An Alsatian and Collie cross, Bing made more than 20 parachute jumps in World War II. He joined the British army in 1944, and his first action was in Normandy on D-Day. It wasn’t all smooth sailing – he had to be ‘helped’ out of the plane with a piece of meat, and then landed in a tree and had to be rescued. Bing was trained to locate the enemy – when something didn’t seem right, he would freeze and point towards the danger with his nose. His faithful service was credited with saving hundreds of servicemen from ambush. He received the Dickin Medal in 1947, the highest award of honor an animal can receive.
