'Animals At War': WWII Dog Gets X-Ray
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July 19, 2010 -- Some of our bravest and most loyal soldiers walked on four legs.
The National Archives released this undated photo via the National World War II Museum, which shows a Marine Corps dog handler comforting his German shepherd while he's being X-rayed. The dog was shot by a Japanese sniper on Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea and later died of his injuries.
The photograph is part of an exhibit entitled "Loyal Force: Animals at War," on display at the museum in New Orleans from July 22-Oct. 17.
Dogs were popular in the Pacific. The Associated Press reported that the exhibit tells the story of "Lt. William Putney, commanding officer of the 3rd U.S. War Dog Platoon, led 110 Marines and 72 dogs from Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton to Guadalcanal and Guam."
Another tale includes a Doberman Pinscher who sounded the alarm when Japanese solders crept into an American camp in Guam.
The exhibit will also include horses, pigeons and other animals besides dogs used during war time.
"There was a great love and loyalty between the soldiers and the animals they worked with," registrar Toni M. Kiser told the Associated Press. Kiser created the exhibit with archivist Lindsey Barnes.
Horses dominated the European front. Most supplies and artillery were still horse-drawn in the 1940s, and mounted infantry patrols were widely used.
Photo credit: AP Photo/National Archives via the National World War II Museum
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