Last week, a report ran in the Chinese People’s Daily about how the Afghan Taliban are supposedly recruiting monkeys to fire machine guns. Of course, animal warriors aren’t a new thing. I’ve posted here about a World War II plan to outfit bats with bombs and have them attack Japanese cities. (For more on that batty operation, see the book Bat Bomb: World War II’s Other Secret Weapon.) And there are many other examples of animals cajoled into military service, from horses to pigeons. (The Department of Defense photo above depicts US special forces in Afghanistan.) From Time:
One notable pigeon named Cher Ami (“Dear Friend” in French) flew for the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during WW I. He flew 12 important messages before being struck by enemy fire. Despite being shot in the breast and leg, he managed to deliver the message, which was found dangling from his shattered leg. His brave dedication to the mission led to the rescue of 194 soldiers in Major Charles Whittlesey’s “Lost Battalion.” Cher Ami, who died in 1919, likely as a result of his battle wounds, was awarded the French Croix de Guerre award for his heroic service and was inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931. His one-legged body is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s “Price of Freedom: Americans at War” exhibit in Washington, D.C.
“Top 10 Militant Animals” (Time)
And if you still can’t get enough, check out Jilly Cooper’s book “Animals In War: Valiant Horses, Courageous Dogs, and Other Unsung Animal Heroes“