Animals in the war. Animals - heroes of the Great Patriotic War

Fighting, in whatever corner of our planet they are conducted, is always a tragedy, and a much larger scale than it might seem at first glance.

In addition to tens, hundreds or even thousands of lost and warped lives, it is also a significant financial loss for the economy of the state and the huge damage caused to nature.

Unfortunately, in such situations, we can not always imagine what animals feel in the war. On this we simply do not have enough time or emotion.

And in vain ... After all, according to experts, in most cases our smaller brothers do not understand what is happening around, and why before a safe lawn or a sunny forest edge suddenly turned into a dangerous minefield. This means that both wild and domestic animals require special attention and participation during the war years. As they say, we are in fact responsible for those who have tamed.

Although sometimes the situation develops in such a way that it is the animals in the war that become valuable scouts, guides, postmen and messengers, thereby helping us, people, to experience all the horrors and hardships.

Section 1. Fighting actions and brothers are our smaller

Unfortunately, wars have been fought on earth since the appearance of the world. For one reason or another, people have always fought for certain ideals and, most likely, will compete with each other in the future.

But the invariable helpers of mankind in the war for millennia have been and remain animals. It so happened that at first indirectly in the battles involved only wild bees, produced from special kegs to the enemy, but with tougher tactics of combat, the list of warring animals constantly increased.

Many know about what an invaluable contribution to the Victory was made by animals in the Great Patriotic War. True, mostly they were dogs, which saved several tens of thousands of lives of soldiers. However, in time, cats, bats, and even seals with dolphins learned to "fight".

Animals-heroes of war - this is a topic that can be discussed for an infinitely long time. Let's try to give a few examples, thereby tracing the history, since the times of the ancient conquests.

Section 2. Elephants and horses - warriors of the past

Back in ancient times, during the clashes in India, Persia, Southeast Asia, the so-called fighting elephants were used. It is known that the originally famous commander Hannibal crossed the Alps with them. Subsequently, fighting elephants truly became a deadly weapon. Before the battle, they were given stimulants and wine, after which the animals lost their mind and rushed at pains and fears to all who appeared in their path. The disgrace of those years can be considered the fact that, as soon as the elephant had to leave obedience, a special metal stake was hammered into his head, which led to a "quick" death.

According to the books and stories of our grandparents, we know that animals that played the leading role during the war are horses. And they were used not only during the Second World War for the transport of wounded and killed, but also in remote antiquity, several millennia ago.

Section 3. An unusual helper. Baboon named Jackie

Animals in the war are very diverse. So, for example, in 1915, one of the warriors of Britain asked permission to take home a baboon with them to the war. A monkey named Jackie, thanks to her manner of behavior, in a short time became the mascot of an infantry regiment and had her own outfit.

Pavian saluted senior officers, ate with a fork and knife, fought in battles and crawled along the trenches, lit tobacco in a pipe for soldiers and knew how to calculate the enemy at a very great distance. And when they wounded the owner (a bullet punched his shoulder at him), Jackie licked his wound right up to the arrival of the doctors. Three years later, he was wounded in the right leg (the monkey at the time was building a barrier structure of stone fragments!), Which had to be amputated.

After recovery Jackie received the rank of corporal and was awarded a medal for courage. Paviano, as a legitimate military man, received a pension.

Section 4. Military Pigeons

In the war, a postal pig named Mary was very distinguished. During the fighting, she made four flights from France to England and back with military notes. The pigeon was wounded three times in her missions, and after the attack of the falcon, Mary's wing and chest were injured. Bird was put on 22 seams.

The second pigeon, Winky, saved the whole crew of the ship, stranded in the North Sea after the bombing. The commander fired a dove with the hope that she would inform her of the attack. Winky flew 120 miles and completed the mission. After 15 minutes, the air force found the ship.

Section 5. The most devoted animals in the war: dogs

A Newfoundland named Prostak was simply given to the Canadian military. Initially, raising a puppy, they did not even guess what kind of service it would serve them after a while. The thing is that later this dog participated with them in the defense of Hong Kong. When an enemy soldier threw a grenade into the trench of the military, the dog grabbed the ill-fated object in the teeth and ran towards the enemy. Unfortunately, saving the lives of the guys, she exploded with the projectile.

Poynter Judy was practically considered a servant of the ship. The dog grew up on a ship, a certain amount of money was allocated to her feeding and treatment practically from her very birth. And, as it later turned out, not in vain. It was she who first noticed the raid of Japanese aviation. After sinking the ship, the dog only sailed on the second day to an uninhabited island, where the crew of the ship had landed before, and almost immediately opened a spring with fresh water. Later, she was captured with the team and spent four years there. By the way, not everyone knows that Judy was the only official captive animal.

Animals in the Great Patriotic War also played an important role. For example, the Irma shepherd of the Eastern European breed helped to find the wounded under the rubble. Thanks to her, the lives of 191 soldiers were saved, for which her hostess, a resident of one of the villages of the Kursk region, was awarded a prize.

Section 6. Red cat antler

The animals-heroes of the Great Patriotic War were very different, but all of them, from small pigeons to large and enduring horses, worked for the benefit of the Victory. Of course, the most common and common helpers were dogs. However, to attribute all the glory to them just is not worth it.

In Byelorussia in 1944 the military picked up a red-haired kitten, which the foreman almost immediately called Ryzhik. Always during bombardments the cat disappeared somewhere and appeared only when everything calmed down. Behind Ryzhik they noticed a peculiarity: a minute before the enemy raid, the kitten roared in the direction, from where the enemy appeared. In April 1945, when the war was almost over, Ryzhik again began to roar like a roar. The military trusted his instinct and put the equipment into combat readiness. A minute later a "hawk" appeared with a train of smoke, and immediately behind him an enemy plane. Military immediately in two turns brought down the enemy, and he fell for half a kilometer from the place of deployment of soldiers. After the end of the war, Ryzhik was taken home with the Belarusian foreman.

Of course, this is far from an isolated case. During the Second World War, cats often took aboard submarines. Thanks to their natural instinct and perfect hearing, it was almost always possible to prevent enemy attacks in time and thereby save many lives.

Section 7. Memorial Memorial in London

There is hardly anyone who will deny the indisputable fact that the animals-heroes of the Great Patriotic War, as well as, in principle, both World War II and all others, played an important role in the events and in the successful completion of hostilities aimed at Liberation of his state from a daring, cynical and bloodthirsty enemy.

That is why not so long ago, in 2004, it was decided to install a special memorial to such animals. Now he is in London near Hyde Park, and created his Englishman named D. Beckhaus.

The memorial is dedicated to the memory of all animals that served and died in the battles of people. Now on the monument are seen the figures of many animals, and most of all the images of two mules, a horse, a dog, a camel, an elephant, an ox, a cow, a cat, a dolphin and post pigeons are striking. The inscription also says: "They had no choice."