The famous dog Patron is not the only four-legged hero in the ongoing human conflict. Throughout history, various cultures have enlisted the help of dogs, horses, camels, and even elephants, not just for farming but also for warfare. Humanity has tested warm-blooded animals as missile, aviation, and torpedo weapons.
Pigeons
The role of military pigeons in combat situations is hard to overstate. During the last war, carrier pigeons were sometimes the only means for our scouts to relay crucial information to command. However, during wartime, these birds of peace were used for more than just delivering messages. In training, the winged messengers were also taught to handle incendiary bombs.
A pigeon with an incendiary device
At the communication school, the birds were trained to recognize future targets. Each pigeon underwent a month-long training regimen. Their task was to dive toward fuel tanks and flammable structures. When the 130-gram projectile detached, the pigeon had little chance of survival. Upon ignition, a half-meter flame erupted, burning through aluminum tank walls and roofing iron. According to some reports, out of 3,000 combat pigeons, two-thirds perished.
Project “Pigeon” (
Similar “organic control” projects existed during World War II among the Americans. It was aptly named: Project Pigeon and Orcon (Organic Control). A biological guidance system for guided weapons was designed based on the homing pigeon. Three lenses on the nose of the missile projected an image of the target onto a screen in front of the bird. The trained pigeon would peck at the image, directing the projectile toward the target.
Rodents
Since World War II, combat mice have been used as saboteurs in the army. Silent aircraft would drop these rodents into enemy equipment storage areas. The little creatures would infiltrate closed hangars, gnaw through wires, and damage components, rendering military equipment inoperable.
A rat-sapper at work
In modern times, Belgian military zoologists have found a use for large African rats, training them to detect landmines. Their sense of smell is nearly as good as that of dogs, and their small size allows them to avoid triggering mines. Today, rat-sappers carry out humanitarian missions in Mozambique and other countries, helping to clear away the deadly remnants of past conflicts.
Cats
In the 1960s, U.S. intelligence welcomed a new “employee”: a spy cat. This was a true cyborg: a listening device and transmitter all in one. A “bug” microphone was implanted in the animal’s ear, a battery was placed in its chest, a micro-transmitter was positioned near the base of its skull, and its spine (back and tail) served as the antenna. This four-legged spy cyborg cost the CIA $15 million, and the specialized training lasted five years.
Unfortunately, the money and effort proved to be in vain. On its very first mission to eavesdrop on a conversation at the embassy, it met with disaster. The poor creature was struck by a taxi just after being released into a park in Washington.
In 1967, the Acoustic Kitty project was shut down. However, even at that time, a cat roamed the White House. Feline friends accompany intergovernmental meetings in London and Moscow, but seasoned members of the diplomatic corps remain wary of eavesdropping.
Seals and Dolphins
Today, there are only two centers for training aquatic “fighters” for special operations: in San Diego and Sevastopol. The suggestion by trainer Vladimir Durov to train seals for detecting underwater mines dates back to 1915. Experimental training of the first two dozen “recruits” showed that the mammals excelled at locating underwater explosives and placing training magnetic mines on vessels. However, the first batch of trained seals never saw combat: one night, they were all poisoned, and the culprits behind the tragedy were never identified.
After the Americans launched a similar project, the Soviet Union decided to revisit the idea of animal “special forces”: the naval base in San Diego became a center for training combat seals and dolphins. Since the late 1960s, the Kozacha Bay has hosted “soldiers of the depths.” In the Sevastopol military aquarium, the animals were trained to neutralize saboteurs, locate underwater mines, and recover sunken torpedoes. During Soviet times, one and a half hundred dolphins and fifty seals patrolled the Black Sea.
A dolphin responds to its instructor’s gestures (Photo: commons.wikimedia.org)
Declassified materials indicate that the tradition of employing living beings has taken root in various countries.