Kanine Kamikazes

Discussions on all aspects of the USSR, from the Russian Civil War till the end of the Great Patriotic War and the war against Japan. Hosted by Art.
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Brian Von Stauffenberg
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Kanine Kamikazes

#1

Post by Brian Von Stauffenberg » 03 Apr 2002, 18:13

Anyone got any info on the soviets using dogs with explosives strapped to them, i refer to a book titled "Ostfront" written by Charles Winchester in which he states the dogs were trained to run under German Vehicles.

Logan Hartke
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#2

Post by Logan Hartke » 04 Apr 2002, 05:30

I read about them in this book...
http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/booksear ... 0760710228

It stated that there were three major flaws with the dog mines:

1) Stupid Russians, they trained the dogs under their own tanks, I guess assuming that the dogs would instinctivly run under the "evil Fascist" tanks. In battle, when the dogs did get to a tank, they would usually run to the first Russian tank that they saw/smelled with obvious results.

2) The Germans soon learned of this tactic and word spread quickly, causing nearly all dogs on the Eastern Front to be shot within days. In essence, the Soviets ran out of ammo.

3) In battle, many of the dogs would become frightened and confused, often just running frantically, causing more harm to those around them (Soviet handlers and other troops) than the Germans.

Respectfully,
Logan Hartke


Caldric
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#3

Post by Caldric » 04 Apr 2002, 10:50

1) Stupid Russians, they trained the dogs under their own tanks, I guess assuming that the dogs would instinctivly run under the "evil Fascist" tanks. In battle, when the dogs did get to a tank, they would usually run to the first Russian tank that they saw/smelled with obvious results.
I am sorry I love dogs, but that is almost humorous. I do not laugh about the dogs, just the look on the Russian's face as the dog turns back on their own tanks. Makes you wonder how many dog handlers there were left after there comrades started shooting at them...

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Y Ddraig Goch
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Mine Dogs?

#4

Post by Y Ddraig Goch » 11 Apr 2002, 10:35

You mean Mine Dogs? I have a short story in a book at home, quite interesting.
/ Mike

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"
Friedrich Nietzsche

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Brian Von Stauffenberg
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Please

#5

Post by Brian Von Stauffenberg » 11 Apr 2002, 11:06

Please post the story Madcap if you have time, Thanks. :)

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Y Ddraig Goch
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Story

#6

Post by Y Ddraig Goch » 11 Apr 2002, 17:42

I will next week. At the moment i have an A-level D+T project to start/finnish!
/ Mike

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"
Friedrich Nietzsche

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MadJim
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dog training

#7

Post by MadJim » 30 Apr 2002, 05:57

The Soviets trained the dogs to go under tanks by constantly feeding them under them. unfortunately there was no way for them to encourage the dogs to just go under Axis tanks. The idea was soon abandoned.

This was as bad as the American scheme to attache explosive to bats and release them over Japan. The bats were expected to roost on the side of wooden Japanese buildings and then the building and the hapless bat would catch fire!

Gwynn Compton
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#8

Post by Gwynn Compton » 30 Apr 2002, 12:17

I'm just browsing through Antony Beevor's Stalingrad and here's an interesting one that mentions the dogs, but wasn't the specific reference I was looking for
Notes for those going on Leave.

You must remember that you are entering a National Socialist country whose living conditions are very different to those to which you have become accustomed. You must be tactful with the inhabitants, adapting to their customs and refrain from the habits which you have come to love so much.
Food: Do not rip up the parquet or other kinds of floor, because potatoes are kept in a different place.
Curfew: If you forget your key, try to open the door with the round-shaped object. Only in cases of extreme urgency use a grenade.
Defence against Partisans: It is not necessary to ask civilians the password and open fire on receiving an unsatisfactory answer.
Defence against Animals: Dogs with mines attached to them are a special feature of the Soviet Union. German dogs in the worst cases bite, but they do not explode. Shooting every dog you see, although recommended in the Soviet Union, might create a bad impression.
Relations with the Civil Population: In Germany just because somebody is wearing women's clothes does not necessarily mean that she is a partisan. But in spite of this, they are dangerous for anyone on leave from the front.
General: When on leave back in the Fatherland take care not to talk about the paradise existence in the Soviet Union in case everybody wants to come here and spoil our idyllic comfort.
Written by a group of German soldiers, it is both funny and reminds one about some of the things they have been doing in the Soviet Union. A very clever piece of work.

And now for the one I was looking for
Several German panzer divisions also encountered a new form of unconventional weapon during this fighting. They found Russian dogs running towards them with a curious-looking saddle holding a load on top with a short upright stick. At first the panzer troops thought that they must be first-aid dogs, but then realized that the animals had explosives or an anti-tank mine strapped to them. These 'mine-dogs', trained on Pavlovian principles, had been taught to run under large vehicles to obtain their food. The stick, catching against the underside, would etonate the charge. Most of the dogs were shot before they reached their target, but this macabre tactic had an unnerving effect.
Both quotes are from Stalingrad

Oskar
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#9

Post by Oskar » 30 Apr 2002, 16:43

Madjim:

I heard the story of the bats tÖ. Didn't they die while on training (on the plane) because the temperature was tÖ low for them?

Oskar

Bret van Sant
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#10

Post by Bret van Sant » 01 May 2002, 00:15


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