Tailed heroes: how animals helped win the war

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Many people know stories about war horses, carrier pigeons delivering letters from the front line, sapper dogs and rescuers. But on the battlefields of the 20th century, other "our smaller brothers" were also noted, and this article will be about them.

Canaries as a gas sensor

During the First World War, mankind first encountered the use of war gases. For the timely detection of a gas attack in the trenches of the Western Front, canaries were used. The bird, unique in its sensitivity, which had previously "worked" in the mine, was now kept in a soldier's dugout. If she suddenly stopped her constant chanting, became anxious or fell down, it was a wake-up call for people.

Tirpitz sea boar

Tirpitz was the mascot of the British cruiser Glasgow during the First World War. Boar originally lived on board the German cruiser Dresden until March 1915. During the death of the cruiser, the boar was left on board, but he managed to escape and swim away. Having lost all his strength and almost drowned, he was rescued by a British sailor from Glasgow. The animal was named Tirpitz in a mockery of the famous admiral and was awarded a dummy of the Iron Cross as the last one to leave the sinking ship. Tirpitz served as Glasgow's mascot and was later transferred to an artillery school near Portsmouth. After the end of the war, it was auctioned off for meat for a whopping £ 1,785.

Camel cavalry

"Desert ships" have long been used as a war animal. Camels went on the attack, they were used to transport goods. More suitable for "service" in the desert than horses, camels - both single-humped dromedaries and two-humped Bactrians - were actively used by Russians in Central Asia and the Caucasus, by Turks, British and French in African colonies.

Moving loads and lifting weights

Horses, mules, donkeys, oxen and even elephants were used for heavy work during the First and Second World Wars. They were involved in the construction of roads and railways, for the transportation of heavy loads over terrain with difficult terrain, which was unsuitable for motorized transport. The mules were particularly adept at navigating the rocky terrain that was a feature of the Italian campaign during World War II. At the same time, in the Far East, the elephant's skill and strength in moving large objects was especially useful for the construction of bridges.

Wojtek the Bear Soldier

Wojtek was the animal mascot of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company during World War II. The Syrian brown bear was taken very small when Polish troops moved across the Middle East. When he grew up, Wojtek (which means "baby") grew to 113 kg. He was very tame, the soldiers often arranged hand-to-hand combat with him. In 1943, the unit was sent to Italy, Wojtek was enlisted in the lists of personnel and received the rank of private. The soldiers considered Wojtek not a "pet", but a comrade in arms.

During the battles for Monte Cassino, the bear helped bring the boxes of shells to the forward positions. The image of a bear soldier was displayed on the symbols of the unit where he served. After the war, Wojtek settled at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, where he lived until his death in 1963.

Unsinkable Sam

This black and white cat gained fame after surviving the death of three warships on which it was during the Second World War. The first time he escaped from the sinking German battleship Bismarck on the wreckage. Under the nickname Oscar, he also served on the British destroyer and aircraft carrier Ark Royal. After the death of the aircraft carrier, the heroic cat, already known as Unsinkable Sam, was written off to the shore, where he lived out his remaining cat lives. Having become famous, Sam was honored with his own painting, which is now kept in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. It is all the more interesting to look at wet animals after bathing.