MILITARY ANIMAL

tangopapa

Military animals are creatures that have been employed by mankind for use in warfare. They are a specific application of working animals. Generally these animals are domesticated creatures, such as the dog or horse; more exotic animals such as the elephant and the pig have also seen use during wartime. Animals have even been awarded medals for their courage in battle.
For transport and hauling

The horse has been the most widely-used animal throughout the recorded history of warfare. Early mounts could be used to pull the chariot or to carry lightly armored skirmishing forces. With the appearance of heavier mounts and the invention of the stirrup, the horse-mounted cavalry became the most prestigious military arm in Europe for several centuries. The combination of the horse-mounted warrior armed with a bow made the Mongol army the most powerful military force of its time.

With the appearance of modern ranged weapons and motorised vehicles, the use of the horse for military purposes fell into decline. However the horse was still used extensively by the German Army during World War II for transporting supplies and equipment, including artillery. The U.S. Army also used pack horses during the war.

While elephants are not considered domesticable, they can be trained to serve as mounts, or for moving heavy loads. Sanskrit hymns record their use for military purposes as early as 1,100 B.C. A group of elephants was notably employed by Hannibal during the Punic Wars. They were employed as recently as World War II by both the Japanese and Allies. Elephants could perform the work of machines in locations where vehicles could not penetrate, so they found considerable use in the Burma theater.[citation needed] For more information on the military utilization of elephants, see war elephant.

    * Camels have typically seen use as mounts in arid regions. They are better able to traverse sandy deserts than horses, and require far less water. Camels were employed in both world wars. Camels are used by the Indian Army & Border Security Force for patrolling in the desert regions of Rajasthan.
    * Mules were used by the U.S. Army during World War II to carry supplies and equipment over difficult terrain. Pack animals that are innately patient, cautious, and hardy, mules could carry heavy loads of supplies where Jeeps and even pack horses could not travel. Mules were used in North Africa, Burma, the Philippines, and in Italy. They are also used for transporting supplies in mountainous regions.
    * Oxen have been used widely in war as beasts of burden, especially to transport heavy or siege artillery through heavy terrain.

As weapons

    * Pliny the Elder wrote about the use of war pigs against elephants. As he relates it, elephants became scared by the squeal of a pig and would panic, bringing disaster to any soldiers who stood in their path of flight. [1][2]
    * During the Second World War, the United States came up with the idea of a Bat bomb using the Mexican Free-tailed Bat as a delivery system for incendiaries which the Americans would use on Japan. It was hoped that after dropping this bomb, the bats would be released to fly into attics and other dark places in the Japanese cities. After a set period of time the incendiaries would go off and burn down whatever buildings the bats had roosted in. The program was halted because of the first atomic bomb test. They never saw operational service.
    * According to Pr. Shi Bo, in "Trente-six Stratag鑝es Chinois" (in French, ISBN 2-911858-06-9), monkeys were used, in the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty, in a battle between rebels of the Yanzhou province and the Chinese Imperial Army, led by Zhao Yu. The monkeys were used as live incendiary devices. The animals were clothed with straw, dipped in oil and set on fire. They were set loose into the enemy's camp, thereby setting the tents on fire, and driving the whole camp into chaos.

D黵er's Rhinoceros

    * It is unsubstantiated that rhinoceros were used for war functions[citation needed]. Analyzing Albrecht D黵er's famous 1515 woodcut, it is possible that the liberties taken with the rhino's design were in fact designs for a suit of armour created for the rhinoceros's fight against an elephant in Portugal.[3] However, rhinos' apparent "thick" or "plated" skin is actually very sensitive and the animals have poor eyesight, limiting their ability to run in any particular direction. Their tendency to charge anything within 10 feet would make them impractical for domestication.
    * In World War II, the Soviets attempted to use anti-tank dogs[1].
    * In World War II, the USA attempted to use pigeons to guide missiles.
    * It is said that War Elephants were used by some African and Eastern nations in combat, such as Carthage and India.

In communications

Homing pigeons have seen use since the time of the French Revolution for carrying messages. They were employed for a similar purpose during the World War I. In WWII, experiments were performed in the use of the pigeon for guiding missiles, known as Project Pigeon. The pigeon was placed inside so that they could see out through a window. They were trained to peck at controls to the left or right, depending on the location of a target shape. See also: War pigeon.

Other specialized functions

Dogs were used by the ancient Greeks for war purposes, and they were undoubtedly used much earlier in history. During their conquest of Latin America, conquistadores used Mastiffs to kill Indian warriors in the Caribbean, Mexico and Peru. Mastiffs, as well as Great Danes, were used in England during the Middle Ages, where their large size was used to scare horses to throw off their riders or to pounce on knights on horseback, disabling them until their master delivered the final blow. More recently, canines with explosives strapped to their backs saw use during World War II in the Soviet Army as anti-tank weapons. In other armies, they were used for detecting mines. They were trained to spot trip wires, as well as mines and other booby traps. They were also employed for sentry duty, and to spot snipers or hidden enemy forces. Some dogs also saw use as messengers.

Beginning in the Cold War era, research has been done into the uses of many species of marine mammals for military purposes. The U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program uses military dolphins and sea lions for underwater sentry duty, mine clearance, and object recovery.

On land, the Gambian giant pouched rat has been used with considerable success in demining, as its keen sense of smell helps in the identification of explosives and its small size prevents it from triggering mines.

    * Cats were used in the Royal Navy to control vermin on board ships.
      Able seacat Simon of HMS Amethyst received the Dickin Medal.

tangopapa

U.S. Army Pigeon Service

During  World War II, the Army Signal Corps had over 3,000 soldiers and 150 officers assigned to the U.S. Military Pigeon Service, to care for over 54.000 military pigeons.

The pigeons were used in every combat theaters, and saw service with ground troops, on submarines, in bombers and within the intelligence service.

Pigeons had to accomplish their missions in some of the most difficult circumstances: bad weather, flying at night, different home lofts, showers of bullets, as well as fleeing from enemy birds of prey ...countless American soldiers, airmen and naval sailors owe their lives to these brave little warriors!

G.I. Joe was the most famous american pigeon of the war, he served in the MTO campaigns in Italy, and for his bravery was awarded the Dickin Medal of Gallantry, by the Lord Mayor of London.

His band registration number was USA 43, SC 6390; and he was decorated for an remarkable mission in Italy when he saved an entire British brigade of soldiers, who had suddenly broken into a town and lost radio contact. They sent GI Joe back with the news of their new position. Flying swiftly for 25 miles in 25 minutes, he arrived at headquarters just in time, American bombers were on the runway and warming up their engines to give the town a saturation bombing.

Mice & Spiders

One of the most unusual secret weapon of World War II, was the Russian's mice, now there's no real proof, that they even actually existed but the story is, that thousands upon thousand were set loose on the advancing Nazis on the plains of Mother Russia, and the mice susposely ate the wires of the advancing German's vehicles, rendering them useless. Fact or fiction ...it still makes a good tale!

And spiders, those extraordinary little fellows, did perform an important wartime chore, in both England and in the United States. Several optical companies employed the eight legged arachnids to spin silk for use as cross hairs on bomb sights and other surveying instruments throughout the war.

tangopapa

U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program

The U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program (NMMP) is a program administered by the U.S. Navy which studies the military use of marine mammals

yt

good info & tq for sharing...but ambik kat mana tu, any specific website?

tangopapa

Wiki - wiki.....

tgh cari russian military animal program...yg i tahu, program diorang pun hebat jugak...

yt

ingatkan ur own research ...kekeke

cari jgn tak cari ...

tangopapa

My own research? nnt diorang bg i Honourable Prof plak nnt....

Klu ada info lg, topup2 la kat sini....

edelweiss101

i am against using animals for military purposes...

tangopapa

Right...u are an "animal lover"...

shehzore

hmm tot i could read something bout debmey in the article...guess debmey must be lower then animal after all...

tangopapa

Singapoh dont have secret military animals like we do, so debmey it is not here...unless singapoh importing hyena's to guard their bases....

edelweiss101

haha, i dont know debmey what he has done to make u think he's lower than animal. did he screwed up your ass so badly or done something like that!?

grow up, kids. you should learn to be more accomodating and move on with military topics.

shehzore

wonder if anyone ever tot of using pigeon to deliver anthrax? might be bit hard for FBI to detect ye know.

btw, it's cool to see an SG with a JEW nick. guess u guys did more then tech transfer these days huh? more like a 'bio' transfer too......with a pigeon probably

flyboy80

I think watched a documentary before about US using the Dolphin for anti-mine warfare and also sabotage and to detect the enemy commando from slipping into harbour. The cute animal can even kill!!!

ketua_pramugara

The U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program is already canceled.. i watched a documentary on TV at NZ, 2 weeks ago..
The trainers who trained the dolphins for military purposes are now required to train the dolphins back to its normal state..
The dolphins are being taught to hunt and to be independent as normal..
Heard that some of the Navy animals were lost at Persian Gulf and Russian Waters (I think offshore..Kamchatka)..

tangopapa

thanks for the info....

BTW, which one are u?

mfadilaa

The one with handbag.....

Mati aku kena backhand ngan KP lepas nie