Page 71 - All About History - Issue 09-14

10 dirty tricks of World War II

851 606 CA classified

Anti-tank dogs

hen the Russians needed to So the Red Army began to use more when a lever attached to the bomb struck
push German tanks back on ruthless means: they forced the dogs to the bottom of the tank, it would trigger an
the Eastern Front, one of their carry 12-kilogram (26-pound) bombs and, explosion and cripple the tank.
ideas was to use anti-tank dogs when they got to their target, blew up both Although the Red Army had approved
W trained to carry a bomb to their the device and the animal. the training of dogs for military purposes
target, release it using their teeth and run. The Russians used around 40,000 dogs in 1924, they weren’t deployed as bombers
In practice, after six months of trying, the for this task as well as other less damaging until the Thirties. They were used in
trainers found it hard to encourage the dogs pursuits. By making the dogs believe WWII between 1941 and 1942 to some
to act as they wanted. They would usually food awaited them beneath the tanks and success. The following year, 1943, saw the
return with the bomb having failed to go ensuring they were ravenous enough to be Americans follow suit, training their own
off which, in battle, would have been a inquisitive and willing, the animals would dogs, but they never actually ended up
disaster for the handlers. dart away in the hope of a good feed and, using them in battle.

Devised by: Soviet Union

Did it work? The Germans feared them
so much that they began to shoot any Detonation time
dog they saw. It has been estimated that Anti-tank dog Each device had a lever that,
around 300 German tanks were blown when striking the bottom of
a German tank, would set off
up by anti-tank dogs, although some the bomb and take the tank
experts believe this figure to be inflated with it.
by Soviet propaganda. War
Disclosing this informatio
A Soviet soldier
with an anti-
tank dog

The bombs
Each bomb weighed between
10-12kg (22-26.5lbs) and was
placed inside a canvas pouch
worn by the dogs.
Tank chassis Tank movement German
“ Each device had Tanks may be hardy The dogs had been trained propaganda
vehicles but the underside to go under stationary In desperation, the
– the chassis – remains a tanks so they were wary of Germans accused the
a lever that, when vulnerable area, which is those that moved but the Red Army of refusing to
why this method proved Russians later altered their fight and sending dogs
so effective. training methods. to war instead. However,
striking the bottom dogs have been used in
war since the mid-7th
century.
of a tank, would set
off the bomb”
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