Messenger+Animals

Before World War One animals had been used in wars but they had a great many more roles to play in this one especially. listen : [] dog training! to get you into the spirit of War Animals :) []# (KG) __ What/who (R): [|-Animals in Action:] __ ** [|-horses and ponies] -[|dogs] -pigeons -all kinds of other birds [|-elephants] [|-cats] -goats -turtles -rabbits -camels -donkeys -and a tons of other pack animals and pets (Kg)  - Dogs were used as messengers in the trenches because they were smaller and less likely to get hit by a bullet and faster because they didn’t have a uniform and equipment weighing them down. To train dogs they made a school in Scotland. Dogs were also used to boost morale because they helped to keep the soldiers’ mind of the war. - Fun Fact: A dog delivered an important message over 4000 meter through the western Front; a very rough terrain were all methods of communications failed. The dog was the first method that worked and he delivered it in 60 minutes. (KG)
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**__Pigeons (KG):__** - Pigeons were used to deliver messages. They had a 95 percent success rate of delivering their message. Over 100, 000 were used in the Great War. Pigeons had good homing instincts and could deliver messages quickly. Also with their speed they were hard targets to hit with guns. Opposing teams would use other animals such as falcons to attack messenger animals. - A story from Pigeons and World War one: - In October 1918, as the war neared its end, 194 American soldiers found themselves trapped by German soldiers. They were cut off from other Allied soldiers and had no working radios. The only chance they had of alerting anybody about their desperate situation was to send a pigeon with their co-ordinates attacked to its leg. The pigeon's name was Cher Ami. When released it flew 25 miles from behind German lines to the Americans headquarters. Cher Ami covered the 25 miles in just 25 minutes. The pigeon was, in fact, shot through the chest by the Germans but continued to fly home. With the "Lost Battalion's" co-ordinates, the Americans launched a rescue and the 194 men were saved. Cher Ami was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm for its astonishing flight. As with other pigeons, it would not have known where the American's nearest headquarters was - its natural homing instincts took over. (KG)

**__Horses (KG):__** - Horses were used as transportation during the war. They were useless for calvary charges because the trenches were impossible to cross with machine guns and barbed wire. The horses were mostly use to transport goods. Over 8 million horses died fighting in the war. -during World War 1 and World War 2 -first use: dogs as red cross dogs -used by both the allies and the central powers but mainly the allies -on the battlefield -in the sky around the battlefield -most importantly: in the line of fire -at home helping relatives grieve lost loved ones (KG) -boost moral -distraction: racing and other games with animals -allowed soldiers to get supplies where they needed them (until cars invented) -dogs helped with sleds in the snow for supplies to get over hills in this bad weather, or clad hills -espionage, spying, disguise, and obtaining information -“man’s best friend” -helping with the red-cross and saving lives -working as sentinels or look outs -when telephone lines are cut, used as battlefield communication through the trenches and no man’s land -their hearing and other senses helped the soldiers to know sometimes when danger was coming -ate other unwanted animals in the trenches; rats -sometimes animals were also used as food for the soldiers when supplies were a long way in coming
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(KG)

Most of these animals showed always faithful loyalty and bravery to their masters and they are remembered almost as much as the men in this war. The Australian War Memorial is devoted to the animals that were killed in the Great War as well as the people. Here is a touching story about a dog and his master in the war (R); “ One of the famous French army dogs is "Marquis", which did splendid service carrying dispatches. This faithful animal showed great intelligence, and ran and crept through bullet-swept zones carrying important messages when no human being could venture to do so. More than once Marquis helped whole companies to get out of tight spots by bringing them warnings in time, and it also kept officers in touch with their superiors, when heavy bombardments cut telephone wires, by scampering from point to point with messages. One morning Marquis was sent out on his last journey with a dispatch in his mouth. The Prussians were attacking heavily at the time. Shell-fire burst above and behind the French trenches, and it was impossible for a soldier to attempt to leave cover. Marquis ran off - going briskly so long as it was under cover. Then he had to cross an open track of country where the bullets pattered down like hailstones. He crept low, and made short rushes from bush to bush, while anxious eyes followed its movements. For a time all went well. Then, when it seemed as if the dog would succeed, it was struck by a bullet and fell on the ground. An officer, who had been watching through his field-glasses, uttered a cry of regret, and began to sorrow for poor Marquis. For a time the dog lay very still. Then he began to come back. Slowly he crept on, suffering pain and very weak from loss of blood. At length, after a great effort, Marquis returned to his master, and, dropping the blood-stained dispatch at his feet, fell over and died. That evening the French soldiers, with bared heads and heavy hearts, buried the faithful dispatch dog, and set up a little monument to mark his grave.”

"World War 1 Dogs", //old magazine articles,// 2005, [], 17 Mar. 2009. Langley, A, "Animals at War", //The Great War in a Different Light,// 1 Mar. 2001, [], 17 Mar. 2009 Curry, Ajaye, "Animals: The Hidden Victims of War", //Animal Aid,// 2003, [], 17 Mar. 2009.
 * Works Cited (R): **

Nuutinem, Joni, ‘World War One in the News’, //Animals During Wartime//, 2005, [], 17 Mar. 2009.

"Australian War Memorial", //A is for Animals//, 1997, [], 22 Mar. 2009.

** Works Cited (KG) ** Trueman, Chris, "History Learning Site”, //Pigeons and World War One//, 2009, __ [] __, 19 Mar 2009.

Trueman, Chris, "History Learning Site”, //Horses and World War One//, 2009, __ [] __, 19 Mar 2009.

Trueman, Chris, "History Learning Site”, //Dogs and World War One//, 2009, __ [] __, 19 Mar 2009.

"Pigeon Paradise (Pipa)”, //Pigeons (Ab)used during wars,// 2009, __ [] __,19 Mar 2009

Mentzer, Ray, “Photos of the Great War”, //World War 1 Image Archive//, __ [], __ 19 Mar. 2009.