CRY HAVO C The History of War Dogs h CRY HAVO C The History of War Dogs h Nigel Allsopp h FOREWORD I have lost count of the number of books I have read on training dogs, together with numerous dog anecdotes, over the past forty years. My keen interest in dogs started in 1970 when I was posted to the United States Army Scout Dog School at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. I was the first commander of the Explosive Detection Dog Wing at the Army Engineers School of Military Engineering (SME), Moorebank, near Sydney in Australia. I recruited all the dogs and handlers, and commenced training the dogs for service in the War of South Vietnam. In those days we were called the Mine Dog Wing. The engineer mine dog teams did not go to Vietnam because, just as we were packing to go there in 1972, Australia withdrew from the war. That started a lifetime of fascination about the capabilities and uses of military working dogs. I commenced a military dog breeding program at the SME with technical support from the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial and Research Organisation (CSIRO) on the genetics of our program. We started training the pups in the detection of explosives from the age of three weeks. Every person in my training team of engineer ‘doggies’ was amazed by the capacity of the dogs to learn new behaviours and search requirements so quickly. We realised that we were only scratching the surface of their capabilities and uses. I needed to know more about the history of military working dogs. There was very little data available to give me an insight into the uses of dogs on a global basis—until now. Nigel Allsopp has produced a book with an outstanding coverage of the employment of dogs in military and law enforcement agencies around the world. I am amazed that he was able to gain permission to print the material, given the sensitive security nature of dog agencies and their personnel. I use Nigel’s book as a point of reference when seeking precedent or researching h new ideas. Quite often, I find that what I thought was a ‘new’ idea has actually been around for a long time somewhere else in the world. This book helps me identify that fact and then provides a point of reference for further AC KNOWLEDGEMENTS information. For a person who has a love of dogs and an admiration for their uses in military and law enforcement agencies, Cry Havoc provides a fascinating insight into the history of dogs and their current-day employment. The special thanks to the many embassy defence attaches who information is presented in Nigel’s unique way of explanation and this makes have supplied their country’s military working dog (MWD) it easy to read. Any person who is interested in the use of dogs in roles other information. than as pets or mascots will find this book a delight. APhotographs have been supplied by MWD handlers, both current and This book will also galvanise the notion that dogs will be around for a retired, by various MWD associations, by official government sources such very long time in support of every nation’s security interests. The future will as embassies, MWD sections and released images from defence websites. continue to hear the call, ‘Cry havoc—and let loose the dogs of war!’ A special thanks to committee members of various international war dog associations who have proofread the chapters pertaining to their country’s George Hulse MWD programs. Also, respective commanding officers from military dog Lieutenant Colonel RAE (Retd) units from the United Kingdom, Australia, United States, Spain, Greece, President: Australian Defence Force Trackers and War Dogs Association Sweden, Slovakia, Latvia, Canada, Norway, Singapore and various other countries’ servicemen who supplied details. Finally I would like to acknowledge all the assistance I have had compiling this book; hopefully I have acknowledged you all in the reference section. A special thanks goes to my wife Julie and daughter Jessica who supported my obsession in producing this book. I would also like to point out that since publication I have sadly learnt several dog handlers featured in this book have been killed in action. h CONTENTS Foreword 5 United Kingdom 58 Acknowledgements 7 North and Central America 71 Introduction 11 Scandinavia 93 War Dog Origins 13 Europe 117 History of War Dogs 19 Former Soviet Union Countries 139 Breeds 25 Eastern Europe 150 Roles of Military Mediterranean Countries 160 Working Dogs 32 Middle East 175 Prisoner of War Handling 41 Asia 181 Special Forces Canine Teams 43 South East Asia 187 Armoured Protection for South America 193 Military Working Dogs 45 Australasia 198 Dog Memorials 47 Africa 212 Mascots and Canine The Future of War Dogs 215 Companions 54 Sources 218 Search and Rescue 56 About the Author 221 I am a War Dog High on a hill overlooking the sea, h Stands a statue to honour and glorify me. Me and my mates that have all gone before, To help and protect the men of the war. INTRODU C T I ON I am a war dog, I receive no pay, With my keen, sharp senses, I show the way. Many of us come from far and around, Some from death row, some from the pound. he following chapters explore the history of military working dogs I am a member of the canine pack, (MWDs) throughout the ages, their different roles and the future Trained for combat and life on the track. dogs may have in modern warfare. I have included brief information I serve overseas in those far off lands, on civilian police dogs and para-military organisations, though this is an area Me and my master working hand in hand. T that could warrant a complete book. I lift my head and look across the land, Even though war dogs have been used by man for thousands of years, Beside my master, I await his command. many of their efforts have escaped public attention. This is highlighted by Together we watch as we wait in the night, the lack of dedicated memorials to animal sacrifices in war; most memorials If the enemy comes, we are ready to fight. have only been made within the last twenty years. Even today, many returned In the plantations of Nui Dat I do camp, service organisations do not include a plaque remembering animal deeds. The The smell print of the VC, to track, as I tramp. good news is that this recognition is slowly on the increase and memorials “Seek ‘em out boy!" my master does call, Through the vines of the jungle, together we crawl. are springing up around the world. Perhaps today’s generation will not accept a military dog serving in I remember the day we were trapped underground, combat on operations overseas and being left in theatre or destroyed due to With military wildfire exploding all around. My master and I packin’ death through the fight, quarantine restrictions preventing its return. Sadly, in the past thousands of Comforting each other till the guns went quiet. animals have been left on the shores of our enemies to unknown fates as we sailed home after the conflicts. My master’s tour of duty has come to an end, Vietnam he will leave, I will lose a good friend. The information in the later part of the book has been supplied by No longer will we trudge through the jungles of war, various countries’ MWD programs and, as such, many use different terms The canine, the digger, the memory will endure. for handlers or MWD roles. Some of this information also arrived in that country’s native language and I only hope I have done service to its Now the years have passed and I patiently wait, For God to receive me through His celestial gate. translation. Where I’ll roam in comfort for evermore, I have commenced this second part of the book with the United Kingdom’s He’ll keep me safe from the ravages of war. Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC). While this unit is not the world’s -Santina Lizzio largest user of modern military dogs—it is perhaps behind the USA, France 11 and Russia in this respect—the British do stand out as the world’s initiators of the modern war dog for the way they have been used. Many standard roles of military dogs have been developed by the RAVC, partly due to the British Army’s regular engagement in conflicts over the last hundred years h or so. The RAVC, for example, was practising the art of tracker and patrol dogs in the jungles of Malaysia well before the well-publicised use of dogs in that role by US Forces in Vietnam. Similarly, the RAVC has developed over WAR DOG OR I G I NS some 30 years (via the Troubles in Northern Ireland) the use of specialist explosive- and firearms-detection dogs—techniques that can be seen in use today at any vehicle checkpoint in Afghanistan. I have not included every single country that uses war dogs, but focused on f I describe an animal that has a shared sense of community, is raised predominant ones and those I have worked with. Some specifics, techniques by a mated pair with help from other family members, has a dominant and names have been deliberately withheld due to ongoing activities and hierarchical society, is organised for a hunt and territorial … I could be security concerns. Italking about man or wolf.