Today humans remember D-day. And we too must remember the dogs who were also there and did their part for the war.
On the eve of the Normandy invasion, three planes took off for France – each carried 20 the members of Britain’s 13th Battalion and a dog. These dogs were trained as paratrooping canines and were called – Bing, Monty and Ranee.
Dogs were used in World War II – like all wars. The dogs were trained to perform tasks such as locating mines, keeping watch for the enemies. They were taught to get used to wartime conditions, i.e. loud noises like aircraft propellers, possible battlefield scenarios, how to behave during firefights, to identify the smell of explosives and gunpowder and what to do if their master was captured and they were also taught to jump out of a plane. Yes, that’s right – jump off planes. Very, very brave.
The story goes that these three dogs did just that, well sort of. Bing, an Alsatian-Collie, was supposedly the smartest of them all were with the trainer, Bailey. When the time came for Bing to jump, he apparently got scared and turned around and holed up in the back of the aircraft.
The jump master on board, was forced to unplug his radio equipment, caught a hold of Bing and threw him out of the plane!!!
And apparently, Bing’s jump did not go as planned. His parachute was caught in a tree and he was found hanging in the tree when his comrades found him. He also had two deep cuts in his face, likely from German mortar fire.
But when he did get going, Bing and the other two proved to be very useful. They located mines and booby traps, helped on patrols by sniffing out enemy positions and personnel – saving many Allied lives.
However, the war took lives. Monty was severely wounded on D-Day, while Ranee was separated from her battalion shortly after landing in Normandy and never seen again.
Bing survived the war and went on to receive the PDSA Dicken Medal, the UK’s highest honor for animals that have displayed “conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving with any branch of the Armed Forces or Civil Defence Units.” (Recently Sasha, the golden labrador was awarded this medal.)
Today, Bing is buried in a cemetery of honor for animals northeast of London.
There is also a true-to-life replica of Bing in the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum in Duxford.
Here he is wearing his parachute, next to his medal of honour, which bears the words “For Gallantry” and “We Also Serve.”
May’s comment: Read this article about paradogs The Parachuting Dogs of the British Army
One Response
Just amazing what trained dogs can do. !!!!!
I remember seeing on TV a woman describe how her guide dog managed to lead
Her down one of the twin towers to safety 9/11.