Animals at war. Animals are heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Class hour on the topic "Animals during the war years"

Since the dawn of time, people have used animals for their own purposes during wars, and today's military also does not miss the chance to benefit from our smaller brothers: they use their abilities in everything from sniffing bombs to patrolling coastlines.

This may seem somewhat surprising, given the fact that dogs, horses, and other animals naturally did not originally evolve to engage in human conflict.

Nevertheless, these creations of nature not only stood the test of time, but also inspired engineers to use animal power directly or through mechanical imitation. Below are just a few of the creatures that have become unwitting recruits in ancient and modern warfare.

Bombs are bats

These nocturnal mammals were part of a strange experiment conducted during World War II. A dental surgeon, upset by the Japanese attack on the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor, suggested attaching tiny bombs to bats.

These creatures were supposed to provoke thousands of small explosions in Japanese cities, settling under the roofs of houses. But the implementation of the idea, however, stopped after the green light was received from President Roosevelt to bring it to life.

Many bats simply "refused to cooperate" with the US Army, despite the fact that preliminary experiments involving 6,000 mice were successful.

The US Navy spent about $2 million on the idea before finally abandoning it. Nonetheless, bats- the bombs managed to set fire to a simulated Japanese village, a US Army hangar and a general's car.

Pentagon scientists are currently studying how the mechanics of bat flight could inspire engineers to design aircraft and spy robots.

Camel Cavalry

Today, camels only help some modern militaries conduct patrol monitoring, but at one time camel cavalry in certain regions of the world flourished very much.

Camels were often used in arid and desert areas in ancient times. North Africa and the Middle East, as they were well adapted to survive in harsh conditions where access even to water was severely limited. The smell of camels also scared away enemy cavalry.

Often the Parthian and Sasanian Persians equipped their camels as heavy artillery, and the Arab wars often used these animals during attacks on other tribes and during the Muslim conquest of North Africa and the Middle East.

However, outside of their natural habitat, camels were inferior to horses in many ways, and with the development of weapons in the 1700s and 1800s, their role generally disappeared.

Angry bees

Stinging bees can become effective weapon, being provoked. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and other civilizations often used these tiny insects as military weapons holding back the onslaught of the enemy.

Once the Turks brought tribute to the Roman soldiers in the form of toxic honey, which led them to defeat in one of the battles due to the development of vomiting and a kind of intoxication.

The more direct use of evil bees continued through the period of medieval castle siege, World War II, and the Vietnam War. Nowadays, scientists have managed to find a more peaceful use for bees - they train insects to detect mines.

Patrol SEALs

California fur seals have long made their name in the US Navy, along with dolphins and beluga whales.

These marine mammals have excellent low-light vision and hearing, can swim at speeds of 40 km/h and are capable of repeated dives up to 300 m. The US Navy now uses fur seals as mine detectors.

Installed special cameras on seals are also used to study life under water. Only one fur seal, two people and a rubber boat can replace a full-size sea vessel, its crew and a group of divers, designed to search for people on the ocean floor.

Pigeons are messengers

Carrier pigeons, thanks to their homing ability and navigational skills that allow them to return home after flying hundreds of kilometers, longer period of human history carried various messages for conquerors and generals.

But most of all, pigeons were used during the Second World War, when the Allied forces "worked" with 200,000 birds. One pigeon named Cher Ami even earned himself a French Military Cross award for his merit.

He managed to deliver the last message despite being seriously wounded by a bullet, and he is also credited with rescuing the "Lost Battalion" of the US 77th Infantry Division, isolated by German troops.

Another group of 32 pigeons earned the British Medal of Valor when Allied troops kept radio silence and relied only on pigeons to relay messages. The birds were later "retired" due to advances in communications technology.

Dolphin Fleet

Bottlenose dolphins, along with fur seals, have been helping the US Navy since 1960. The Flipper brothers used their sophisticated biological sonars to search for mines based on the concept of echolocation.

The dolphin sends out a series of signals directed at the object, which, upon encountering the object, return to the dolphin. This allows marine mammals to get a "mental image" of an object and then relay the information to a human using special signals and "yes" and "no" responses.

The specialist can also send the dolphin back to mark the location of the object. These dolphin abilities came in very handy during both the Gulf War and the Iraq War.

Dolphins can also detect enemy divers and disable them, but the US Navy has denied rumors that they are training dolphins to use weapons against humans.

war elephants

The largest land mammals on Earth have left their mark on the history of warfare as creatures capable of destroying fully equipped enemy troops. Elephants can trample, throw tusks at soldiers, sometimes they put on armor and put archers on them.

The ancient kingdoms of India were the first to use elephants as living tanks, but the practice soon spread to the Middle East.

Alexander the Great during the conquest ancient world used them, at one time the Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans also used elephants during the wars. The horses were afraid of the sight and smell of elephants, and the soldiers also had to fight the psychological terror they faced when they saw the huge animals.

However, elephants can literally go insane after being punished excessively, and the introduction of cannons to the battlefield has essentially eliminated the presence of elephants in war.

War mules

Mules have played an unsung but decisive role throughout the history of warfare.

It was on them that food, weapons and other materials needed by the troops were regularly brought up. Born from a male donkey and a female horse, the mule has become more popular than the horse due to their greater endurance.

Among other things, the mule is more intelligent and stubborn. The ancient Roman legions also used one mule for every 10 Roman legionnaires.

Napoleon Bonaparte himself rode a mule through the Alps, in addition to the fact that hundreds of these animals were in his convoy. The US Army alone used 571,000 horses and mules during World War II, with about 68,000 killed in action.

military dogs

Most people look at best friend humans as cute creatures, but for thousands of years dogs have been used in war.

Large breeds have served as defensive sentinels for everyone from the ancient Egyptians to modern Americans. The Romans dressed their dogs in armor and warm clothes, and the Spanish conquistadors also used armor-clad dogs during their invasion of South America in the 1500s.

Many European nations also used dogs throughout the period of medieval warfare, but in the wars of recent centuries, they served more as scouts and sentries.

The US military and many others have trained bomb-sniffing dogs and are now using them to work in Iraq and Afghanistan, where four-legged workers have been given their own bulletproof vests.

Horses

Perhaps no other animal has played so great role in the history of wars, like a horse. People tamed horses as early as 5500 years ago in the territory of modern Kazakhstan, but their spread across Eurasia probably occurred due to the large-scale use of horses in large-scale military operations.

The ancient Egyptians and Chinese used chariot horses as stable platforms suitable for fighting. Moreover, this use of horses continued until the invention of the saddle, which gave the warrior a decisive advantage.

The stability gained by the warriors thanks to the invention of the saddle allowed the Mongols to win battles and conquer most of the world. The formidable appearance of horses on the battlefield often signaled the beginning of the end for a civilization that did not have them at its disposal. However, with the advent of tanks and machine guns, horses ceased to be participants in wars.

Feats of animals during the Second World War Completed by: Shapovalova Victoria Sergeevna teacher of English language MOU SOSH 40

Goals: 1. Formation of a patriotic position among schoolchildren. 2. Education of love for the Motherland, for nature, humane attitude towards animals. 3. Raising a sense of pride in the victory of the Russian people in the Great Patriotic War. Tasks: 1. Tell students about the role of animals in war; 2. Expand the knowledge of children about those animals that helped the soldiers during the Great Patriotic War

During the Great Patriotic War, the following served at the front: dogs; It was created: 168 special military units using dogs; 69 separate platoons of sled dogs; 29 separate companies of mine detectors; 13 separate special detachments of 7 training battalions of the cadets of the Central School of Service Dog Breeding.

Fighter dogs blew up enemy armored vehicles, railway trains near Stalingrad, Moscow and Bryansk at the cost of their lives. The appearance of these dogs caused panic among the enemy, anti-tank dogs were specially hunted. The dogs served as guards, helped to restore communication, carrying coils of wires on their backs, and delivered reports. Airedale Jack, under heavy fire, ran with a report in his collar for three kilometers, when Battalion 6 was surrounded by the enemy. He received many wounds and died delivering the package, but saved the battalion.

For the first time, dogs walk alongside a person at the Victory Parade ... dogs during the Great Patriotic War went a glorious battle path with our fighters from Moscow to Berlin ...

Mine Detector Dick: Scottish Collie Dick is real hero WWII. He was a mine detector in the second separate regiment of the special service "Kielecki". This dog discovered and neutralized about 12 thousand mines, and consequently, saved many people from certain death. But the most famous merit of Dick is the discovery of a mine with a clockwork weighing 2.5 tons, found by the hero an hour before the alleged explosion in the foundation of the Pavlovsky courtyard in Leningrad. Thereby heroic deed dogs have saved thousands of human lives.

Soldier Dzhulbars: German Shepherd Dzhulbars, who served during the war in the 14th Assault Engineer Brigade, became the only dog awarded the medal "For Military Merit". Thanks to the excellent instinct of this four-legged fighter, from September 1944 to August 1945, 7468 mines and more than 150 shells were cleared in Austria, Hungary, Romania and Czechoslovakia. Dzhulbars also participated in the demining of the cathedrals of Vienna, the castles of Prague and palaces over the Danube. In 1945, the four-legged hero Dzhulbars became a participant in the parade on Red Square dedicated to the Great Victory. Injured dog after the box Soviet soldiers carried in his arms the commander of the 37th separate mine clearance battalion, as well as the dog handler and major, Alexander Mazover. During the parade, Dzhulbars was wrapped in the personal tunic of Joseph Stalin, who gave such an order as a sign of respect for the merits of the dog before the Soviet Army.

Despite the fact that the Second World War is called the war of engines, horses played a significant role in the battles. According to official data alone, the number of horses in the Soviet Army was 1.9 million heads. During the war, horses were used as a transport force, especially in artillery. A team of six horses pulled the cannon, changing the firing positions of the battery. Convoys with food and field kitchens were delivered to the positions by horses. The fighters assigned as messengers also often preferred a horse to a motorcycle.

Pigeons were such a threat to the enemy that the Nazis specifically ordered snipers to shoot pigeons and even trained hawks to act as fighters. In the occupied territories, Reich decrees were issued to seize all pigeons from the population. Most of the seized birds were simply destroyed, the most thoroughbreds were sent to Germany. For harboring potential "feathered partisans" their owner had only one punishment - death. Pigeons Although radio communication was actively used during the war, pigeon mail did not sink into oblivion. The fact is that at the beginning of the war, wire communications operated only at a distance of 3 km, radio - 5 km. In addition, equipment often breaks down. And then carrier pigeons came to the rescue. In total, over the years of the war, carrier pigeons delivered more than “dove grams”

On November 21, 1941, the Nazis captured the city and one of the orders of the invaders was to destroy the pigeons. They wanted to prevent the transmission of information to our troops beyond the Don. Only the pigeons of Vitya Cherevichkin, who did not obey the order, carried intelligence data through the Don to Bataysk. Tracked down by the Nazis, Vitya was killed with a dove in his arms. He was 14 years old.

The anniversary date is approaching - the 70th anniversary of the Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The heavy burden of the war, along with people, was endured by our "smaller brothers" - animals. How animals helped people, served them during the war, it will be interesting and useful for preschoolers to learn. In this post, I have collected a variety of information on this topic from various sources and adapted it for older preschoolers.

CATS

Terrible and heroic, as for people, was the Great Patriotic War for cats. Thanks to their amazing sensitivity and intuition, cats have saved lives countless times.

Among the wartime legends, there is also a story about a red-haired “hearing” cat who settled at an anti-aircraft battery near Leningrad and accurately predicted enemy air raids. Moreover, as the story goes, the animal did not react to the approach of Soviet aircraft. The battery command appreciated the cat for its unique gift, put it on allowance and even assigned one soldier to look after him. This story was mentioned by Anna Borisovna in the director's blog. en

Cats accurately determined the approach of an impending bombardment and, showing concern, warned their owners about this. But not only because of their sensitivity to impending danger, cats saved people, very often they had to do this at the cost of their own lives.

So, for example, it is known that in besieged Leningrad, cats brought all their prey to their owners, and they themselves died of hunger. With their small bodies, cats during the Great Patriotic War warmed freezing children, while freezing themselves. And when all the food supplies ran out, then their cats became food for people.

And after the blockade of Leningrad was broken, the first thing they did, along with food, was a cargo that had a strategic purpose - four wagons of smoky cats, since smoky cats were considered the best rat-catchers. Those who survived the blockade said that huge queues lined up for cats, their need was so great in a city occupied by completely insolent rats.

Many Siberian cities participated in the mobilization of cats for Leningrad, which was dying from the invasion of rats. Siberian pets not only protected the residents of Leningrad and priceless food supplies from rats, but also took control of the storage facilities of the Hermitage and other Leningrad palaces and museums, which had a huge historical value not only for the inhabitants of Leningrad, but for the whole country.

More than 250 cats were collected in Tyumen alone to help after the besieged Leningrad, the volunteers themselves brought their pets to the collection point, contributing to the fight against hordes of rats. In total, more than 5 thousand fluffy pets from Omsk, Tyumen, Irkutsk and other cities were brought to Leningrad, which coped with the task assigned to them with honor. And since then, there are no local cats left in Leningrad, they all have Siberian roots.

Cats during the Great Patriotic War, which saved the largest number of human lives, were awarded a special award. The medal “We also serve the Motherland” was established especially for them., which is considered the most honorable in the animal world. True, she, unfortunately, did not return cat lives ...

And in Tyumen in 2008, in memory of the cats who saved after besieged Leningrad from rats, the "Square of Siberian cats" was opened.

Twelve sculptures of cats and kittens, cast from cast iron and coated with a special golden paint, confirm the statement - "No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten" ...

DOGS

During the War, four-legged friends made their important contribution to the common Victory. Being a faithful friend to man, dogs performed a variety of tasks.

Dogs took the wounded from the line of fire (about 700 thousand wounded were saved by dogs during the war) and delivered ammunition to the battlefield.

Through the inferno, signal dogs got important assignments (during the war years, they delivered more than 120 thousand such assignments).

In the forests and swamps, dogs searched for our wounded soldiers and brought doctors to them.

The dogs also dealt a direct blow to the enemy. Tank destroyer dogs are not the most pleasant canine profession that appeared during the war. These dogs were trained and prepared for the one and only task in their life - undermining enemy tanks.

To do this, they were trained not to be afraid to crawl under moving tanks. Before the task they were dressed special bags with mines. And as soon as the dog was under armored vehicles, the mine exploded.

About 300 enemy tanks were destroyed in this way during the war. The reason for the termination of the use of dogs in this way was the fact that such dogs began to throw themselves under the tracks of not only German, but also Soviet tanks.

HORSES

Despite the fact that the Second World War is called the war of engines, horses played a significant role in the battles. In the Soviet Army, the number of horses during the war was about 2 million

During the war, horses were used as vehicles, especially in artillery. A team of six horses pulled the cannon, changing the firing positions of the battery.

Convoys with food and field kitchens were delivered to the positions by horses. The fighters assigned as messengers also often preferred a horse to a motorcycle.

Despite the fact that the horse could not overcome more than 100 km in a day, but it could go where no vehicle could go, and do it unnoticed. Therefore, horses were often used for swift raids behind enemy lines, for raids and sabotage.

Often, the wounded owed their lives to horses: most of the infirmaries were "horse-drawn".

In turn, people also did not forget about their friends. Wounded horses were not abandoned on the battlefield, but were taken to veterinary hospitals. Seriously wounded horses were taken to the infirmary by motor transport, where they underwent complex operations and nursed until full recovery.

There is no exact data on how many horses died during the war. But it is believed that during the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Army lost more than a million faithful horses.

DEER

I learned about the participation of deer in the Great Patriotic War from Irina Kotkina's blog "CHUMOTEKA". By clicking on the link, you can read the article "The Reindeer Army Goes to Battle".

I will give excerpts from the article in a form understandable to children.

Older preschoolers already have an idea about the map and the globe, so at first it is advisable to tell and show the children where the Nenets Autonomous Okrug is located and about some of its natural features (this information can be found on the CHUMOTEK blog). Accompany the conversation with a display of photographs. An example conversation with children might look like this.

From the Nenets district, 6,000 deer were sent to the front, accompanied by several hundred reindeer herders.

3 bulls (driving deer) were harnessed to a cargo sled, 4-5 to a passenger sled. How much cargo could be put on one sled depended on the strength of the reindeer, the condition of the snow cover, the length of the route, and how fast one had to move.

In November-December, up to 300 kg of cargo could be loaded onto the sled, in January-February - no more than 200 kg, and in spring - only 100 kg.

On a cargo sledge it was possible to transport, for example, 5,000 rifle cartridges, or 10,000 machine guns.

The team could pull one and a half hundred "lemons (grenades)" or three dozen mines, or four boxes of 45-mm shells.

On the reindeer road (worg), argishes are able to overcome 35-40 kilometers per day at an average speed of 5-6 km / h. With a fast march, reindeer teams could travel up to 80 km per day, but such trips were made only in exceptional cases, after which the animals needed a long rest and feeding.

The most important task of the deer units was to rescue the wounded, delivering them from the battlefield

In the regimental medical center. Yes, the wounded were shaking, hurting, uncomfortable, but there was simply no other transport in the North at that time.

The word of a soldier (Andrian Semenovich Durkin)

“From the front line, the wounded were taken out on reindeer through the mountainous, rocky areas of the Kola Peninsula. They were tied to sledges so as not to lose them along the way, because from a height the deer are driven at full speed, or even at a gallop. The sled rolls and can sledge rumple, although a deer (called a brake deer) is tied to the argish (convoy) for the last sled, it does not allow it to roll onto the reindeer. "Here it was painful to the point of nausea. They barely brought me to the Murmansk hospital"

In total, reindeer transports took out (and thus saved lives) from the front line and from deep behind enemy lines 10,142 wounded soldiers - a full-fledged division of the Red Army.

No less important for the reindeer transport units was the task of delivering goods to remote garrisons, border outposts, and airfields.

The word of a soldier (S.P. Sherstobitov, commander of the platoon in which our countrymen served):

"One day early winter a sledge train with cargo was transported through the reservoir, in which up to 300 deer were involved. Approximately in the middle of the reservoir, the train caught up with a herd of about 500 deer. And the ice didn't last. Sergeant P.L. Khatanzeysky did not lose his head, in a confident voice he encouraged the soldiers who were in trouble: - Deer do not drown, they hold the sleigh! Get on the sled! Drive the deer forward! Only forward!" Young soldiers from the former reindeer herders stood firmly on the sleigh, deftly worked as trochees. The deer made their way to solid ice, jumped out on him and pulled the sled. No people were hurt and the cargo was saved."

Deer battalions transported 17 thousand tons of ammunition, 8 thousand fighters to the front line.

In off-road conditions, deer were widely used for communication. Once a record for the delivery of an urgent package was set by Sergeant Nikolai Nikolaevich Ledkov. A good reindeer herder has a compass in his head, so even without roads, he unmistakably, like an airplane, delivered urgent mail to units.

The word of a soldier (Sergeant Nikolai Ledkov):

“Somehow at the end of December (1942), Colonel Tulchinsky called me to the headquarters. He shows me the location of the division headquarters on the map. An urgent package must be delivered there, he says. I left the headquarters and I think: how to deliver it? There will be sixty kilometers on the road, I won’t be in time for the deadline. When the colonel showed the location of the headquarters, I noticed a chain of lakes with small jumpers in this direction. If it’s thirty-five kilometers along the lakes. I decide to go straight "The weather is disgusting, there is no visibility, it is snowing from above. True, the wind is not oncoming, but blowing from the right in the back. But the team was good! When I was driving along the lakes, it seemed as if I was flying in the dark, the runners were not on the snow, they were sliding through the air. And I want to go even faster! I'm chasing, chasing the deer!... I drove out onto the road not far from the headquarters. And immediately - sentry. The package, I say, to the general. The guard officer is taking me to the headquarters.... The general offered to sit down, printed the envelope. , time in hand nia wrote and handed it to me. He shook his hand and said "thank you". It was not possible to rush back: the deer were tired. Colonel Tulchinsky looked at the envelope. It turned out that I delivered the package in half an hour. Surprised:

How did he manage? Or did you fly by plane? Well done!...".

The main enemy of reindeer transports was German fighters and attack aircraft, which literally hunted for handsome horned men and their dashing riders. Our reindeer herders remember the malicious smiles of the Luftwaffe experts, who shot defenseless deer with cannons and machine guns.

The reindeer breeders perceived the death of the leaders of the teams especially sharply, because they raised these animals for several years, loved and pampered them. And the deer loved their owners.

The word of a soldier (Rider Ivan Belugin):

“One deer-nanny became so attached to me that he constantly walked on my heels. And in the war, as it turned out, this is a very dangerous neighborhood. More than once a devoted friend could cause the death of a reindeer breeder. For example, they send a soldier to a military observation post, and so that the enemy did not notice, the reindeer breeder puts on a white camouflage coat and goes on a mission.Suddenly a deer appears next to him, a reindeer-soldier who knows nothing about the war and the Fritz walks next to the sentinel, pokes his nose in the shoulder, as if saying: "Why are you crawling on the ground, get up." The Nazis in the Khibiny rocks immediately notice a spy deer, begin shelling. How then the front-line comrades remained alive, only God knows! What can I say, the animal is not accustomed to military discipline. "

Only since 1943, when the Nazis became more active on the Karelian front, did the reindeer teams also begin to disguise themselves: they were dressed in white blankets. In this form, the deer carried shells and the wounded across the tundra. They were great workers.

Reindeer fighters were extremely sparingly rewarded. Out of more than a hundred soldiers of reindeer transports, residents of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, two dozen could boast, having come from the front, soldier's combat medals. Only two squad commanders were awarded the most honorary soldier's order of the Red Star - Sergeant Efim Ivanovich Kanev and Sergeant Major Amos Petrovich Vyucheisky. The only one of the riding soldiers who was awarded the most honorable Order of Glory of the III degree was Sergeant Semyon Ivanovich Semyashkin, who did not part with talismans throughout the war - a pillow and a spoon for his little daughter. All other fighters of the snow cavalry could only be proud of their fellow villagers with scars and prostheses.

Big little heroes. Animals during the Great Patriotic War.

The Second World War left an indelible mark on the history of our country and the whole world. In this terrible time, the people, both on the front line and in the rear, showed immeasurable courage and courage. Friendship, devotion and mutual assistance were important as never before. The feat of the Soviet people and allies is difficult to overestimate.

Few people know that at that time, our smaller brothers proudly and bravely fought side by side with the soldiers. Horses, dogs, cats and pigeons, like people, performed feats. And they died, just like people. Like the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War, fighting animals saved thousands of human lives and helped bring the long-awaited Victory Day closer.

Horses

The horses tried their best
Carried out the heroes from the attacks -
So that the heroes thundered in songs,
Just don't sing about horses...
(M. Shcherbakov, “Man plays with his own destiny”)

Despite the fact that the Second World War is called the war of engines, horses played a significant role in the battles. Only according to official data, the number of horses in the Soviet Army was 1.9 million heads. During the war, horses were used as a transport force, especially in artillery. A team of six horses pulled the cannon, changing the firing positions of the battery. Convoys with food and field kitchens were delivered to the positions by horses. The fighters assigned as messengers also often preferred a horse to a motorcycle.

Often, the wounded owed their lives to horses: most of the infirmaries were "horse-drawn". In turn, people did not forget about their friends either. Wounded horses were not abandoned on the battlefield, but were taken to veterinary hospitals. Seriously wounded horses were taken to the infirmary by motor transport, where they underwent complex operations and nursed until full recovery. There is no exact data on how many horses died during the war. But it is believed that during the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Army lost more than a million faithful horses.

Dogs

During the War, four-legged friends made their important contribution to the common Victory. Being a true friend to man, dogs performed a variety of roles. Dogs took the wounded from the line of fire (about 700 thousand wounded were saved by dogs during the war) and delivered ammunition to the battlefield. Through the inferno, signal dogs got important assignments (during the war years, they delivered more than 120 thousand such assignments). In the forests and swamps, dogs searched for our wounded soldiers and brought doctors to them.

With the help of quadrupeds, 303 large cities and towns were cleared of mines, including Pskov, Smolensk, Bryansk, Lvov, Minsk, Kyiv, Stalingrad, Odessa, Kharkov, Voronezh, Warsaw, Vienna, Budapest, Berlin, Prague, as well as 18394 buildings and more than four million mines have been discovered. The dogs also dealt a direct blow to the enemy. Tank destroyer dogs are not the most pleasant canine profession that appeared during the war. These dogs were trained for the one and only task in their life - undermining enemy tanks. To do this, they were trained not to be afraid to crawl under moving tanks. Before the task, they were dressed in special bags with mines. And as soon as the dog was under armored vehicles, the mine exploded. In this way, about 300 enemy tanks were destroyed during the war. The reason for the termination of the use of dogs in this way was the fact that such dogs began to throw themselves under the tracks of not only German, but also Soviet tanks.

Dogs - heroes of the Great Patriotic War1.

German Shepherd Dzhulbars - a participant in the Great Patriotic War.
He served in the 14th Assault Engineer Brigade. The only dog awarded the medal "For Military Merit". Thanks to his excellent flair, 7468 mines and more than 150 shells were cleared on the territory of Czechoslovakia, Austria, Romania and Hungary (from September 1944 to August 1945). He also participated in the clearance of palaces over the Danube, the cathedrals of Vienna and the castles of Prague.
Dzhulbars took part in the parade on Red Square in 1945. Shortly before the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, Dzhulbars was wounded and could not pass as part of the military dog school. Then Stalin ordered to carry the dog across Red Square on his overcoat. Therefore, she was carried in the arms of a soldier - the commander of the 37th separate demining battalion, dog handler, Major Alexander Mazover.

2. Shepherd Dean - the first dog-saboteur.
Participant " rail war" in Belarus. She was able to successfully undermine the enemy echelon on the Polotsk-Drissa stage (August 19, 1943). As a result, 10 wagons were destroyed, and most of railway was disabled.
She also distinguished herself in demining the city of Polotsk, where in one of the hospitals she discovered a surprise mine left by German soldiers for our guys.

3. Scottish collie named Dick.
Mine detector. Dick "served" in the 2nd separate regiment of the special service - "Kielecki".
Thanks to his instinct, the lives of thousands of people were saved. Dick's most famous merit is the discovery of a 2.5-ton bomb with a clockwork. It was discovered by a dog in the foundations of the Pavlovsk Palace (Leningrad) an hour before the explosion. If not for this dog, the explosion would have claimed thousands of human lives.
During the war years, about 12 thousand mines were discovered and neutralized with its help.

cats

Despite the fact that cats do not have the endurance and strength of horses, the trainability of dogs, they also helped people survive the difficult years of the war. Due to their sensitivity, cats accurately identified the approach of an impending bombardment, actively expressed their anxiety and thus warned their owners of the approaching danger.

Cats played a big role in besieged Leningrad. Cats protected food and works of art from the Hermitage from rats. It is known that cats brought their prey to their owners, and they themselves died of hunger. The cats warmed the children with their warmth. And when provisions ran out in Leningrad, the cats themselves became food for people.

The time has come when there was not a single cat left in Leningrad and the city began to be attacked by rats. Interestingly, after the blockade was broken, along with the necessary food, more than 5 thousand smoky cats were brought into the city, which saved Leningrad from rats. Cats also helped veterans survive the war. The soldiers started cats in their trenches and dugouts, and they saved them from rodents, and therefore from infections that mice and rats carried. . Twelve sculptures of cats and kittens, cast from cast iron and coated with a special golden paint, confirm the statement - "No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten" ...

pigeons

Although radio communications were actively used during the war, pigeon mail did not sink into oblivion. The fact is that at the beginning of the war, wire communications operated only at a distance of 3 km, radio - 5 km. In addition, equipment often breaks down.
And then carrier pigeons came to the rescue. In total, over 15,000 pigeons were delivered by carrier pigeons during the war years.

camels

During the most difficult battles near Stalingrad in Astrakhan, the 28th reserve army was formed, equipped with guns. However, it was impossible to move on the road: there were no trucks or horses in the whole district. Having looked around, the command decided to attract camels as a draft force. Local authorities caught almost all wild animals, handing them over military units. The soldiers had a hard time, many saw the two-humped for the first time, and here they had to manage such a colossus on the front line. Yes, and the nasty character of the animals was shown at every attempt to communicate. The shepherd boys came to the rescue. In a short time, with their help, the Red Army soldiers trained animals to carry a team, carry wagons and a field kitchen, and drag a gun weighing more than a ton. Camels were famous for their endurance, so instead of three pairs of horses, which were supposed to carry cannons, two pairs of camels were harnessed.

Moose and deer

From the first days of the war, the formation of a partisan movement began. Specially trained NKVD officers remained in the occupied territories to organize sabotage detachments. One of the priority tasks that they had to solve was the task of the legendary transportation of goods and manpower over long distances. The use of horses often led to the decoding of the location of the base camp: the prints of horseshoes were clearly visible in the forest.

Then the idea came up to use moose for this purpose. Moose tracks did not arouse suspicion. Moose can feed on thin tree branches, and moose milk has healing properties.
There has already been some experience in this direction. There were moose troops in the Swedish army, and the first attempts to domesticate moose in the USSR were made back in 1930.
A special group was created to train the moose. Moose were circled and accustomed to shots.
Moose were not widely used for military purposes; this was mainly due to understandable difficulties in organizing the training of fighters. Soon, two dozen elk went to the intelligence departments of the army and took part in successful raids on enemy rear lines. There are known cases of successful raids by our scouts on moose behind enemy lines. The caribou reindeer is another hardy beast that has made its mark on the roads of war. The transport of Santa Claus was useful to the Soviet Army during the defense of the Arctic. It quickly became clear that the horses prescribed by the Red Army according to the charter in the conditions of the polar winter turn into a burden for the front. Back in time Finnish war Divisional Commander Valerian Alexandrovich Frolov suggested using the traditional northern draft force in the troops - reindeer teams. The very first attempts to move on deer in January - February 1940 gave a remarkable result, and by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the basic provisions for the use of teams in the army had been developed. June 29, 1941 german army"Norway", with the support of the Finnish troops, struck at Murmansk, and on July 1 - at Kandalaksha. In November of the same year, by decision of the Military Council of the 14th Army, three army reindeer transports were formed to confront the Germans. Each of them consisted of 1015 deer, 15 reindeer dogs, 237 cargo and 76 passenger sleds. 154 people served the transport, including 77 reindeer herders. The Northern Fleet also had its own reindeer transport brigade - it provided the actions of the marines. locals- Saami, who knew how to find moss pastures, well oriented in the tundra. Three or four deer were harnessed to the sledge - like a fan, in the manner of a Russian troika. On the reindeer road, the rides passed up to 35 km per day, on the impassable road - up to 25 km. The carrying capacity of the sled depended on the state of the route. In November and December, 300 kg of cargo was transported on the sled, in January and February - 200, in March and April - 100 kg. That is, for example, 5,000 rifle cartridges (6 boxes) or 10,000 automatic rifle cartridges could be piled on one sled; 150 hand grenades; 30 minutes for an 82-mm mortar or 12 minutes for a 107-mm mountain pack mortar; 40 shells for 45 mm anti-tank guns, 10 shells of 76.2 mm caliber; 4 rounds for a 122mm howitzer. The guns themselves were transported disassembled. So, for the transportation of a 4-gun battery of 76-mm mountain guns of the 1902-1909 model with one ammunition load of 560 shells, 315 deer, 82 cargo sleds and 30 cars were required. Sometimes the sledges were used as carts, armed with heavy or light machine guns. During the war, 10,142 wounded and sick were taken from the battlefield by reindeer of the 14th Army. Single passenger sleds were used by liaison officers to deliver urgent reports. Deer even served in aviation: they brought bombs and cartridges to aircraft, evacuated emergency vehicles from the tundra. To do this, aircraft technicians dismantled the aircraft into parts and loaded them onto sleds. From 1941 to 1944, 162 aircraft were taken out in this way.

Irina Shikhova

Animals tamed by man have always been in his service. And not only in times of peace. How animals helped people during the war is known from history different peoples planets. And it's not just about the present. The first mention of the participation of animals in the fighting of various armies dates back to ancient times.

What determines the choice of animals

Historians have repeatedly found documents that tell how animals helped people during the war. In addition, it is known that for military purposes the most different kinds their representatives. What guided the warring armies, choosing their allies from among the animals?

First of all, this was due to the level of development of civilization in general and the art of war and the level of armament of the army in particular. The choice also depended on the nature of the area where the battles took place. The goals that needed to be achieved during the rivalry also suggested which animals would be best used.
Horses, elephants, dogs, different types of birds, and even snakes could perform both auxiliary and combat functions.

Horses and war

The most peaceful and noble animal on Earth is a horse. However, it was her man who used the war more often than other representatives of the fauna. Warrior Chariots ancient states were devastating raids of nomads, lasting more than one century, were also carried out on horseback.
Regiments of hussars and lancers during the Patriotic War of 1812, North American Indians, cavalrymen of both world wars - all were closely associated with horses. List of military events, where big role these animals played, one could go on and on.

Horses were used during attacks as a draft force during respite, in reconnaissance. These animals worked with signalers, laying communications. The victorious army, led by military commanders, solemnly entered the defeated cities on horseback.

The mentioned historical events once again remind how animals helped people during the war. And this means that all the hardships associated with harsh times had to be endured not only by people, but also by their four-legged helpers.

Animals - participants in wars

In tropical countries, as a rule, elephants participated in battles next to people. They fearlessly moved forward, terrifying the enemy. Their enormous strength was used to move heavy structures and machines. But against this formidable force, a simple weapon was soon found - this is fire. He made the elephants run panic fear. During such a flight, not only the enemy, but also his own army suffered.

In Asian countries, not horses were used for military purposes, but mules and camels. These animals are more hardy, better adapted to the conditions of semi-deserts and deserts.
Studying the question of how animals helped people during the war, one cannot fail to mention birds. First of all, it was Many who used birds to convey messages. However, during the Second World War, peregrine falcons, which are predators, began to be released against pigeons. The British were the first to use this tactic.

Dogs at war

Dogs deserve a special mention regarding the participation of animals in the war. They can rightfully be called military personnel. Dogs began their difficult career in ancient times. They served as guard animals.
Through certain time a person began to use them in search, and then in courier work. In the 20th century, dogs rose to the ranks of sappers, demolition workers, orderlies, scouts, and border guards.

Animals participating in the Great Patriotic War

The memory of the events of seventy years ago is still alive in the hearts of people. The modern generation understands what strength and courage the soldiers had to show different countries in the fight against a serious adversary, which was Nazi Germany.
At the same time, one should not underestimate the role of animals during the Great Patriotic War. And again we will talk about horses, dogs, pigeons. There are known facts that trained dolphins were used in the service of military sailors. They played the role of demolition workers, scouts, detecting submarine saboteurs.

According to official documents, in the ranks Soviet army there were about 1.9 million heads of horses. They were used in all branches of the military. A team of several animals could move the gun, changing firing positions. Field kitchens moved with the help of horses, they also delivered carts with food. Horse transport was used in military hospitals, so many wounded soldiers believed that they owed their lives to horses.

The gratitude of people to animals is evidenced by the following fact: the soldiers took the wounded horses from the battlefield and nursed them to full recovery. However, we must not forget that animals died in the war, like people. According to some reports, during last war about a million horses died.

Dogs-heroes of the Great Patriotic War

Knowing the full burden of the service that the dogs had to bear in the period from 1941 to 1945, without hesitation they can be put on a par with the people who won the Victory in this war.

Eyewitness stories are amazing unusual facts which speak of the dog's boundless devotion to man. According to official sources, about 700,000 wounded soldiers were carried out from under the line of fire by ambulance dogs.

It is well known that four-legged helpers delivered shells and ammunition to the most dangerous places where it was unthinkable for a person or equipment to get. Sometimes at the time of the battle, a message received from the command on time could save tens and hundreds of human lives. About 120 thousand such reports were delivered by dogs.

After fierce battles, many wounded soldiers remained in their places of conduct. Dogs helped doctors find living fighters in need of help, thus saving their lives.

With the help of fighter dogs, about 300 enemy tanks were destroyed during the war years. The sad thing is that the life of all these animals ended the same way - they had to stop the enemy machine, but at the same time die under its tracks.
After the turning point in the course of the war, the liberation march of our army began on the territory of the USSR and European countries. It was necessary to secure the people returning to peaceful life. And here again the dogs rendered an invaluable service. They participated in the demining of more than 300 settlements. Dogs in the war found over four million mines. They saved 18,394 buildings from destruction, many of which had historical value. The assertion that dogs are heroes of the Great Patriotic War has good grounds, which are confirmed by official data.

Zones of armed conflicts

As is known, modern world does not have a calm atmosphere. Tension arises with a certain constancy, now in one part of it, then in another. And again, in the most dangerous places, a dog is next to a person.

Canine service trains them to find hiding criminals, to pursue. With dogs, inspections of vehicles, patrolling the streets, and guarding objects of special importance are carried out.

Human tribute

The exploits of animals during the war are not forgotten by people. There are numerous testimonies about this. For example, there is a monument to the dogs of the Great Patriotic War in many cities and countries that were not spared by these tragic events. The initiators of the creation of monuments are simple people, public organizations, and sometimes leaders of states.

In Moscow, on Poklonnaya Hill in 2013, a bronze monument to a front-line dog was erected. In Ukraine, in 2003, a memorial complex was opened in honor of the heroes-border guards and service dogs. In Novosibirsk, a monument was erected in honor of all service dogs that participated in the hostilities and were injured or killed there.
It is not uncommon for dogs to receive rewards for performing particularly dangerous tasks.

It is safe to say that every person keeps in his soul an extraordinary story, an amazing story about animals during the war. And this is also a tribute to the memory of four-legged friends.