Number 11 Bear Voytek was a Syrian brown bear, which was
bought as a cub, in 1942, by Polish II Corps soldiers stationed in Iran. Voytek soon became
an integral part of the unit. He reportedly enjoyed eating cigarettes, drinking beer and
wrestling with the soldiers. He was taught to salute and would march alongside the troops
on his hind legs. Voytek travelled with the 22nd Artillery Supply Company to Iraq, Syria,
Palestine and Egypt. When the company moved to Italy, Voytek was officially drafted into
the Polish Army to get around transportation regulations. He was given the rank of private.
During the Battle of Monte Cassino, the bear would carry and stack crates of artillery
shells that would have taken 4 men to lift. It’s said that he never dropped a crate.
There’s at least one account of a British soldier witnessing the bear transport ammo.
In the aftermath, a bear carrying an artillery shell became the official emblem of the 22nd
Company. Voytek was ultimately promoted to the rank of corporal and, after the war ended,
in 1945, he found a home at the Edinburgh Zoo.
Number 10 Pigeon Homing pigeons have been used to deliver war
time messages ever since Egypt, around the year 3000 BC. The homing pigeon, usually a
derivative of the rock dove, has an outstanding sense of orientation and is believed to rely
on magnetoreception in order to return to its home coop. They can fly at up to 100 miles
per hour and for distances of 1,100 miles. These creatures were used to deliver vital
messages during both World Wars. It was a dangerous mission, as the enemy was constantly
trying to shoot them down. One pigeon, nicknamed “The Mocker”, reportedly flew over 52
times before he was wounded. Number 9 Cat
Cats have been used in warfare since ancient times. At the Battle of Pelusium, in 525 BC,
the Achaemenid Empire used them in the front line as a form of psychological warfare against
the Egyptians, knowing they’d avoid harming them due to religious beliefs. During the
late 1940s, a cat named Simon found a home aboard the warship HMS Amethyst. While travelling
up the Yangtze River, the ship took fire from a Chinese field gun battery. One of the rounds
severely wounded Simon. He was treated but, with four pieces of shrapnel embedded in his
body, wasn’t expected to last the night. Not only did Simon recover, but proved his
worth on the ship. While anchored in the Yangtze, rats had all but taken over the ship. Simon
vigorously removed them, rousing sailors’ morale in the process. He became a national
hero and, to this day, is the only cat to have been awarded the Dickin Medal, the most
prestigious decoration that can be awarded to animals. Simon also received the Blue Cross
and the rank of “Able Seacat”. Number 8 Bat
Prior to the development of the atom bomb, a US dental surgeon named Lytle S. Adams designed
a bat bomb to be dropped on Japanese cities. It was approved by the government and entered
a developmental phase. The working principle was for about a thousand hibernating Mexican
free-tailed bats to be placed in compartments inside a bomb-shaped casing. They’d each
have attached to them a small incendiary bomb with a timer. As the casing parachuted down,
it would open and release the bats. They’d fly and roost, undetected, in the attics and
eaves of Japanese homes, which at the time were largely made out of wood and paper. When
the bomb was triggered, the bats would catch fire and start a fast-spreading blaze. The
bomb was tested in Utah on a mockup of a Japanese city. Even though it had proven effective,
progress was too slow and the plan was overtaken by the nuclear option. Nevertheless, Adams
maintained that his bat-based device would’ve brought the country to its knees, while sparing
its population the horrors of the atom bomb. Number 7 Dolphin
Dolphins are highly trainable and extremely intelligent, traits which are indispensable
as a military animal. They’ve been trained by Russian and American armed forces to detect
underwater mines or to rescue trapped divers. However, there’s speculation that dolphins
haven’t been used solely for detection. Some of the suspected applications include
kamikaze-style attacks on enemy vessels or radar jamming. There were rumors circulating
during the Vietnam War that the US Navy was conditioning dolphins to kill enemy divers.
Still, the Navy denied ever training their dolphins to harm humans.
Number 6 Snake Hannibal is regarded as one of history’s
top military strategists. For years, the brilliant Carthaginian general’s forces stood against
the overwhelming might of the Roman Republic. One particularly devious tactic stands as
testament to Hannibal’s strategic mind. In one of the lesser-known battles of his
career, Hannibal directed a naval fleet against the forces of Pergamon, a city-state allied
with Rome. The general was facing overwhelming numbers so he had his soldiers collect venomous
snakes and store them in clay pots aboard the ships. The pots were small enough to be
handled by one man and held cobras, kraits, fer-de-lance and death adders. When the enemy
was within range, Hannibal’s soldiers launched the snake pots at the hulls of their vessels.
Panic ensued as soldiers struggled to avoid the enraged venomous reptiles slithering at
their feet. The venomous bites they sustained, combined with the attacks from Hannibal’s
fleet, brought a bitter defeat to the Pergamonites’ superior forces.
Number 5 Elephant While using snakes as a form of biological
warfare was ingenious, the military animals that would help immortalize Hannibal were
actually elephants. In an unprecedented and unexpected move, Hannibal crossed the Alps
and brought the war to Rome. Aiding him in his daring campaign was a legion of African
elephants. Even though only a few of the beasts survived the harsh mountain environment, Hannibal
would go on to win a number of successive major victories. The use of elephants in warfare
is believed to have originated in ancient India. Their main role was to charge through
enemy lines, wreak havoc and strike terror into enemy ranks. They’d sometimes be given
their own armor, designed to protect the legs and body while leaving their trunks free to
attack the enemy. Heavy iron chains with steel balls were sometimes tied to the trunk, which
the elephants could swing and cause a great amount of destruction. Swords or spikes would
sometimes be fitted to their trunks. The animals carried warriors on their backs and, larger
beasts, could carry an entire protective tower called a howdah. Their use declined as firearms
gained widespread use. Number 4 Eagle
Both French and Dutch military forces have been training eagles to capture or take down
rogue drones. Falconry, the practice of hunting by using birds of prey, was first reported
in Mesopotamia, around the year 2000 BC. With advancements in technology, this ancient practice
can be modified to suit the requirements of modern warfare. Virtually anyone can buy a
drone and fit it with surveillance devices and even small explosives. While eagles aren’t
capable of tackling large, Predator-style drones, they’ve proven effective against
smaller ones that might be used to infiltrate airports or military bases. Golden eagles
can spot a drone several thousand yards away and can neutralize the device using their
powerful claws. To prepare them for the mission, they’re kept on drones after they hatch
and during their early feeding period. Number 3 Dog
The dog, humanity’s first and most celebrated animal companion, has senses and skills which
have been extensively used in warfare. The earliest record of battle dogs comes from
the 7th century BC when they were used to break enemy ranks in a war between two Greek
cities. In ancient times, large breeds like the mastiff or the molossian were equipped
with armor and spiked collars and sent into battle. As Spanish conquistadors began their
campaign in Latin America, they used Alaunts against native warriors. In World War II,
the Soviets fitted dogs with mines and trained them to run under enemy tanks. Throughout
history’s wars, dogs weren’t only used for fighting but also as scouts, for communication,
tracking or as sentries. They were also major morale boosters for the troops. Breeds, like
the German shepherd, Belgian Malinois or Dutch Shepherd are still used today by various branches
of the world’s military or law enforcement organizations.
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Number 2 Monkey While the world’s military forces are probably
a long way from implementing a division of sniper monkeys, these animals have been used
in battle before. One notable occurrence was in Middle Age China, at the time of the Southern
Song Dynasty. During a conflict between the Imperial Army and rebels in the Yanzhuo province,
monkeys were used as live incendiary devices. They were clothed in straw and doused with
oil. Afterwards, they were set ablaze and released on an enemy camp, igniting their
tents and causing chaos. In the 1970s, the US Air Force experimented with a tamer version
of monkey-based warfare. Called Paisley Print Task 1, it involved strapping an electrode
vest to a rhesus macaque that would then be sent into danger zones. It would be remote-controlled
by an operator who would shock the monkey if it veered off course. Surveillance equipment,
explosives or supplies could thus be strapped to the macaque as it went behind enemy lines.
Number 1 Horse Throughout history, since before the year
5000 BC, horses have been an inseparable warfare component. Entire empires were, quite literally,
built on the backs of these animals. For example, the mounted archers of the Mongolians steppe
were so skilled that, under Genghis Khan and his successors, they contributed towards forming
the largest contiguous land empire ever seen. Armored horses carried their riders into battle
as part of cavalry units, which for centuries were Europe’s most celebrated combat division.
They could pull heavy wagons and, with the invention of gunpowder, canons and artillery
weapons. Every military culture had great respect for the horse, often regarded as a
warrior’s most trustworthy companion. Alexander the Great was so appreciative of his war horse,
Bucephalus, that he named a city in his honor. There’s a legend that Roman emperor Caligula
tried to make his horse a consul while the skeleton of Napoleon’s horse, Marengo, can
still be seen at the National Army Museum, in London.
Thanks for watching! Which animals do you think would be best suited for war if a conflict
broke out in your country/state? Let us know in the comments section below!