Animal Bombs

WW2 Russian Anti-Tank dog

WW2 Russian Anti-Tank dog

 

The history of war is the history of suffering, death and destruction. During the Second World War this destruction was certainly not restricted to mankind. Of course animals became casualties of war through indirect means, such as bombing, hunger and exposure. However in WW2 many combating nations sought to use animals in order to bring destruction to their enemy. This post will highlight how dogs and bats were weaponised for war.

 

Dogs are one of the most loyal and beloved animals within many nations, however during WW2 it was decided that man’s best friend could make a useful weapon. 1941 marked the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the USSR, which threw the Red Army and the Russian nation into retreat and destruction. In an attempt to combat the German tanks the Red Army decided that dogs would be an effective means of delivering an explosive device. Training dogs to do this was, in theory, not particularly difficult. The handlers would let the dogs go hungry and when suitable famished, would place food under a tank. The idea was that before a battle the dogs would be brought to the front hungry so that when they were released they would scurry under the German tanks in the hope of finding food. In order to destroy the tanks the dogs would be fitted with a back pack, filled with explosives and armed with a lever that would of course be activated when under the tank, destroying both the tank and the dog. Ironically in practice the plan didn’t entirely work as intended. The dogs had been trained with Soviet tanks so unsurprisingly when released in battle, many went under the Soviet tanks thus destroying them! Although not as success as intended, the Russia anti-tank dog demonstrated the creative and utilitarian ideas deployed by the Red Army during their Great Patriotic War as they attempted to stave off destruction and defeat.

 

As war in the Pacific and Asia theatre dragged on the American Government continued to explore way in which they could gain an upper hand over their Japanese enemy. Japanese cities were identified as being predominately constructed from wood and so ideas began to emerge around how these cities could be destroyed, of course the most effective tool to do this was fire. The problem that they faced was how to deliver this fire to the enemy. Of course bomber air craft could deliver incendiary bombs however these were inaccurate and could be costly in materials and in aircraft if the Japanese put up an effective defence. One of the ideas that emerged was that of the bat bomb. It was identified that during the day bats hide in caves or other dark areas. An idea emerged that if bats could be released over Japanese cities during the daylight they would soon fly down and find dark hiding places within the roofs and crevices of houses, warehouses and factories. In terms of the incendiary a small devise was attached to the bat using surgical string and would detonate through a time delay fuse, thus setting the cities alight in a surprising instance. It was planned that the bats would be refrigerated to make them go into an early hibernation, loaded into special built bombs and dropped over a Japanese city. As the bomb fell a parachute would open and as it slowly dropped to the floor different levels where the bats were stored would open up and with the increasing hot air surrounding them the bats would awake and fly away to find dark cover. In early tests there were some successes, even if in one incident the bats were dropped too early from the aircraft and set fire to US military buildings, the bat bomb was demonstrated it could work. The small bat bombers however were not deployed on Japanese cities as by the time it was ready to be used its destructive power was miniscule compared the US government preferred solution to ending the war, that of the nuclear bombs.

 

Images taken from:

Diana C Cooper, ‘Anti-Tank Dogs: Sent on Suicide Missions’, Famous Dogs In History, < http://dogs-in-history.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/anti-tank-dogs-sent-on-suicide-missions.html&gt;

 

Further information:

Diana C Cooper, ‘Anti-Tank Dogs: Sent on Suicide Missions’, Famous Dogs In History, < http://dogs-in-history.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/anti-tank-dogs-sent-on-suicide-missions.html&gt;

 

Jilly Cooper, Animals in War (London: Corgi Books, 1984)

 

Robert F. Dorr, ‘Brilliant Mistakes: The Bat Bomb’, Defence Media Network, < http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/brilliant-mistakes-the-bat-bomb/&gt;

Disney’s Education for Death

 

 

One of Disney’s darker information films created during the Second World War is that on ‘An Education for Death: The making of a Nazi.’ This 1943 Disney production takes the audience through the dark childhood and upbringing of a boy named Hans, displaying the process from innocence, too a brain washed solider marching to war and death. Before discussing the narration of this film I think it is important to identify the motivations and overall message first. The tone of the film is strange as although at the end of the message is that these indoctrinated soldiers march to their death against the allied forces, there is undoubtedly moments of understanding and sympathy, especially for an ill Hans and his mother who are threatened by the anonymous Nazi, representative of the German state. In 1943 the allied were much more confident than they had been in 1942. Although D day was yet to come, Britain and America had won against Rommel the Desert Fox in North Africa and prepared for the invasion of Sicily, while the Russian had halted the German advance and now begun the bloody task of pushing them back to Berlin. With this in mind the film looks to the future and by telling the story of Hans the American government in collaboration with Disney hope to disconnect and absolve the ordinary German citizen and soldiers of association with Nazism, as they knew many were pushed into accepting their doctrine through fear and indoctrination.

 

The story of Hans begins with his parents registering his birth with the anonymous German official who first checks their heritage as any person with Jewish Grandparents were considered Jews themselves. The official then checks the banned names list, headed by Franklin and Winston the leaders of the Western Allies and after being satisfied that Hans is not banned he hands Hans’ mother a hereditary passport with spaces for twelve children. Under the Nazis mothers who had eight children were award the Motherhood cross (1^st Class order) while in 1942 the Gold Cross with Diamonds was created for mothers of 12. These military honours were awarded on the 12^th of August each year, the date being significant as it was the date of Hitler’s mother’s birthday.

 

The German fairy tale shows the Nazi idealised rise of Hitler, however Disney were very clever by using lightening as Hitler attempts to push ‘German’ on his horse. In doing so Disney alludes to the unforeseen events of the Wall Street Crash and the death of President Hindenburg, two events which favoured Nazi politics and advance to power. The story of the rabbit and the fox told to Hans in school that was designed to teach children the importance of race superiority and the survival of the fittest amongst man. The children can be seen in their Hitler youth uniforms, a militarist children’s organisation set up to instil the teaching of Nazism and soldiering into children from an early age. The teacher is also shown in a uniform which could mean one of two thing. The first that he is a leader/ instructor in the Hitler Youth, or it could be a comical reference to the fact that all teachers in Germany had to be a member of the Nazi Socialist Teachers League.

 

At the end the audience watches Hans grow into a solider of the Wehrmacht but as the narrator describes, he sees, says or no more than the party want, the culmination of his education, for death. Once again I return to the films suggestion of sympathy and motivation. The film seems to again suggest that for children like Hans who have grown up under the Nazi regime and had taken up arms were not to blame. Instead these once innocence were warped by ideology and as the films says, ‘in him is planted no seed of laughter, hope, tolerance or mercy. For him only marching and hailing, hailing and marching.’

Donald Ducks Patriotic Duty

 

In 1942 Disney released a propaganda film for the American Government to encourage people to do something which was considered essential to the US’ war effort. The film begins with an upbeat song which calls upon America to pull together and show the World their Yankee Doddle spirit, ending with Donald Duck saluting with Star Spangled Banners rising in his eyes. The radio then goes on to discuss the new spirit in American, “a spirit of a free people united again in a common cause to stamp tyranny from the Earth” all signified by Donald Ducks disgust that “our very shores have been attacked,” referring to the Pearl Harbour attack of December 7^th 1941 which united the country. It is clear that Donald Duck is willing to do his part and after the radio tells him that role he is about to announce won’t get him a medal, will mean a sacrifice and will be a vital of help. This all results in Donald Duck begging the radio to tell him what this duty is and how he can contribute to the war effort. Well what could it be, a role of vital importance that will help stamp tyranny from the world? To fight in the Navy? To join the workforce? No, rather Donald Duck needs to pay his income tax…

 

The Second World War became a period of US history where citizens were happy and indeed proud to pay their taxes in knowledge that it would support the war effort in the fight against the Axis powers. The radio/ narrator continues by talking Donald Duck through his tax return, accompanied by his typically Disney stationary characters, full of wit and humour. For the remainder of ‘The Spirit of 1942’ film, after Donald Duck has eagerly taken his tax return to Washington, the narrator then shows how Donald Ducks and the audiences taxes will be used to bury, sink and ‘beat to earth the evil destroyer of freedom and peace.’ In the end after the destruction of the ‘evil’ axis war machine the film shows a powerful display of nationalism and patriotism. As the silhouettes of tanks, guns and aircraft move across the screen the camera pans to a sunset sky, with the clouds striped and red while in the top left corner the clouds have cleared to show the stars of the night sky, of course to show the star spangled banner. The narrator then gives a stirring speech reiterating Roosevelt’s and the US’ four key war aims, freedom of Speech, of worship, freedom of want and fear, and the final crescendo to this patriotic film campaign, ‘taxes will keep Democracy on the march!’

Churchill’s Weird Idea!

 

Ice carrier

Ice carrier plans

The history of the Second World War is littered with weird and strange invention and ideas from the bat bomb, the Soviet anti-tank dog and the flying jeep. One of the most bizarre of these weapons was the ice fleet, literally ships including aircraft carriers made entirely of ice. Unfortunately this ice fleet was never put into action but the story of Project Habakkuk is an interesting one.

 

By 1942 the Battle of the Atlantic was becoming pivotal as German U boats attempted to starve Britain of supplies by destroying shipping between Britain and her main suppliers, the United States and Canada. Although aircraft could partly cover the convoys, their fuel range was limited as so there was an air gap between Greenland and Iceland where the U boats could hunt without harassment from Allied aircraft. Geoffrey Pyke had considered how a floating iceberg could be created to support a run way. In the knowledge that ice was weak and could shatter Pyke added wood pulp to the water before freezing which created pykrete a strong durable material. The material was first brought to Churchill’s attention when Lord Louis Mountbatten dropped a chunk of this pykrete between Churchill’s legs while he was in the bath which amazing did not melt in the warm water. It was believed that a ship made of this pykrete would be stronger than steel and could be self-healing as any holes could quickly be patched up with freezing water.

 

Churchill quickly became enchanted with the project and hoped for an entire fleet, with ice carriers being deployed of the coast of France and the Indian Ocean, each one measuring 2,000 feet long, 300 feet wide and walls forty feet thick which would have made them the largest floating structures ever built. Each carrier was planned to carry 300 aircraft including spitfires and hurricanes which were not folding wing aircraft.  The next step was for a small scale model to be built on Patricia Lake in Canada in 1943. The model was 60 feet long and 30 feet wide and was kept frozen by a 1 horsepower motor. It was soon found that an extensive series of pipes to run coolant would be needed to keep the pykrete frozen, but ultimately the scale model remained frozen and afloat. Costs for the project although soon spiralled and the amount of materials which would be needed for just one ship would be immense. Churchill soon doubted the projects future as costs spiralled higher and higher, far greater than Britain could not afford.

 

By 1944 the project to build an ice fleet was cancelled. The battle of the Atlantic had been won as American mass produced aircraft and ships took to the battle and the air pocket was closed with aircraft which had a further range. Other projects such as the Manhattan project were inevitable to take the lion’s share of funding from the British and American Governments. Although this project was not carried out it is a demonstration of how during the dark periods of the Second World War governments and armies invested in unconventional ideas in an attempt to gain the advantage over their enemy.

 

Information and pictures taken from: I09, ‘Winston Churchill’s plan to fight Nazis with massive aircraft carriers made from ice’, <http://io9.gizmodo.com/5985335/winston-churchills-plan-to-fight-nazis-with-massive-aircraft-carriers-made-from-ice>

Toy Trains At War!

Armoured train

Armoured train

Armoured train

 

The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (RH & DR) is a 15 inch gauge light railway which runs along the English Kent coat. The line is one of the smallest public railways in the world, the Wells and Walsingham line in Norfolk currently holds the prestigious title but the RH & DR heralds itself as the ‘Kent mainline in miniature.’ The line as well as providing services for the many tourist who visit, also offer a school train service for pupils during the term.

 

The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway experience during the Second World War is of particular interest due to its obscurity. With its position along the Kent coat the line would have been the first to see German bombers fly overhead on their way to attack inland. In response the War Department requisitioned the line and unleased the world’s only armoured miniature train.  The armoured train consisted of a steal plated steam locomotive named the Hercules which was accompanied by two steel armoured bogie wagons which housed an anti-tank rifle and a Lewis gun in each, all manned by men of the Somerset Light Infantry. To get a sense of the rather bizarre sight of a miniature train armoured and carrying an arsenal of weapons, I refer you to the Pathe video and pictures attached. Although some may see this endeavour as smacks of desperation, it can be observed how the British home forces used all the tool available to hand. With its position along the coast and the ability to move swiftly it is perhaps reasonable to see why Britain mobilised a toy train in defence of its home territory.

 

When peace returned to the World the RH & DR returned to its civilian service, proclaiming its return in 1946 with a re-opening spectacular accompanied by the comedic duo of Laurel and Hardy. The pairs slap stick improvised routine was witnessed by thousands of people and was seen by many more through the short newsreel attached bellow. This bold show signalled the return of the light railway and although the line suffered from package holidays in the 1970s the line continues to survive providing tourists with a unique experience.

 

Sources

Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway official website, <http://www.rhdr.org.uk/about.html>

Narrow Gauge Pleasure, ‘The Romeney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway’, < http://www.narrow-gauge-pleasure.co.uk/railways/rlyromney.aspx>

Pictures taken from, ‘War in Toy land’ <https://m.warhistoryonline.com/featured/war-in-toyland-the-only-miniature-armored-train-in-the-world.html/2>

 

 

Donald Duck Goes to War

 

In Disney’s 1942 ‘In Der Fuhrer’s face’ [See link below] Donald Duck is seen to be living in the totalitarian German State in which he faces unsatisfactory food rations and then a gruelling work regime in a munitions factory where he subsequently has a nervous breakdown, not a typical Disney occurrence. In the opening scenes a German military band marches though a swastika-centric world singing the rhetoric’s of their fuhrer, Hitler. The bands comprising of particular interest cohort consisting, for one, of a racial derogative Japanese tuba player whose character adheres to American racial stereotyping of the time.

During WW2 the American government would intern an estimated 110,000 citizens of Japanese ancestry purely because they were deemed enemies of the state due to the racial ethnicity. The next band member, of interest, is a rather effeminate Herman Goering depicted as quite the mincing machine, a typical depiction during WW2, where Allied propaganda aimed to give the impression that the German High Command were weak and womanlike. The last member of the band to be shown is that of Benito Mussolini depicted as a small bald drummer, which perhaps isn’t too far from a true depiction. In the closing scenes we see Donald awake from his nightmare, draped in the star and stripes, typical of every propaganda film of the time, to see Lady Liberty standing in the window encouraging him to proclaim, ‘Boy am I glad to be a citizen of the United States of America.’

As well as being a rather endearing rendition ably performed by Donald and some character who did not stand the test time, the film does however show the rather forgotten contribution Disney had in propaganda production with its ever lovable characters during the Second World War. Covering everything from recruitment, war bond drives, income tax and Christmas greeting cards Disney did what it does best in contribution to the war effort. With the War costing around $300 billion the American government, in part, depended on contribution of the American people through war bonds and taxes, which Disney helped to facilitate.

 

For more on Donald Duck’s contribution to the propaganda war see,

Donald Ducks Patriotic Duty

 

and for more on Disney’s role in WW2 see,

Disney’s Education for Death

 

Sources

Disney, ‘In Der Fuhrer’s Face’, (1942) <https://archive.org/details/DerFuehrersFace>

David Lesjak, ‘Disney to the Front’, American in WWII, <http://www.americainwwii.com/galleries/disney-to-the-front/>