Many pictures of World War II soldiers accompanied by pets and mascots exist. These pets were often picked up from the battlefield, where they were roaming around looking for the families that had left them behind while fleeing. Others were picked up in faraway places or were sneaked onboard when leaving the home front.
However, almost all countries involved in the war used animals to work as well. Some animals were even used as weapons.
Horses, mules, camels and elephants were used to carry supplies. A more unusual helper was found in Wojtek, a bear that served with the Polish 22nd Artillery Supply Company. In order to be allowed onboard a troopship, the bear received the official rank of private, but later became a corporal. Wojtek not only enjoyed eating cigarettes, swimming, wrestling and drinking coffee and alcoholic beverages, but also slept close to his fellow soldiers and moved crates of artillery shells.
Wojtek
Pigeons and dogs were used to deliver messages on the battlefield. Winkie the pigeon helped save a downed bomber crew and another pigeon, GI Joe, delivered a message that saved at least one hundred soldiers from being killed by friendly fire. At one point, the U.S. military even experimented with pigeon-guided missiles!
Dogs were often used to guard at night and to track enemy soldiers. The Soviets, moreover, used dogs as anti-tank weapons, strapping explosives to the canines and teaching them to crawl under enemy tanks. As the dogs trained with Soviet tanks, however, the plan misfired as soon as the dogs were released onto the battlefield and crawled under the same Soviet tanks they recognized from their training.
Cats were mostly used as pets, mascots and rodent-control. One such cat served with the German Kriegsmarine and the British Royal Navy. The German cat named Oskar survived the sinking of the Bismarck and was the only survivor to be rescued and taken about the HMS Cossack. Several months later, the Cossack sank as well, and the cat, who was now called Unsinkable Sam, was saved and transferred onto the HMS Ark Royal, that was sunk later during the war. Sam, however, survived this ordeal as well. The USA briefly tested “cat bombs”. The idea was to fit felines with bombs and drop them near German ships, hoping the cats would swim for the enemy vessels, at which point the explosives would be detonated. However, the animals kept passing out and testing was stopped.
Oskar a.k.a. Unsinkable Sam
Project X-Ray saw the testing of the so-called “bat bombs”, small incendiary devices strapped to bats. The idea behind it was quite clever. Bats would be release over Tokyo, where they would hide in the typical wood and paper houses until built-in timers would set the explosives off. However, during the testing phase Stateside, the bats were released too early and the entire test site burned down. Around the same time, the USA started testing the atomic bombs, and interest in the bat bombs was soon lost.
From 1943 tot 1949, the British started awarding animals medals for "conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty”. This so-called Dickin Medal was ultimately awarded to 54 animals, most of which were pigeons. In fact, the first three medals were awarded to pigeons after they successfully delivered messages that resulted in the rescuing of downed aircrews. In later years, awarding of the medal was resumed.
The Americans awarded several animals with purple hearts after they were wounded on the battlefield. Some animals also received citations. One such example was Siwash, a duck that fought an enemy rooster during the battle for Tarawa. This citation read: “For courageous action and wounds received on Tarawa, in the Gilbert Islands, November 1943. With utter disregard for his own personal safety, Siwash, upon reaching the beach, without hesitation engaged the enemy in fierce combat, namely, one rooster of Japanese ancestry, and though wounded on the head by repeated pecks, he soon routed the opposition. He refused medical aid until all wounded members of his section had been taken care of.”
Siwash
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