My regulars know that I am a dog person and I write about them as often as I can. I have written about our canine vets many times….and this is a story from World War 2 and our canine heroes of the effort against the Nazis.
Did you know that there were parachuting dogs in that war?
No?
Then read on……
On the eve of the Normandy invasion, three planes carrying the members of Britain’s 13th Battalion took off for France. In addition to the 60 men aboard, each plane carried one dog. The story of how these paratrooping canines got there — and what happened next — is nothing short of remarkable.
Lazar Backovic has penned a fascinating article for Spiegel Online chronicling the brief but astounding story of Britain’s parachuting dogs, or “paradogs.” Much of the information in the article was drawn from a recent book written by Andrew Woolhouse, 13 – Lucky for Some: The History of the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion.
Animals have been used in war throughout history, the Second World War being no exception. Famous examples include message-carrying pigeons, soldier-bears, and anti-tank dogs.
In the case of the 13th Battalion, the dogs were trained to perform tasks such as locating mines, keeping watch, warning about enemies, and even serving as morale boosting mascots (indeed, dogs were also commissioned at US and British air bases for that sole purpose).
https://io9.gizmodo.com/remembering-the-heroic-parachuting-dogs-of-d-day-1485892775
These canines are truly the unsung heroes….time for them to enter the light…..
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
I knew nothing about this!
Hope all is well…be well and be safe chuq
The British even give medals to exceptional animals used by the armed services.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickin_Medal
Best wishes, Pete.
Glad to hear they were recognized chuq
..and the Japanese experimented in carrying rabid dogs in some basket under the planes attacking our carriers.. and would release them (or try to) onto the carriers thinking they would run amok biting and infecting the crew.
Kinda reminds me of the “Les Nessman” turkey thing in a way.
Sad to treat canines with such disrespect. chuq
Great story…I love the history of military working dogs. Even today, many jump in training and have jumped into combat situations in Afghanistan.
Thanx for the update….chuq