How did animals contribute to the war effort overseas? (WW1)?

Question

-would horses need to wear gas masks?
-how were the animals haelth maintained?
-would the horses, dogs, or birds get seasick?
-Would the animals escape or run away often?
-how did the animals react to war?
-how do animals get used to war?
-would animals mainly horses carry guns?
-where would the animals stay during the war?
-what were the main jobs of the animals?
-what would happen to the deceased animals?

Answer 1

Wow, lots of questions.
This was the last war where animals like horses and mules did as much if not more for the war as engines. And pigeons were needed even with the newfangled invention of radio as lines could be so easily cut by a shell.

- Yes, horses and mules had some kind of gas masks made for them.
- there were vets, and many of those soldiers were farmers and knew how to take care of their beasts
- horses get seasick. As they can't vomit they just stay there, head hanging, legs splayed and looking miserable. Too long and they can die of hunger and dehydration as they won't drink or eat
- Dogs usual stay by their masters, horses try to run when hearing loud noises so some must have
- They don't like it
- Too tired to react, too used to the continuous thunder far away... until the explosion comes too near and then it is rodeo time
- Horses were used to drag wagons, artillery or as pack animals. The cavalry horses had to be retrained as the war mired down in trenches.
- Dogs with their masters, birds just behind the lines in travelling coops, horses behind the lines, they wouldn't have survived in the trenches and noone wanted a 500kgs beast going berserk in a trench just because of an explosion.
- Horses and mules to carry, pigeons to carry messengers, canaries to warn of gas.
- Depends where they were killed. Many a horse ended in the food line. Usually they were hastily buried when it was possible or had quicklime thrown on them. Or were left to rot.

Answer 2

Yes animals were used. I have seen pictures of horses and mule pulling the Caisons or The Ammo wagons and field Artillery Pieces. Some of the Horses were fitted with a crude type Gas mask at times. The animals never get used to the noise of war and many would buck and snort and try to get away. The supply corps would feed the horses they had and the Artillery Troops would tend to their Horses. Also birds-- The (Carrier Pigeons) were used to carry messages. Dogs were used to warn against infiltrators at night.

Answer 3

Horses and mules were commonly used as pack animals to tow artillery.
Dogs were used as pack animals (St. Bernards) and to locate people in the snow (Austro-Italian Front mainly).
Animals were cared for by dedicated veterinarian corpse in all armies.
What happened to dead animals was pretty much the same as what happened to dead soldiers, all too often they were left to rot, but on other occasions they were thrown into a mass grave while the soldiers got their own individual graves.
Horsed and Camel mounted cavalry was still used by all sides in the war, some with more success than others.

Answer 4

Mules and horses were used by the US Army until the Persian Gulf War. There were gas masks made for horses, and there was a US Army Veterinary Corps.

Answer 5

Did you know -

That the Russians in order to try to stave off the Germans on the Eastern Front in WWII would strap anti-tank mines to a dogs back and they were trained to run under German tanks in order to blow them up.

From when they were puppies they were always fed under a tank.

When they were old enough, the Russians would let them go where German tanks were. This was so effective that anytime a dog was heard on the battle field, all the German tanks would stop and they would go find the Russian dog and kill him before he could blow himself up.

Sadistic you think? Nope, Russians had MILLIONS of people perish in the war, whats a few thousand dogs!


Don't forget the bat fire bombs that were supposed to be used against Japan - but during development set fire to more than one California home when the tests went wrong. There was also the homing pigeon smart bombs used by the Americans.

After the war, the US would train dolphins and seals to kill enemy divers in harbors and blow themselves up under ships.

Answer 6

Hi, maybe my website can help you answer some of your questions

Just put in "Veterinary Corps in WW1" on a google search

I hope this helps!

Take Care

Greg Krenzelok

Answer 7

in world war one they used Geese to gaurd thier camps when the geese would start acting up the people knew someone was around...

Answer 8

i have never heard of horses carrying guns, certainly if they did i think the french would eat them less!