From armies of ants to troops of baboons, groups of animals will fight each other for resources and territory, however humans are the only species on the planet to engage in organised ‘warfare’, in the true sense of the word.
What animals have been used in war?
But that doesn’t stop us from dragging other creatures into the fray. History is full of accounts about animals being used in various capacities during armed conflicts. Sometimes they have been deployed as living weapons, but more often they were used as messengers, scouts, decoys, shields, rescuers or simply for company during times of immense stress and fear.
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Many animals – including dogs, cats, bears and pigeons – have been given an official rank within the army, air force or navy, or have won medals for demonstrating bravery and devotion during battle or during the course of a conflict.
Several countries even have dedicated medals for animals: Britain has the PDSA Dickin Medal, often called the animals' VC (Victoria Cross), which was first awarded in 1943 (to a pigeon called White Vision, who flew 9 hours though a terrible storm to deliver a message that led to the rescue of a downed aircrew). And in 2019, the USA instituted the Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery. Following is a roll call of a few examples of exceptional animals at war.
Bears
When a contingent of Polish soldiers were travelling through Iran on their way to a posting in the Middle East, they adopted an orphaned Syrian brown bear whose mother had been shot by hunters. The bear, named Wojtek, became the regiment mascot of the 22nd Transport Artillery Supply Company, Polish II Corps during World War II.
Despite growing to 6ft and reaching a weight of about 18 stone (113kg), Wojtek remained playful and friendly, and was beloved by the unit’s soldiers, with whom he allegedly drank beer and shared cigarettes.
When the company was posted to Italy in 1943, Wojtek had to be officially enlisted in order to accompany them, and he was given a service number, a paybook and assigned the rank of Private. During fierce fighting during the Battle of Monte Cassino, Wojtek assisted his comrades by carrying heavy shells and boxes of ammunition, a scene later incorporated into the company’s insignia, and he was subsequently promoted to the rank of Corporal.
After the armistice the unit travelled to Scotland, and Wojtek ended up spending the rest of his days in Edinburgh Zoo, where he passed away in 1963.
Dogs
In ancient times, the Romans and the Greeks reportedly used big dog breeds such as mastiff breeds during battles, and the modern Russian army even deployed dogs armed with explosives as living anti-tanks weapons during the Second World War, but not all stories involving canines in conflict are so bleak. During World War I, dogs were often used to deliver vital messages, and one such animal Stubby – variously described as a bull terrier or Boston terrier – had a particularly eventful war.
Stubby started off as the unofficial mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment, before being assigned to the 26th (Yankee) Division, where he was given the official rank of Private. He served for 18 months, taking part in 17 battles and four offensives on the Western Front.
Stubby was promoted to Sergeant for his services during combat, which went well beyond delivering messages and included saving his regiment from surprise mustard gas attack, comforting wounded soldiers and even helping to capture a German spy. Injured several times, including by gas attacks and a hand grenade explosion, he was awarded a Wound stripe and a Purple Heart.
Stubby is thought to have been the most decorated war dog of World War I – he was featured in an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution and in 2018 an animated film was released telling his story: Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero.
Cats
Notoriously more fickle than canines, cats have taken part in human conflicts over history too. At the Battle of Pelusium in 525 BC, Cambyses II – Achaemenid king of Persia – deployed cats on the front lines because he knew his foe, the Egyptians, saw the animals as sacred, and would cease using projectile weapons against his men for fear of hurting or killing the cats.
In more modern warfare, cats have often featured as mascots or been used for companionship on warships. One famous feline during World War II was the ship's cat on HMS Hermione, christened Convoy because of the number of Atlantic convoy escort duties he completed.
Listed in the ship's book, Convoy was provided with full kit, including a little hammock to sleep in. Tragically, Convoy’s luck ran out on 16 June 1942, when the Hermione sank with the loss of 87 men and one cat after being torpedoed by German submarine U-205.
Elephants
The Carthaginian general Hannibal famously used elephants in his battles with the Romans, even taking several through the Pyrenees, across the Alps and along valley of the Rhône to mount a surprise attack on his enemies (although it’s questionable whether any of the elephants taken on that journey actually survived the trip).
War elephants were certainly used – a bit like tanks – during conflicts in antiquity, across large parts of Asia, including China and India and around the Mediterranean. As warfare and weapons developed, however, their use in battle situations declined, and in more modern times, elephants have been employed more like all-terrain tractors, to move heavy objects around (including towing airplanes into position).
Notably, during World War II, local authorities in Hamburg, Germany, used two circ
us elephants – Kiri and Many – to clear the wreckage left after Allied bombing raids.
Camels
Blessed with huge amounts of endurance and strength, and able to travel large distances through very arid and challenging terrain, camels have been used during conflict for centuries, and during World War I, the ‘ships of the desert’ were employed by both sides.
Interestingly, camels played a key role in one of the most diverse and unusual military units ever cobbled together. First assembled in 1916, the Imperial Camel Corps was a camel-mounted infantry force that eventually comprised four battalions, with camel-mounted troops from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, India, Hong Kong and Singapore.
A fast, cheap and an incredibly effective way to send messages back from the frontline during conflicts, pigeons were used extensively by all sides in the major conflicts of the first half of the 20th century.
Operating in the deserts of the Middle East and African, they played a significant part in several campaigns during the conflict, including in Palestine and Sinai. At full strength, the brigade boasted about 4,000 camels, which were used to transport troops and equipment (the soldiers would dismount before engaging in fighting) but also, crucially, to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield, using stretchers placed on each side of the animal’s humps.
Pigeons
There are myriad stories about heroic homing pigeons battling the elements and evading enemy fire to deliver crucial history-making missives, but one of the best involves an African-born American bird called G.I. Joe, who was fortuitously found by British soldiers and single handedly prevented a catastrophic incident of friendly fire.
After occupying a new position in the village of Calvi Vecchia, Italy, the 56th (London) Infantry Division was separated from their comrades and exposed to an imminent American-led saturation-stylebombing run. Joe was dispatched with a message and flew 20 miles in 20 minutes to the Allied headquarters, alerting the and U.S. Air Force to the troops’ new location and saving the lives of over 100 men. He was subsequently awarded both the Dickin Medal of Gallantry by the UK and (posthumously) the Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery by the US.
Whales and dolphins
The use of animals both in times of war and for defensive purposes did not stop after World War II – it continued throughout the Cold War and still happens today, often in some quite bizarre ways.
When a beluga whale wearing a Russian harness contraption was spotted off the coast of Norway in 2019, it was revealed that the Russians had begun using the whales to guard its Arctic bases at Olenya Guba, which is responsible for deep-sea missions.
It seems that Hvaldimir, as the great white whale was called, didn’t appreciated being conscripted, and had escaped. The Russians have also trained and deployed security dolphins to protect their Sevastopol Black Sea fleet, and the Tartus base in Syria.