by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Jun 3, 2020 | Animal Stories (mostly Dogs in the Military)
Despite the perception that only so-called fierce breeds were used as war dogs, America’s most popular dog got into the action in WWII. Although Labs aren’t known for having war dog properties, a black Labrador Retriever named Skipper performed admirably on Guam in...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | May 16, 2020 | Animal Stories (mostly Dogs in the Military)
Edmund Adamski was a WWII dog handler in the Pacific theater. He led patrols “on point” with his Doberman “Big Boy”. Being on point meant the furthest up front – the most dangerous position to be in due to the potential of being the first to be ambushed. But...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Feb 28, 2020 | Animal Stories (mostly Dogs in the Military)
“Cappy” was a Doberman used by the Marines in the liberation of Guam in 1944. It wasn’t certain that Cappy would ever make it as a war dog, as the notes made by his trainers in the U.S. warned future handlers “this dog is gun shy. Not fit for combat duty … Be...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Dec 10, 2019 | Animal Stories (mostly Dogs in the Military)
After the events set forth in my Kurt the Doberman blog, the Marines declared Guam secure after three weeks of fighting in 1944. But some 8,000 Japanese soldiers remained, hidden in the jungle. The war dogs were asked to find them. “That’s the worst fighting you can...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Sep 4, 2018 | Animal Stories (mostly Dogs in the Military)
Although Doberman Pinchers started out as the Marines’ official combat dog, by the end of WWII they were replaced by German Shepherds (see my blog Dobermans Flunk Out of the War). An example of why Dobies were dropped is the experience of Clarence Rea when out on a...