When were war dogs most effective in combat?
Here are some answers expanding from B.C. militaries to modern day warfare…
Here are some answers expanding from B.C. militaries to modern day warfare…
2
WWI Gas Attacks
Quote source: Jihoon Seo
“Dogs are small and fast, they also have highly developed nose that could sense much more slight scents than humans do. Therefore, dogs were used to decrease casualties in gas attacks. When a gas attacks is launched especially in the early years of WWI, the actual core of the gas is relatively small, but this spreads slowly…”
(Continued WWI Gas Attacks)
Quote source: Jihoon Seo
“Dogs are small and fast, they also have highly developed nose that could sense much more slight scents than humans do. Therefore, dogs were used to decrease casualties in gas attacks. When a gas attacks is launched especially in the early years of WWI, the actual core of the gas is relatively small, but this spreads slowly…”
(Continued WWI Gas Attacks)
3
(Continued WWI Gas Attacks)
“..Before the gas could do fatal damage to humans, the gas, in a very little amount arrives before the main deadly gas. The dogs can notice this rather unusual smell and start going abnormal. Seeing this as a sign of enemy gas attack, the soldiers would then wear their gas masks to prevent themselves from suffocating from gas.”
–Quote source: Jihoon Seo
“..Before the gas could do fatal damage to humans, the gas, in a very little amount arrives before the main deadly gas. The dogs can notice this rather unusual smell and start going abnormal. Seeing this as a sign of enemy gas attack, the soldiers would then wear their gas masks to prevent themselves from suffocating from gas.”
–Quote source: Jihoon Seo
4
Romans
Quote source: William Fejka
“As another answer stated from Shakespeare:
“Cry havoc and let slip the Dogs of war”
Dogs have been used in battle in most of recorded history. The Romans used the Molossian dogs of Epirus as guards and fighters having spiked collar bys and spiked anklets to tear into the enemy increasing the damages done by their powerful bite. They however met their match in the Britan campaign when they came against the Celt’s Mastiffs. During most of the wars through the centuries dogs have accompanied men into battle either as guards, sentries or actual fighters.”
Quote source: William Fejka
“As another answer stated from Shakespeare:
“Cry havoc and let slip the Dogs of war”
Dogs have been used in battle in most of recorded history. The Romans used the Molossian dogs of Epirus as guards and fighters having spiked collar bys and spiked anklets to tear into the enemy increasing the damages done by their powerful bite. They however met their match in the Britan campaign when they came against the Celt’s Mastiffs. During most of the wars through the centuries dogs have accompanied men into battle either as guards, sentries or actual fighters.”
5
Vietnam
Quote source: William Fejka
“During the war in Vietnam dogs were used to detect booby traps and enemy locations. Being only familiar with the Marine Corps during the Vietnamese conflict I only have first hand information having served from 68 – 71 but I believe that “what worked in the past works just as well today”. Dogs have been an integral part of the military and most likely will remain so in the future.”
Quote source: William Fejka
“During the war in Vietnam dogs were used to detect booby traps and enemy locations. Being only familiar with the Marine Corps during the Vietnamese conflict I only have first hand information having served from 68 – 71 but I believe that “what worked in the past works just as well today”. Dogs have been an integral part of the military and most likely will remain so in the future.”
6
Modern Armor
Quote source: Ben Nelson
“Probably today.
Dogs now have so much more than they ever did before, in terms of combat: they have special masks to protect their eyes from dust and debris, and they have gas masks to protect them from hazards in the air. These masks/helmets also have picatinny rails, allowing cameras and lights to be mounted. This also helps operators to see what their dogs are seeing, which helps with unit coordination and can give the soldiers a jump on the enemies they’re facing. These do, indeed, offer protection to the animal, while they don’t interfere with the animal’s mobility…”
Quote source: Ben Nelson
“Probably today.
Dogs now have so much more than they ever did before, in terms of combat: they have special masks to protect their eyes from dust and debris, and they have gas masks to protect them from hazards in the air. These masks/helmets also have picatinny rails, allowing cameras and lights to be mounted. This also helps operators to see what their dogs are seeing, which helps with unit coordination and can give the soldiers a jump on the enemies they’re facing. These do, indeed, offer protection to the animal, while they don’t interfere with the animal’s mobility…”
7
(Continued Modern Armor)
“…Dogs also have body armor, and since the human understanding of everything around us has increased drastically, we now can specially train dogs to suit the needs of the situation at hand: they can tear up and subdue grown men, or they can sniff out things like drugs, bombs or, of course, people. To top this, our medical knowledge had also increased which, in turn, increases the survival rate of the dog…”
Quote source: Ben Nelson
“…Dogs also have body armor, and since the human understanding of everything around us has increased drastically, we now can specially train dogs to suit the needs of the situation at hand: they can tear up and subdue grown men, or they can sniff out things like drugs, bombs or, of course, people. To top this, our medical knowledge had also increased which, in turn, increases the survival rate of the dog…”
Quote source: Ben Nelson
8
(Continued Modern Armor)
“…To put it plainly, today military dogs:
1. Are trained for specialized tasks.
2. Have access to top-of-the-line body armor and protective equipment.
And in the case one is injured, it’s very likely that it could be up and operating again.”
Quote source: Ben Nelson
“…To put it plainly, today military dogs:
1. Are trained for specialized tasks.
2. Have access to top-of-the-line body armor and protective equipment.
And in the case one is injured, it’s very likely that it could be up and operating again.”
Quote source: Ben Nelson
9
Egyptians
Quote source: Rachel DuPre
“I suggest the Battle of Pelusium 525 BC
The Egyptians under Pharaoh Psamtik lost over 50000 casualties and with it the kingdom of Egypt transferred to Persian rule under Cambyses II of Persia
Cambyses II, knowing dogs were religiously revered by the Egyptians, lined his entire front rank with war dogs. Not only could the Egyptians not use their archers and chariots for fear of striking the dogs but when Cambyses II attacked many in the Egyptian front rank either froze or fled
After a short struggle, all of the troops of Psamtik fled, and soon the retreat became a complete rout. The pile of their skulls by the river was visited for many years to come according to Heroditus, not one dog skull was found. Disoriented, and fleeing, the Egyptians took shelter in Memphis which fell after a short siege.”
Quote source: Rachel DuPre
“I suggest the Battle of Pelusium 525 BC
The Egyptians under Pharaoh Psamtik lost over 50000 casualties and with it the kingdom of Egypt transferred to Persian rule under Cambyses II of Persia
Cambyses II, knowing dogs were religiously revered by the Egyptians, lined his entire front rank with war dogs. Not only could the Egyptians not use their archers and chariots for fear of striking the dogs but when Cambyses II attacked many in the Egyptian front rank either froze or fled
After a short struggle, all of the troops of Psamtik fled, and soon the retreat became a complete rout. The pile of their skulls by the river was visited for many years to come according to Heroditus, not one dog skull was found. Disoriented, and fleeing, the Egyptians took shelter in Memphis which fell after a short siege.”
10
RAAF – Australian Air Force
Quote source: Doc Thomas
“Australian army did not use formally start using canines until 1978 though the air force had been using them for security patrols and tracking downed pilots WWII. (Actually, initially the RAAF just got untrained and savage dogs and just let them lose in compounds they wanted to protect from intruders! Later they formed a dog unit as part of the RAAF Air Police).
However, patrol and tracker dogs have been used unofficially by the army since the Korean war (supplied by the RAAF).”
Quote source: Doc Thomas
“Australian army did not use formally start using canines until 1978 though the air force had been using them for security patrols and tracking downed pilots WWII. (Actually, initially the RAAF just got untrained and savage dogs and just let them lose in compounds they wanted to protect from intruders! Later they formed a dog unit as part of the RAAF Air Police).
However, patrol and tracker dogs have been used unofficially by the army since the Korean war (supplied by the RAAF).”
11
Wolves
Quote source: Keith Connor
“Back before guns were prevalent.
A man could train a pack of wolves and basically send them after the enemy for a slaughter.
The problem was, even though it was quite effective, few military leaders were okay with this brutal form of warfare. Many of the most brutal leaders in history had policies against this form of combat.”
Quote source: Keith Connor
“Back before guns were prevalent.
A man could train a pack of wolves and basically send them after the enemy for a slaughter.
The problem was, even though it was quite effective, few military leaders were okay with this brutal form of warfare. Many of the most brutal leaders in history had policies against this form of combat.”
12
WWI Messengers
Quote source: Jihoon Seo
“Not only that dogs were magnificent messengers. Telephones of WWI were very premature and unreliable. Not only the consistency of such was low, but the telephones were connected with a single wire. When a random enemy shell hits around the wire and cuts it, the entire communication of a battalion that would receive a telephone for communication would be lost. As an alternative, runners and flags were used…”
Quote source: Jihoon Seo
“Not only that dogs were magnificent messengers. Telephones of WWI were very premature and unreliable. Not only the consistency of such was low, but the telephones were connected with a single wire. When a random enemy shell hits around the wire and cuts it, the entire communication of a battalion that would receive a telephone for communication would be lost. As an alternative, runners and flags were used…”
13
(Continued WWI Messengers)
“…However, the problem of runners were that these runners were constantly under threat of enemy snipers and because humans are pretty big and slow compared to dogs, they were much more vulnerable. Flags were also a problem with potential disadvantages. The whole point of these flag signals were to be seen from an elevated ground, but when somebody stays totally concealed on an elevated area, it was sure that he or maybe she would be instantly killed before sending a single message.
Quote source: Jihoon Seo
“…However, the problem of runners were that these runners were constantly under threat of enemy snipers and because humans are pretty big and slow compared to dogs, they were much more vulnerable. Flags were also a problem with potential disadvantages. The whole point of these flag signals were to be seen from an elevated ground, but when somebody stays totally concealed on an elevated area, it was sure that he or maybe she would be instantly killed before sending a single message.
Quote source: Jihoon Seo
14
WWII Russia
Quote source: Charlie Boddington
“Possibly not the expected answer, but…
The Russians are stereotypically known for their rather…cold attitude towards life. But using suicide dogs?
That’s crossing a line.
In the Second World War Russia trained dogs to carry explosives up to enemy tanks and armoured positions. When the dog got close enough, Bang! Goodbye Snoopy.
This tactic was not terribly effective, however, due to a number of factors. To save fuel and ammunition for use in combat, the dogs had been trained on statics tanks, which lacked the real life sounds of a tank. Thus in the field the dogs often refused to go under the tanks, and came back to their handlers, with results that are easy to imagine. Additionally, those that were trained on running tanks grew to know the smell of the Diesel engines, and sought those out. Problem was, the German tanks ran on gasoline, not diesel. The anti-tank dogs were best suited to sabotaging their own army, which was considered a slight design flaw.
The dogs did inflict damage on occasion, but in the end the project was terminated.”
Quote source: Charlie Boddington
“Possibly not the expected answer, but…
The Russians are stereotypically known for their rather…cold attitude towards life. But using suicide dogs?
That’s crossing a line.
In the Second World War Russia trained dogs to carry explosives up to enemy tanks and armoured positions. When the dog got close enough, Bang! Goodbye Snoopy.
This tactic was not terribly effective, however, due to a number of factors. To save fuel and ammunition for use in combat, the dogs had been trained on statics tanks, which lacked the real life sounds of a tank. Thus in the field the dogs often refused to go under the tanks, and came back to their handlers, with results that are easy to imagine. Additionally, those that were trained on running tanks grew to know the smell of the Diesel engines, and sought those out. Problem was, the German tanks ran on gasoline, not diesel. The anti-tank dogs were best suited to sabotaging their own army, which was considered a slight design flaw.
The dogs did inflict damage on occasion, but in the end the project was terminated.”
15
Current List
Quote source: Lucas Eyre
“War dogs” are used in combat all the time. Effective is subjective based on what jobs are important to you.
Quote source: Lucas Eyre
“War dogs” are used in combat all the time. Effective is subjective based on what jobs are important to you.
16
(Continued List)
-EOD technicians use dogs to sniff for explosives.
-Military police use dogs as police dogs (drugs, explosives, etc).
-Engineers use dogs to sniff for explosives as well.
-Mortuary affairs specialists use dogs to find bodies.
-Chaplains use dogs as support animals for their units.
–Quote source: Lucas Eyre
-EOD technicians use dogs to sniff for explosives.
-Military police use dogs as police dogs (drugs, explosives, etc).
-Engineers use dogs to sniff for explosives as well.
-Mortuary affairs specialists use dogs to find bodies.
-Chaplains use dogs as support animals for their units.
–Quote source: Lucas Eyre
17
18
B.C. Militaries
Quote source: A.W. Fisk
In earlier warfare – Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Persians all included them in their army.
ABOVE photo description:
Battle between Cimmerian cavalry, their war dogs, and Greek hoplites. Depicted on a Pontic plate.
Quote source: A.W. Fisk
In earlier warfare – Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Persians all included them in their army.
ABOVE photo description:
Battle between Cimmerian cavalry, their war dogs, and Greek hoplites. Depicted on a Pontic plate.
19
WWII, Korea and Vietnam Scouts
Scout dogs were used in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam by the United States to detect ambushes, weapon caches, or enemy fighters hiding underwater, with only reed breathing straws showing above the waterline. The US operated a number of scout dog platoons (assigned on a handler-and-dog team basis to individual patrols) and had a dedicated dog training school in Fort Benning, Georgia.
–Source: Wikipedia “Dogs in Warfare”
Scout dogs were used in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam by the United States to detect ambushes, weapon caches, or enemy fighters hiding underwater, with only reed breathing straws showing above the waterline. The US operated a number of scout dog platoons (assigned on a handler-and-dog team basis to individual patrols) and had a dedicated dog training school in Fort Benning, Georgia.
–Source: Wikipedia “Dogs in Warfare”
20
(Continued Scouts)
Some dogs are trained to silently locate booby traps and concealed enemies such as snipers. The dog’s keen senses of smell and hearing would make them far more effective at detecting these dangers than humans. The best scout dogs are described as having a disposition intermediate to docile tracking dogs and aggressive attack dogs. Scouting dogs are able to identify the opposing threat within 1,000 yards of area. This method of scouting is more efficient compared to human senses.
–Source: Wikipedia “Dogs in Warfare”
Some dogs are trained to silently locate booby traps and concealed enemies such as snipers. The dog’s keen senses of smell and hearing would make them far more effective at detecting these dangers than humans. The best scout dogs are described as having a disposition intermediate to docile tracking dogs and aggressive attack dogs. Scouting dogs are able to identify the opposing threat within 1,000 yards of area. This method of scouting is more efficient compared to human senses.
–Source: Wikipedia “Dogs in Warfare”
21
Quote from ““Dogs in Warfare””:
“Dogs have been used in warfare by many civilizations…
“Dogs have been used in warfare by many civilizations…
22
“…As warfare has progressed, their purposes have changed greatly.”
–Quote Source: Wikipedia “Dogs in Warfare”
–Quote Source: Wikipedia “Dogs in Warfare”
23
Hope ya enjoyed a little history on Man’s Best Friend…as the battled in the Hell that is War.
-Rick
-Rick
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