Blondie would jump a few centimetres higher than the last time, and he would say that going out with his dog was the most relaxing thing he could do. (bbc)
See also:
Reenactment: Living History
Most decorated Soldiers - Military Medals
SS, Nazi Uniforms.