Military animal

File:Dog mine.jpg

An anti-tank dog approaching a T-34/85 tank.

Military animals are creatures that have been employed by mankind for use in warfare. They are a specific application of working animals. Generally these animals are domesticated creatures, such as the dog or horse; more exotic animals such as the elephant and the pig have also seen use during wartime.

For transport and hauling

U.S. Special Forces troops riding with the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan in 2001

The horse has been the most widely-used animal throughout the recorded history of warfare. Early mounts could be used to pull a chariot or to carry lightly armored skirmishing forces. With the appearance of heavier mounts and the invention of the stirrup, the horse-mounted cavalry became the most prestigious military arm in Europe for several centuries. A knight's warhorse was trained to bite and kick. The combination of the horse-mounted warrior armed with a bow made the Mongol army the most powerful military force in Asian history.

With the appearance of modern ranged weapons and motorised vehicles, the use of the horse for military purposes fell into decline. However the horse was still used extensively by the German Army during World War II for transporting supplies and equipment, including artillery. The U.S. Army also used pack horses during the war and used pack mules as late as the Korean War.

See also: Horses in warfare

While elephants are considered domesticable, they can be trained to serve as mounts, or for moving heavy loads. Sanskrit hymns record their use for military purposes as early as 1,100 B.C. A group of elephants was notably employed by Hannibal during the Punic Wars. They were employed as recently as World War II by both the Japanese and Allies. Elephants could perform the work of machines in locations where vehicles could not penetrate, so they found considerable use in the Burma theater. For more information on the military utilization of elephants, see war elephant.

• Camels have typically seen use as mounts in arid regions (Camel cavalry). They are better able to traverse sandy deserts than horses, and require far less water. Camels were employed in both world wars. Camels are used by the Indian Army & Border Security Force for patrolling in the desert regions of Rajasthan.
• Mules were used by the U.S. Army during World War II to carry supplies and equipment over difficult terrain. Pack animals that are innately patient, cautious, and hardy, mules could carry heavy loads of supplies where Jeeps and even pack horses could not travel. Mules were used in North Africa, Burma, and in Italy. They are also used for transporting supplies in mountainous regions.
• Oxen have been used widely in war as beasts of burden, especially to transport heavy or siege artillery through heavy terrain.

As weapons

As fighters or mounts

See also: Dogs in warfare

A dog employed by the Sanitary Corps during World War I to locate wounded soldiers. It is fitted with a gas mask.

Dogs were used by the ancient Greeks for war purposes, and they were undoubtedly used much earlier in history. During their conquest of Latin America, conquistadores used Mastiffs to kill warriors in the Caribbean, Mexico and Peru. Mastiffs, as well as Great Danes, were used in England during the Middle Ages, where their large size was used to scare horses to throw off their riders or to pounce on knights on horseback, disabling them until their master delivered the final blow. More recently, canines with explosives strapped to their backs saw use during World War II in the Soviet Army as anti-tank weapons. In other armies, they were used for detecting mines. They were trained to spot trip wires, as well as mines and other booby traps. They were also employed for sentry duty, and to spot snipers or hidden enemy forces. Some dogs also saw use as messengers.

• Pliny the Elder wrote about the use of war pigs against elephants. As he relates it, elephants became scared by the squeal of a pig and would panic, bringing disaster to any soldiers who stood in their path of flight.

Dürer's Rhinoceros, a fanciful 'armoured' depiction.

• It is unsubstantiated that rhinoceros were used for war functions. Analyzing Albrecht Dürer's famous 1515 woodcut, it is possible that the liberties taken with the rhino's design were in fact designs for a suit of armour created for the rhinoceros's fight against an elephant in Portugal. However, rhinos' apparent "thick" or "plated" skin is actually very sensitive and the animals have poor eyesight, limiting their ability to run in any particular direction. Their tendency to charge anything within 10 feet would make them impractical for domestication.
• War Elephants were used by the Hellenistic kingdoms, Persians, Carthage, and India.

As living bombs

• During the Second World War, the United States came up with the idea of a Bat bomb using the Mexican Free-tailed Bat as a delivery system for incendiaries which the Americans would use on Japan. It was hoped that after dropping this bomb, the bats would be released to fly into attics and other dark places in the Japanese cities. After a set period of time the incendiaries would go off and burn down whatever buildings the bats had roosted in. The program was halted because of the first atomic bomb test. They never saw operational service.
• According to Pr. Shi Bo, in "Trente-six Stratagèmes Chinois" (in French, ISBN 2-911858-06-9), monkeys were used, in the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty, in a battle between rebels of the Yanzhou province and the Chinese Imperial Army, led by Zhao Yu. The monkeys were used as live incendiary devices. The animals were clothed with straw, dipped in oil and set on fire. They were set loose into the enemy's camp, thereby setting the tents on fire, and driving the whole camp into chaos.
• In World War II, the Soviets used anti-tank dogs[1] with mixed success.
• In World War II, the USA attempted to use pigeons to guide missiles.
• Explosives have been affixed to animals such as mules or donkeys, sometimes left wandering alone, and other times ridden by suicide bombers, in modern terrorist attacks in the Middle East.

See also: Exploding donkey

In communications

Homing pigeons have seen use since the time of the French Revolution for carrying messages. They were still employed for a similar purpose during World War I and World War II. In WWII, experiments were also performed in the use of the pigeon for guiding missiles, known as Project Pigeon. The pigeon was placed inside so that they could see out through a window. They were trained to peck at controls to the left or right, depending on the location of a target shape.

See also: War pigeon

Other specialized functions

Beginning in the Cold War era, research has been done into the uses of many species of marine mammals for military purposes. The U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program uses military dolphins and sea lions for underwater sentry duty, mine clearance, and object recovery.

On land, the Gambian giant pouched rat has been tested with considerable success as specialised mine detecting animals, as its keen sense of smell helps in the identification of explosives and its small size prevents it from triggering mines.

Cats were used in the Royal Navy to control vermin on board ships. Able seacat Simon of HMS Amethyst received the Dickin Medal.

Additional reading

• Cooper, Jilly (2002). Animals In War. Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-729-7.
• Chico, The story of a Homing Pigeon in the Great War Lucy M Blanchard, Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1846850394
• Ben, the Battle Horse Walter A Dyer, ISBN 978-1846850387

See also

• Animals in space
• U.S. Camel Corps
• Dogs in warfare
• Horses in warfare

External links

• War Dogs
• Other Animals Who Served
• An Additional “R”: Remembering the Animals (PDF), an article about memorials for animals, including military animals. HTML version, without photos.