"The Dogs of War: The U.S. Army’s Use of Canines in WWII" Topic
6 Posts
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| Tango01 | 07 Apr 2020 9:05 p.m. PST |
"Throughout history, dogs have accompanied man at work and play. Even in the midst of men's wars, dogs have been found serving in functions ranging from mascots to weapons of war. Therefore, it was not without precedence that in 1942, following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the United States into World War II, a small group of civilian dog enthusiasts approached the Army about creating a program that would utilize the special traits and skills of "man's best friend" in order to further the war effort. When the Japanese attacked on 7 December 1941, the U.S. Army possessed only a small number of sled dogs for use in arctic regions. Drawing on the lessons of the past, a group of civilians came together in the belief that dogs could serve the Army in a variety of other functions. These dog fanciers formed a coalition called Dogs for Defense, Inc. (DFD). This organization encouraged dog owners across the country to donate their dogs for training as sentry dogs that would be used to patrol borders, beaches, and industrial facilities in order to prevent sabotage. With the endorsement of the American Kennel Club, DFD quickly began procuring dogs for experiments in training the animals for guard duty under the nominal oversight of the Plant Protection Branch of the Office of the Quartermaster General. In short order, some 100 dogs were procured by DFD and an ad hoc training program was initiated…"
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Amicalement
Armand
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Mark 1  | 07 Apr 2020 9:56 p.m. PST |
The entire Cat Island program was predicated on the assumption that Japanese soldiers, whether from diet or racial characteristics, had a distinct odor which dogs could be trained to recognize and attack. Unsurprisingly, the program soon ran into difficulties. First, Prestre had to find Japanese "bait" to train his dogs. It was quickly determined that using prisoners of war was unacceptable. Instead, twenty-five Japanese-American servicemen from Company B, 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), stationed at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, were "volunteered" for the assignment. Some years ago I read a first hand account of this program, with almost a day-by-day recounting of what they went through. Training the dogs was a slow and brutal process, both for men and dogs. Cat Island was swampy and humid, and while the dogs were being trained to track down the Nisei bait, the men had to simply wait and hide in these unpleasant conditions. Then things got worse. In order to instill an aggressive spirit in the dogs, Prestre insisted on such brutal methods as whipping and shocking the dogs. Nosaka and the others were also forced to abuse the dogs in order to make them more vicious. Then the dogs would be set loose upon the Nisei. Prior to going brutal on the dogs, the Nisei "volunteers" were used to feed the dogs. Not that they did the feeding, but they were the dog dishes! The Nisei soldiers were made to lie down, and the dogs were fed off of the soldier's necks! Prestre's plan to use packs of unguided dogs was further undermined when Master Sergeant John Pierce arrived at the project. Pierce, an army dog trainer, firmly believed that the dogs required human handlers, and he quickly proved his point by training a small contingent of dogs to alert their handlers to enemy presence, and to attack only on command. These dogs attacked with much more ferocity, and proved to be much more effective despite having only a few weeks of training, as opposed to the months Prestre had spent trying to train his dogs. Eventually the whole thing (this one project, not canines in the US Army) was shut down and all the participants re-assigned. What a bizarre and unsettling program… -Mark
(aka: Mk 1) |
 Legion 4 | 08 Apr 2020 10:09 a.m. PST |
I like dogs much, much better than people. |
| Tango01 | 08 Apr 2020 11:42 a.m. PST |
Thanks!. Amicalement
Armand |
| Dan Cyr | 08 Apr 2020 11:48 a.m. PST |
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| Tango01 | 09 Apr 2020 11:07 a.m. PST |
Sometimes… me too!. (smile) Amicalement
Armand |
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