Amazing Stories about Animals in War
Animals have a long history of being used in wars. Perhaps even a clever cave man was able to train a dinosaur to help him fight his enemies. Now a big creature like a T-Rex or even a vicious, speedy Raptor would really give you a great advantage in a battle. Imagine the surprise on your opponent’s face when you brought out one of these as your secret weapon.
We have never heard of any dinosaurs used to fight a war, but horses have been on the battlefield with humans for more than 5000 years. Even the enormous elephant has been used for more than 3000 years. People have depended on the talents and abilities of many different animals to help their country win fights on land, in the air and at sea.
• Oxen, mules and horses have helped pull supplies
• Cats have been used to get rid of rats and mice on ships and boats
• Pigeons have been used to carry messages across enemy lines
• Dogs have helped soldiers find bombs and mines, sniff out hiding enemy troops, act as guards, and they also perform search and rescue missions.
Here are some stories about animals in war that are; Strange but True.
The Flaming War Pigs
In ancient times, pigs were set on fire and then released. The soldiers hoped that the enemies fall from their elephants and horses and be crushed by their own frightened, stampeding animals.
This was not the best idea in the world. It is cruel to set a poor, defenceless pig on fire, and most of the time the pigs would attack the soldiers who did this instead of the enemy troops. It did not take long for people to understand that you cannot control a mad pig, and you certainly cannot expect a mad pig with flames on his back to listen to any instructions.
Batty Bat Bombs
Using a bat as a bomb was thought of during the World War II. It was called Project X-Ray, but while it was practiced and tested, these Batty Bat Bombs were never used in warfare.
The plan was to release bats that had tiny bombs attached. The bats would be released over enemy territory. The bats would roost in attics of buildings and homes that were then constructed mostly from wood. When the bombs were detonated, the buildings would burn to the ground. Tests showed that bat bombs were 10-20 times more effective than regular bombs used to start fiery explosions in the 1940s.
Soviet Anti Tank Weapons…Dogs
The Soviet army used dogs as anti tank weapons in the 1940s. This was very cruel because they starved the animals to teach them to search for food under tanks. There would be a bomb on the back of the dogs that would be triggered when they went under the tank. Not only was this a cruel thing to do, it did not work as planned. Sometimes the dogs would quickly run underneath the Soviet tanks because these were the ones used in their training. Many of the dogs, even though they were starving, refused to run under tanks because the engine noises scared them.
Dolphins in the Military
The US Navy has used dolphins since the early 1960's to search for mines, underwater enemies and for recovery missions. Some dolphins have been trained to place mines and bombs to destroy ships at sea.
The Soviet Union has trained dolphins to wear harpoons on their backs. These animals are then taught to track and find enemy divers in the water and bring them back to land where soldiers can capture them. Iran bought some of these trained dolphins in 2000 and 2001.
The Amazing Voytek
Voytek was a Syrian Brown Bear who was drafted by the Polish Army. He learned to drink beer, smoke cigarettes, and live with the soldiers. The Polish soldiers would wrestle with the bear and he would eat in the mess hall and sleep in the barracks with his comrades. He even was trained to help the troops move heavy crates and boxes. During one mission the soldiers needed to move heavy ammunition crates and Voytek helped them do this job quickly.
The Memorial For War Animals
Today there is even an “Animals in War Memorial”:
This memorial is found at Hyde Park in London. David Backhouse, who is a famous English sculptor, designed this amazing and beautiful tribute. It is dedicated to all of the animals that have so courageously served with British troops.
There are two inscriptions that are engraved on this Memorial. The first reads:
"This monument is dedicated to all the animals that served and died alongside British and allied forces in wars and campaigns throughout time."
The second inscription just says:
"They had no choice."
This is an original news article © The Kids Window
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