World War II Database

When the Japanese Army war dog Saburo was deployed to the front lines in 1937, he received all the encouragement and honor that a soldier would.

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Japanese Army war dogs in combat in 1938

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As Soviet troops paraded in Moscow in 1938 to demonstrate their strength, war dogs were presented as an integral part of this particular unit.

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In Norway, this dog received training for actions in snowy terrain from its German Waffen-SS handler.

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At Bougainville, these dogs accompanied their US Marine handlers in the humid jungles of the South Pacific in late 1943.

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Dogs had served as sentries far before WW2; this dog served in this very role with his US Coast Guard comrade.

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At Iwo Jima, messenger dog Prince watched carefully as his US Marine handler directed him to his next destination.

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US Marine war dog Dutch stood guard at a foxhole as his master caught a brief moment of rest during the fighting at Iwo Jima.

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These war dogs marched toward the front lines beside their US Marine handlers at Iwo Jima.

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While the war dogs accompanied their masters in combat, US President Roosevelt's pet dog Fala seemed to be enjoying life of a much slower pace as this photograph was taken in 1941.

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Like most pet owners, Hitler treated his German Shepherd dog Blondi as one of his favorite companions. When the Soviet troops neared Berlin, he feared a Soviet capture of Blondi so much that he ordered her to be killed shortly before he committed suicide.

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