Being the dog lover that I am having worked with Military and Police dogs in the past and having a rescue dog, I came across some great shots from 'Life' of dogs during WW2 and thought they were worthy of sharing with you good folk on here. 1. A dog wears a gas mask and another carries rations for a wounded soldier in 1939 England. Airedales were a favorite of British troops, and were trained not for speed but dependability. 2. Wearing a steel helmet, a bulldog guards a London flat. Stubborn but lovable, bulldogs became a symbol of the United Kingdom itself. Prime Minister Winston Churchill himself was often referred to as "the British Bulldog." 3. A German shepherd poses with RAF flyers who bombed Nazi warships. Other popular mascots with the RAF included terriers, white rabbits, goats, and even geese and ducks. 4. Awaiting evacuation, a young refugee hangs onto his dog's leash in 1940. Vast numbers of pets were, not surprisingly, separated from their families during the war, while breeding progams and animal shelters were often shuttered or cast into disarray. 5. A British shelter worker protects a dog in 1941. The National Canine Defence League not only protected dogs, it also used dog-hair combings to knit into clothing for the troops.
6. American soldiers and their dog read a scrapbook during a break in training in 1942 Northern Ireland. Mascots served as morale boosters and companions during the war, a reminder of life back home. 7. Kicks the dog learns to stay calm under fire. Germans made frequent use of German shepherds as patrol and guard dogs. In the U.K., however, they were renamed Alsatians. 8. A dog gets treated in Guam in 1943. In the 1944 Battle of Guam, 25 U.S. Marine dogs were killed. They'd been trained to sniff out the enemy and traps as well as carry messages, medicine, and ammo. 9. During World War II, Marine dogs "led over 550 patrols on Guam alone, and encountered enemy soldiers on over half of them, but were never once ambushed," wrote William W. Putney, C.O. of the 3rd War Dog Platoon. 10. Soldiers and their dogs patrol an L.A. beach in 1943. Some 19,000 dogs -- many of them domestic pets -- were "drafted" for possible military use from 1942 to 1945. A little over half were enlisted into service.
11. Butch, a Spaniel mascot, looks greenish aboard an American Navy ship. The most famous U.S. military dog was Chips, a German Shepherd-Collie-Husky mix that attacked and captured a crew of enemy machinegunners fortified in a pillbox in Sicily in 1943. 12. Bombed out of his clinic, a vet attends to a patient outside in 1944 England. 13. RAF search dogs getting ready to travel in 1944. with vastly keener senses than humans, dogs proved invaluable on the humanitarian side of war, such as sniffing out bomb victims buried under rubble. 14. Loaded with U.S. missionaries and their dogs, the SS ZamZam is sunk by a German raider in 1941. After the war, with the increase in average family income and living space, America saw a boom in pet ownership. 15. When the war ended, dogs had proven their worth in combat, and the U.S. Army created scout-dog platoons for a peacetime role. Many military dogs went home with their wartime handlers. Anyone else got any pictures of War Dogs?
Awesome post Drew! I like number 4 alot, I own one of those myself, a Fox Terrier. Very interesting dogs, lone wolves, highly intelligent and fightesr to death. I think I got some pictures myself somewhere on this computer and the internet. Let me look. One with a marine in the Pacific: A dog searching the rubble for survivors and succeeds. I assume this is during the London Blitz. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?pid=avimage&iid=iJAFmQDTxgNo This is Smoky, a dog in service of the US army. He doesn't look that threatening And ofcourse theres the famous Anti-Tank Dog. Cruel and ineffective most of the time. German soldiers on training with their dogs, don't got any more info on this one. From the First World War we have Stubby, the highest decorated dog in the history of the United States. German scout and his dog on the Eastern Front, 1943. NCO from the Waffen-SS and his German shepherd. Thats my contribution to this thread, I'm missing one picture of a German dog in a guardhouse which I found quite funny. Maybe I'll find it somewhere.
Hi, great thread I like the pictures of the dobermans I have got two they are sisters and are 10 months old I used the picture of the doberman with the sleeping marine for some time, these dogs are realy inteligent
Great pictures there. I've told people about the attack dogs before, they are always far more upset about the dog dying than the tank crew!
I have just watched a article about this fantastic dog on 'The One Show'. He sounded a right dog going on patrol with the MP's, visting schools and letting the children sit on his back, saving sailors and showing the drunk ones back home! A statue of a sea dog who became an unlikely war hero has been escorted from Scotland by the Norwegian Navy. Bamse was a mascot on the Norwegian Navy minesweeper the Thorrod, which was stationed in Montrose and Dundee during World War II. It is claimed the St Bernard saved the lives of two sailors during the war. The Norwegians are shipping a copy of the statue, which was erected in Montrose in 2006, from Leith Docks to Honningsvag, his original home. The Navy ship KV Leikvin berthed alongside the Royal Yacht Britannia on Saturday morning to take aboard the bronze, which weighs a quarter of a ton. David Windmill, the honorary consul general of Norway in Edinburgh, joined representatives from the Norwegian Navy, the Royal Navy and the statue's sculptor to watch the handover. The statue will be unveiled in Honningsvag on 19 June. Bamse died in 1944 and is buried in Montrose with his head facing towards Norway, where he started life as a family pet. His exploits included going into the water to rescue a sailor who had fallen overboard and knocking over a knifeman who was trying to attack a young lieutenant. Dr Andrew Orr, from the Montrose Heritage Trust, who co-wrote a book about Bamse, said: "It is very exciting to see this copy of our Montrose statue heading for Norway. "It will reinforce the bonds between the Scots and the Norwegians, and will serve as a memorial to Norwegian sailors in the dark days of World War II. We are looking forward to the unveiling at Honningsvag." From BBC Scotland Bamse - History of the legendary Norwegian Sea-Dog
Didn't I read about the Allies parachuting dogs and handlers in on D-Day? Some excellent pix. Thanks all.
Found this great shot a few days ago.....Can anyone shed any light on it? There was no caption. Andy I took the liberty of posting this photo on another forum I visit and was given the following links; 611 Squadron 611 Squadron See what you think, the closest match is in the second link sixth from the left. Nick With thanks to UDF
One doesn't hear much about this dog anymore, but he was well-known by the U.S. infantry of the 1920s and has had his own monument ever since: "It was in the early 1920's that a legend began to grow about one of Fort Benning's favorite mascots: A mongrel dog named calculator. "Calc," as the dog was affectionately known to everyone from the commandant to the private in the ranks, was crippled. His name was suggested by the halting manner in which he "put down three and carried one." But there was nothing slow about Calc's manner of making friends. He hitchhiked and panhandled his way in a royal style, taking complete possession of the garrison. He seemed to have an uncanny knowledge of Fort Benning automobiles and considered it his privilege to travel back and forth between Columbus and the Fort in any Benning officer's car. Many commissioned members of the garrison made it a habit to drive by the Ralston Hotel in Columbus on their return from town to see if Calculator was waiting at the accustomed place for a lift. Not a one-man dog, Calc was impartially loyal to all his friends, never staying too long in one place, taking his food from anyone who happened to be around when he was hungry, sleeping wherever he happened to be when he was tired, and always following the most interesting events of the school, lending his presence both to the units engaged in problems and to those participating in ceremonies. The troops grew so fond of Calculator that, when he was unaccountably poisoned in 1923, a collection was taken to build a monument to him. It was placed at the Infantry School and when this building became the School of the Americas in 1984, it was decided to move the Calculator monument to the front of the National Infantry Museum. Inscribed on his memorial are these simple words: Calculator--Born ?; died August 29, 1923. He made a better dog of us all." -- from the Fort Benning website.
NCO from the Waffen-SS and his German shepherd. Two Dogs in that picture, and comparatively little to do with war... Plazsow 1944. Photo Archives - Bad dogs, Rabka, [Krakow] Poland Photo Archives Query Results - dog
Thought I had more in my collection, but here's a few: 1. Audie Murphy with wardog "Private 2" 2. Wardog "Jack" on Bougainville 3. Marines with wardogs on Guam 4. Marine Raiders with wardogs on Bougainville 5. Airman with pet (don't have any more information on this pic, unfortunately)
From "Administrative History of 21 st Army Group" 22. Veterinary and Remount There were no V and R units included in the Order of Battle of 21 Army Group at this stage except a HQ staff consisting of a lieutenant colonel, major and three clerks. As there were no veterinary officers on the staff of Civil Affairs the V and R staff was sometimes called upon for technical advice concerning civilian owned stock. In July V and R 21 Army Group assumed veterinary responsibility for all dogs on the strength of units in the Order of Battle. As far as possible all dogs had been inoculated against rabies before despatch to BLA. In order to cope with the large number of horses which it was expected would be captured, mobilisation of a Veteninary and Remount Conducting Section was requested, to serve as a war dogs hospital in addition to its normal functions. No animals were held by any units except war dogs which were employed by certain CMP(VP) companies and by special RE dog platoons for mine detection. Approximately 400 RUSSIAN and POLISH ponies were captured but not being suitable for employment with the BRITISH Army were handed over to FRENCH farmers. Release of a supply of drugs and instruments to the FRENCH was arranged from army veterinary stores in UK. Noel
This is my Grandfather, somewhere in Italy '44. Dont know the dogs name but it was the Battery mascot during their stay in Italy. He use to sleep on the floor of the Matador under grandads legs when travelling.
