J
jollyjacktar
Guest
A good story from the Daily Mail. There are excellent photographs at the story link below.
"From a hard-drinking duck Marine to a Nazi pig who turned his back on Hitler to save the Allies' bacon: The unsung animal heroes who risked their lives on the battlefield
Animals served alongside humans in most of the world's major conflicts
They were used to carry munitions or were taken with troops as mascots
But while the human heroes of our conflicts were decorated with medals the animals who went to war with them have remained quietly unsung
By Amanda Williams for MailOnline
Published: 13:24 GMT, 2 January 2016 | Updated: 13:29 GMT, 2 January 2016
They served on the frontline, risking life and limb for their country.But while the human heroes of our conflicts were decorated with medals and showered with due tribute, the animals who went to war with them have remained quietly unsung.
From Private Jackie, the chacma baboon attached to the 3rd South African Infantry in the First World War, who lost a leg as he tried to build a protective fortress for he and his comrades, to Tirptiz, the German pig who defected, changing his allegiance to the British cause, MailOnline remembers some of the animals who loyally joined their masters in the battlefield.
1. Private Jackie - the chacma baboon
Jackie the baboon (pictured meeting an admirer) was the mascot of the 3rd SA Infantry in WW1. The baboon drew rations, marched and drilled, and went to the nightmare of Delville Wood and Passchendaele
Jackie the chacma baboon was taken to France by South African soldiers, intended to be the mascot of the 3rd South African Infantry in the First World War.
With excellent eyesight and hearing, the smartly dressed baboon was invaluable to the troops - able to warn his fellow soldiers of potential attacks and enemy movement by pulling on their clothes or making noise.
Jackie marched and drilled alongside his infantry, smartly saluting passing officers, drawing rations, and eating politely using a knife and fork and drinking from a cup.
The dedicated baboon saw action at Delville Wood and the hell of Passchendaele, where he was injured trying to build a wall of stones around himself as protection from flying shrapnel.
But he never finished the protective fortress - an exploding shell tore it down and took a good chunk of his right leg with it.
Private Jackie was rushed by ambulance to a British casualty clearing station where the baboon's leg was amputated by a Dr RN Woodsend who later wrote an account of the incident: 'We decided to give the patient chloroform and dress his wounds. If he died under the anesthetic perhaps that would be the best thing.
'As I had never given anaesthetic to such a patient before, I thought it would be the most likely result. However he lapped up the chloroform as if it had been whisky and was well under in remarkably short time. It was a simple matter to amputate the leg and dress the wounds as well as I could.'
2. Tirpitz, the German pig who defected to the enemy
Tirpitz the pig was destined for the plates of hungry German servicemen. At the beginning of the First World War, Tirpitz the pig's role was little more than a food source for German soldiers, carried aboard warship SMS Dresden in 1914 and destined for the plates of hungry servicemen.
So it was little wonder that when the Dresden was sunk in battle with the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Glasgow off the coast of South America during the Battle of Más a Tierra, Tirpitz made his break for freedom - and quite literally saved his bacon.
The intrepid porker managed to escape the sinking ship and swam towards the Glasgow where the good-hearted crew accepted his surrender and brought him aboard as a mascot.
They named the giant pig after German admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, and awarded him the Iron Cross for his bravery in seeing sense and changing his allegiance to the British cause.
Sadly, after a year spent aboard the Glasgow, he was transferred to the Whale Island Gunnery School, Portsmouth, and was eventually auctioned off as pork - raising £1,785 for the British Red Cross in his final mission.
Tirpitz's head was mounted and can now be seen at the Imperial War Museum in London, and his trotters were turned into handles for a carving set.
The set was used aboard the Glasgow in World War II, thus making Tirpitz the only pig to have served aboard a warship during two conflicts.
3. G.I. Joe, the valiant carrier pigeon
Joe, an American pigeon from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, was the first non-British animal to be awarded the Dickin Medal after fearlessly saved the lives of the villagers of Calvi Vecchia, Italy during the Second World War
G.I. Joe, the valiant carrier pigeon attached to the United States Army Pigeon Service, fearlessly saved the lives of the villagers of Calvi Vecchia, Italy, and of the British troops occupying the village during the Second World War.
Joe delivered a vital message just ahead of a British airstrike on the area which arrived just in time to stop the bombs from falling.
Joe, an American pigeon from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, was the first non-British animal to be awarded the Dickin Medal.
Some 32 racing pigeons were awarded the prestigious Dickin Medal - the animal version of the Victoria Cross - for their acts of heroism in World War Two.
After the war Joe retired to the Detroit Zoological Gardens until his death at the age of 18 in 1961.
He was then stuffed and mounted and put on display at Fort Monmouth, which closed in 2011.
4. Siwash the hard drinking, hard fighting Marine duck
Siwash the marine duck was a hard drinking, hard fighting Sergeant with the First Battalion of the Tenth Marine Regiment with a fondness for beer
Won by a Marine in a poker game in New Zealand, the duck joined the Marines on the frontline at the Battle of Tarawa in 1943 .
It was there that he was wounded during intense fighting - during which he engaged in wing to wing combat with a Japanese rooster.
His fellow Marines awarded him a Purple Heart following the war for his relentless dedication to duty.
While Siwash was referred to as 'he' during the war, it was discovered that she was actually a 'she' in her retirement at the Lincoln Park Zoo - the only duck now known to have concealed their gender in order to serve on the frontline
Siwash lived until 1954, when she died of a liver ailment (apparently not connected to the duck's love of beer) whereupon a funeral service was held at a taxidermist's shop.
5. Warrior, the real War Horse dubbed ‘the horse the Germans couldn’t kill’
An unflappable steed called Warrior – dubbed ‘the horse the Germans couldn’t kill’ - showed death-defying bravery and inspired thousands of soldiers
On the battlefields of the First World War, he showed death-defying bravery, dodged bullets, survived bombs and bayonets and twice escaped from burning buildings.
But this war hero was not a serviceman, he was the real-life War Horse, the fearless Warrior – dubbed ‘the horse the Germans couldn’t kill’.
His arrival on the Western Front on August 11 1914 with Gnrl Seely, marked his introduction tothe hell of war.
It was here Warrior stayed there throughout the conflict, surviving machine gun attacks and falling shells at the Battle of the Somme, rescued from the mud of Passchendaele and twice trapped under the burning beams of his stables.
Despite suffering several injuries, Warrior survived and returned home to the Isle of Wight in 1918, where he lived with the Seely family until his death aged 33.
The brave steed was posthumously awarded the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross in the conflict’s centenary year.
6. Wotjek the 35-stone 'soldier bear' which drank, smoked and battled the Nazis
'Private Wojtek' was a 6ft-tall 35 stone Syrian brown bear which was adopted by a Polish regiment stationed in the Middle East . Wojtek, which means - 'he who enjoys war' or 'smiling warrior' - became a popular figure, enjoying treats of beers and cigarettes given to him by soldiers
When Allied commanders issued an order that troops advancing on Rome were not to be accompanied by animals, the bear was promptly enlisted in the 22nd Transport Division (Artillery Supply) of the Polish 2nd Army Corps.
Wojtek, which means - 'he who enjoys war' or 'smiling warrior' - became a popular figure, enjoying treats of beers and cigarettes given to him by soldiers.
During his most famous escapade, the animal voluntarily carried shells for Allied guns during the brutal Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944.
7. Sgt Stubby, a short-tailed bull terrier and a true First World War hero
Sergeant Stubby was a true First World War hero. Without a thought for his own safety, he warned his fellow troops when they were under attack, rescued wounded soldiers and even captured a German spy
Without a thought for his own safety, he warned his fellow troops when they were under attack, rescued wounded soldiers and even captured a German spy - holding him tightly by the back of his trousers until American comrades arrived with back up.
But Sgt Stubby wasn't a skilled soldier - he was a short-tailed bull terrier who had simply stumbled into the camp of the 102nd infantry of Massachusetts in 1917 and was promptly adopted as a mascot.
He was eventually smuggled onto a ship bound for France where he was injured by a hand grenade, and gassed a number of times.
The ever faithful canine soldier accompanied his wounded master Corporal J. Robert Conroy to hospital where he dutifully entertained the injured troops.
During his service he amassed service medals and veteran awards - including a Purple Heart - and he returned from the conflict a famous dog, eventually used to help recruit with the Red Cross.
8. Sgt Billy - the Canadian goat hero of WWI
Originally bought as a mascot by Canadian soldiers passing through Broadview, Saskatchewan, Sgt Billy was smuggled into France by his good humoured comrades.
During his service, Sgt Bill was injured by shrapnel, suffered trench foot and shell shock and was even arrested for eating military equipment.
But his true defining moment of the conflict came as he fearlessly saved the lives of three of his comrades - headbutting the men into a trench to avoid an exploding shell.
Sergeant Billy, the goat in military service for Canada in the Great War. During his service, Sgt Bill was injured by shrapnel, suffered trench foot and shell shock and was even arrested for eating military equipment
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3333500/Dogs-war-goats-pigeons-baboons-unsung-animal-heroes-risked-lives-battlefield-including-German-pig-defected.html#ixzz3w6H0V100
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
"From a hard-drinking duck Marine to a Nazi pig who turned his back on Hitler to save the Allies' bacon: The unsung animal heroes who risked their lives on the battlefield
Animals served alongside humans in most of the world's major conflicts
They were used to carry munitions or were taken with troops as mascots
But while the human heroes of our conflicts were decorated with medals the animals who went to war with them have remained quietly unsung
By Amanda Williams for MailOnline
Published: 13:24 GMT, 2 January 2016 | Updated: 13:29 GMT, 2 January 2016
They served on the frontline, risking life and limb for their country.But while the human heroes of our conflicts were decorated with medals and showered with due tribute, the animals who went to war with them have remained quietly unsung.
From Private Jackie, the chacma baboon attached to the 3rd South African Infantry in the First World War, who lost a leg as he tried to build a protective fortress for he and his comrades, to Tirptiz, the German pig who defected, changing his allegiance to the British cause, MailOnline remembers some of the animals who loyally joined their masters in the battlefield.
1. Private Jackie - the chacma baboon
Jackie the baboon (pictured meeting an admirer) was the mascot of the 3rd SA Infantry in WW1. The baboon drew rations, marched and drilled, and went to the nightmare of Delville Wood and Passchendaele
Jackie the chacma baboon was taken to France by South African soldiers, intended to be the mascot of the 3rd South African Infantry in the First World War.
With excellent eyesight and hearing, the smartly dressed baboon was invaluable to the troops - able to warn his fellow soldiers of potential attacks and enemy movement by pulling on their clothes or making noise.
Jackie marched and drilled alongside his infantry, smartly saluting passing officers, drawing rations, and eating politely using a knife and fork and drinking from a cup.
The dedicated baboon saw action at Delville Wood and the hell of Passchendaele, where he was injured trying to build a wall of stones around himself as protection from flying shrapnel.
But he never finished the protective fortress - an exploding shell tore it down and took a good chunk of his right leg with it.
Private Jackie was rushed by ambulance to a British casualty clearing station where the baboon's leg was amputated by a Dr RN Woodsend who later wrote an account of the incident: 'We decided to give the patient chloroform and dress his wounds. If he died under the anesthetic perhaps that would be the best thing.
'As I had never given anaesthetic to such a patient before, I thought it would be the most likely result. However he lapped up the chloroform as if it had been whisky and was well under in remarkably short time. It was a simple matter to amputate the leg and dress the wounds as well as I could.'
2. Tirpitz, the German pig who defected to the enemy
Tirpitz the pig was destined for the plates of hungry German servicemen. At the beginning of the First World War, Tirpitz the pig's role was little more than a food source for German soldiers, carried aboard warship SMS Dresden in 1914 and destined for the plates of hungry servicemen.
So it was little wonder that when the Dresden was sunk in battle with the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Glasgow off the coast of South America during the Battle of Más a Tierra, Tirpitz made his break for freedom - and quite literally saved his bacon.
The intrepid porker managed to escape the sinking ship and swam towards the Glasgow where the good-hearted crew accepted his surrender and brought him aboard as a mascot.
They named the giant pig after German admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, and awarded him the Iron Cross for his bravery in seeing sense and changing his allegiance to the British cause.
Sadly, after a year spent aboard the Glasgow, he was transferred to the Whale Island Gunnery School, Portsmouth, and was eventually auctioned off as pork - raising £1,785 for the British Red Cross in his final mission.
Tirpitz's head was mounted and can now be seen at the Imperial War Museum in London, and his trotters were turned into handles for a carving set.
The set was used aboard the Glasgow in World War II, thus making Tirpitz the only pig to have served aboard a warship during two conflicts.
3. G.I. Joe, the valiant carrier pigeon
Joe, an American pigeon from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, was the first non-British animal to be awarded the Dickin Medal after fearlessly saved the lives of the villagers of Calvi Vecchia, Italy during the Second World War
G.I. Joe, the valiant carrier pigeon attached to the United States Army Pigeon Service, fearlessly saved the lives of the villagers of Calvi Vecchia, Italy, and of the British troops occupying the village during the Second World War.
Joe delivered a vital message just ahead of a British airstrike on the area which arrived just in time to stop the bombs from falling.
Joe, an American pigeon from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, was the first non-British animal to be awarded the Dickin Medal.
Some 32 racing pigeons were awarded the prestigious Dickin Medal - the animal version of the Victoria Cross - for their acts of heroism in World War Two.
After the war Joe retired to the Detroit Zoological Gardens until his death at the age of 18 in 1961.
He was then stuffed and mounted and put on display at Fort Monmouth, which closed in 2011.
4. Siwash the hard drinking, hard fighting Marine duck
Siwash the marine duck was a hard drinking, hard fighting Sergeant with the First Battalion of the Tenth Marine Regiment with a fondness for beer
Won by a Marine in a poker game in New Zealand, the duck joined the Marines on the frontline at the Battle of Tarawa in 1943 .
It was there that he was wounded during intense fighting - during which he engaged in wing to wing combat with a Japanese rooster.
His fellow Marines awarded him a Purple Heart following the war for his relentless dedication to duty.
While Siwash was referred to as 'he' during the war, it was discovered that she was actually a 'she' in her retirement at the Lincoln Park Zoo - the only duck now known to have concealed their gender in order to serve on the frontline
Siwash lived until 1954, when she died of a liver ailment (apparently not connected to the duck's love of beer) whereupon a funeral service was held at a taxidermist's shop.
5. Warrior, the real War Horse dubbed ‘the horse the Germans couldn’t kill’
An unflappable steed called Warrior – dubbed ‘the horse the Germans couldn’t kill’ - showed death-defying bravery and inspired thousands of soldiers
On the battlefields of the First World War, he showed death-defying bravery, dodged bullets, survived bombs and bayonets and twice escaped from burning buildings.
But this war hero was not a serviceman, he was the real-life War Horse, the fearless Warrior – dubbed ‘the horse the Germans couldn’t kill’.
His arrival on the Western Front on August 11 1914 with Gnrl Seely, marked his introduction tothe hell of war.
It was here Warrior stayed there throughout the conflict, surviving machine gun attacks and falling shells at the Battle of the Somme, rescued from the mud of Passchendaele and twice trapped under the burning beams of his stables.
Despite suffering several injuries, Warrior survived and returned home to the Isle of Wight in 1918, where he lived with the Seely family until his death aged 33.
The brave steed was posthumously awarded the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross in the conflict’s centenary year.
6. Wotjek the 35-stone 'soldier bear' which drank, smoked and battled the Nazis
'Private Wojtek' was a 6ft-tall 35 stone Syrian brown bear which was adopted by a Polish regiment stationed in the Middle East . Wojtek, which means - 'he who enjoys war' or 'smiling warrior' - became a popular figure, enjoying treats of beers and cigarettes given to him by soldiers
When Allied commanders issued an order that troops advancing on Rome were not to be accompanied by animals, the bear was promptly enlisted in the 22nd Transport Division (Artillery Supply) of the Polish 2nd Army Corps.
Wojtek, which means - 'he who enjoys war' or 'smiling warrior' - became a popular figure, enjoying treats of beers and cigarettes given to him by soldiers.
During his most famous escapade, the animal voluntarily carried shells for Allied guns during the brutal Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944.
7. Sgt Stubby, a short-tailed bull terrier and a true First World War hero
Sergeant Stubby was a true First World War hero. Without a thought for his own safety, he warned his fellow troops when they were under attack, rescued wounded soldiers and even captured a German spy
Without a thought for his own safety, he warned his fellow troops when they were under attack, rescued wounded soldiers and even captured a German spy - holding him tightly by the back of his trousers until American comrades arrived with back up.
But Sgt Stubby wasn't a skilled soldier - he was a short-tailed bull terrier who had simply stumbled into the camp of the 102nd infantry of Massachusetts in 1917 and was promptly adopted as a mascot.
He was eventually smuggled onto a ship bound for France where he was injured by a hand grenade, and gassed a number of times.
The ever faithful canine soldier accompanied his wounded master Corporal J. Robert Conroy to hospital where he dutifully entertained the injured troops.
During his service he amassed service medals and veteran awards - including a Purple Heart - and he returned from the conflict a famous dog, eventually used to help recruit with the Red Cross.
8. Sgt Billy - the Canadian goat hero of WWI
Originally bought as a mascot by Canadian soldiers passing through Broadview, Saskatchewan, Sgt Billy was smuggled into France by his good humoured comrades.
During his service, Sgt Bill was injured by shrapnel, suffered trench foot and shell shock and was even arrested for eating military equipment.
But his true defining moment of the conflict came as he fearlessly saved the lives of three of his comrades - headbutting the men into a trench to avoid an exploding shell.
Sergeant Billy, the goat in military service for Canada in the Great War. During his service, Sgt Bill was injured by shrapnel, suffered trench foot and shell shock and was even arrested for eating military equipment
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3333500/Dogs-war-goats-pigeons-baboons-unsung-animal-heroes-risked-lives-battlefield-including-German-pig-defected.html#ixzz3w6H0V100
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
