In Canada, this day is Remembrance Day, just as it is known as Memorial Day in the US. Both our countries and several countries in Europe take a special day to remember and honour those who gave their lives and those who fought to secure our freedom from tyranny and fascism. And it was not just humans who fought in the two world wars...many millions of animals did as well. And millions lost their lives.
Throughout history animals have worked as guards, weapons,
couriers, transport, explosive detection, and even psychological support during military campaigns. A memorial tribute
to these animals has been erected in London, England. It is dedicated
to all those animals who served the British Commonwealth and Allied
Forces during the conflicts of the 20th Century.
petslady.com/...
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT —
- You know how this works, but as always, a gentle reminder:
- Pooties are cats; Woozles are dogs. Goggies are dogs, too, and moggies are cats. Birds...are birds! Peeps are people. PWB Peeps are Pooties, Woozle, Birds People.
- No trolling the diary.
- If you hate pootie diaries, leave now. No harm, no foul.
- Share any and all pootie/woozle photos or issues that you would like .
- If you have health/behavior issues with your pootie or woozle, feel free to bring it to the community. We just may have someone whose experience can help.
- Whatever happens in the outer blog STAYS in the outer blog. This is a place to relax and play; please treat it accordingly.
- There are some pics we never post: snakes, spiders, creepy crawlies, any and all photos that depict or encourage human cruelty toward animals. These are considered “out of bounds” and will not be tolerated.
- There is no such thing as stealing a photo around here, but if you would like a pic from the comment threads, please ask the poster. He/she may have a copyright to those pics. Many thanks!
It should not need to be said, but ANY/ALL photos that imply or encourage human violence against an animal will be considered verboten! Whether it is “comedic” or no
Animals have been used in wars for thousands of years. The first recorded use of animals in wartime was Hannibal’s use of elephants in 218 BC. He used elephants to not only transport supplies, but weaponry as well...and elephants were a weapon on their own...owing to their great size.
Elephants have been used in wars in many parts of the world, even before Hannibal’s time, wherever they had a habitat...Burma, Cambodia, Africa, India...These days, elephants are not used in warfare because of their endangered status.
Horses have been used as animals of war since humans realized they made excellent beasts of burden and could carry people long distances. And since that time, horses have been casualties of war. That price they pay did not change with the advent of the first World War...it became much worse. 8 million horses died during the course of WWI and many mules and donkeys, too.
The essential role that horses and mules played in World War I did not go unrecognized: the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum erected a plaque dedicated to the horses and mules that served in the American Expeditionary Forces during the Great War. It states, "A fitting tribute to their important services has been given by... General John J. Pershing who has written 'The army horses and mules proved of inestimable value in prosecuting the war to a successful conclusion. They were found in all the theaters of preparation and operation doing their silent but faithful work without the faculty of hoping for any reward or compensation.'" The plaque also says that "what they suffered is beyond words to describe."
americanhistory.si.edu/...
Pigeons are another creature used a great deal by humans during times of war ( and peace). Their trainability to carry messages between specified places and their lofts ( coops). They were crucial during WWI with soldiers even carrying their lofts on their backs to keep the pigeons carrying messages, even though the loft moved with the soldier. Pigeons can fly very high...above the path of a bullet aimed at them...and at night.
Cher Ami, one of two WWI pigeons in our collection, served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France with the American sector in Verdun. He delivered 12 messages, and in delivering the last one on October 4, 1918, he was shot through the breast and leg. Despite being gravely injured by enemy fire, he was able to carry on and save the lives of almost 200 men. The message that he delivered was from the "Lost Battalion" of the U.S. Army's 77th Infantry Division, who were trapped behind enemy lines and accidentally being shelled by American troops. The message from the 77th Infantry Division read: "WE ARE ALONG THE ROAD PARALELL [sic] 276.4. OUR ARTILLERY IS DROPPING A BARRAGE DIRECTLY ON US. FOR HEAVENS SAKE STOP IT." After receiving the message, the U.S. Army redirected its artillery fire and found and relieved the soldiers, bringing them back behind American lines.
americanhistory.si.edu/...
Dogs were also among the animals used during WWI. Dogs have been used in wars many thousands of years before IIRC by the Celts, who raised the great Wolfhounds that would participate in wars as trained hunters and killers. But during WWI, they used dogs as message carriers, and seekers. They could easily zip through the terrain faster and with greater ease than a human could. They could also sniff out the wounded, finding them in difficult places. they were excellent guard dogs and warned of approaching enemies. Although dogs were not officially adopted by the US Army, many became Company mascots during WWI and consequently saved many lives.
Stubby was a Staffordshire terrier mix puppy adopted by Private J. Robert Conroy while he was training for combat. Stubby became the mascot of the 102nd Infantry, 26th Yankee Division, and he learned the calls, drills, and salutes. Private Conroy smuggled Stubby onto the SS Minnesota when the division shipped out to France, and Stubby won over the commanding officer when he gave the officer his dog salute.
snip
His sense of smell allowed him to detect enemy gas before the men, and he would run through the camp barking, sounding the alarm, and saving the lives of the troops. He also saved the lives of many soldiers because he could locate the wounded on the battlefield and would lead the soldiers to safety or bark until medics arrived.
One day, Stubby caught a German spy attempting to make a map of Allied trenches, and he attacked the man until American soldiers arrived. For this act, Stubby was unofficially promoted to sergeant.
By the end of the war, Stubby had served in 17 battles. At the Battle of Seicheprey on April 20, 1918, shrapnel from a shell seriously injured Stubby, and he was rushed to a field hospital for treatment and then to a Red Cross hospital for recovery. During his recovery, Stubby went around the hospital and visited wounded soldiers, boosting their morale. Stubby received many awards and medals for his outstanding service, including one awarded by General John Pershing.
Of course the larger animals were not the only ones who proved useful during the Great War...smaller ones did as well. Take slugs, for example...yes...they played an important role on WWI. With the worry about mustard gas that was difficult to detect until inhaled, the US Army discovered that slugs also reacted to the presence of gas before humans did. They closed their breathing pores and compressed their bodies when the detected it. Soldiers then learned to carry a few slugs around so they knew when to put on the gas masks. Those slugs saved many lives!! And no...no pics...sorry!
More recently, other animals have been found useful in saving soldiers and civilians lives. Dogs great sense of smell has been put to use sniffing out all sorts of things from drugs to bombs to cancer. Sea lions and dolphins were often used during WWII to patrol underwater and detect mines; bees have been used as weapons in ancient times...catapult a few hives over an enemies city walls and wait for the ensuing panic! Lately, though, scientists are checking out if honey bees can detect mines well enough to help get them diffused. Bats were an idea gone wrong. It was thought that bats could stealth bomb ...until some bat bombed the US airbase...by mistake, I’m sure. Even cats were considered. But cats proved to be too independent and difficult to train and control...who knew????
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Animals who have served : www.audubon.org/...
Another good article on animals that served armies: petslady.com/…
Dolphins and sea lions trained to hunt out mines: en.wikipedia.org/...
More about animals that have served in times of war: www.thepetuncle.com/…
Great article on animals that served during WWI: americanhistory.si.edu/...