Page 32 - Chiron Calling Autum 2021/Spring 2022

The
Winter
Soldier
The military dog conjures
up images of a German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois patrolling military installations today. It most certainly brings to mind the many images
of the military working dog teams engaged in missions in the Middle East. What does not pop into mind are military working dogs patrolling or hauling supplies in the Arctic
or mountainous environments of Northern Europe. Yet the next war may indeed need these skills. Prior to the Second World War there were only 50 military dogs the United States Army, all sled dogs in Alaska.
During his 1898-1899 As a lieutenant Joseph Castner US Army explored and patrolled the interior of Alaska. Exploration missions were from the Cook Inlet region to the areas around North Pole and Fairbanks prior to heading up the Yukon River to Ft. Yukon. Between 1901 and 1905, Army Signal Corps officer, Lt. William Mitchell was directed to connect Washington to Alaska by telegraph. He used 80 sled dogs and took two years instead of the estimated 5 years.
During World War I, the French government asked Alaskan Scotty
Allan, to provide and train Alaskan sled dogs and sleds for the French war effort. One hundred-six dogs were provided from Alaska served
in France. While there the dogs provided invaluable service; they opened mountainous supply routes and communication between units in the field not previously accessible. Author Charles L. Dean wrote:
‘Their actions where so three Alaskan sled dogs in French service were awarded the Croix de Guerre, France’s highest military honours, for actions in combat.’
After the Japanese attack of Peral Harbour the US began to recruit military working dogs for roles we would recognise today in all branches of the forces. However, Alaska also increased the use of sled dogs, Native Americans were recruited for scout and supply missions in these extreme conditions. One of the more colourful joint Native and white Alaskan units was
1st Alaska Combat Intelligence Platoon, or Alaska Scouts. Led by Col. Lawrence Castner, men of this special unit knew how to live off
the land, and by the war’s end they travelled thousands of Kilometres to gather intelligence by U.S. Army- owned dog teams and sleds.
During the Second World War America supplied equipment to Soviet and European allies via air routes over Alaska and the Bearing Sea to Siberia and over Maine, Greenland and Labrador to Britain and later France. Search and rescue teams were vital when aircrews were forced down by extreme weather conditions in remote and harsh terrain. Survivors, casualties, and vital equipment had to be recovered and, in the days before helicopters, sled dogs were the only means available. It is estimated that 150 survivors, 300 casualties and millions of dollars of equipment were recovered.
Sled dogs were also organized
for combat. The 10th Mountain Division was created and trained
for a proposed invasion of Norway. As part of the planning, the 10th became the only army division to have a sled dog unit attached, the purpose of which was to bring in supplies and bring out casualties. The proposed invasion never occurred, and the sled dogs were no longer needed and were detached from the 10th. During the Battle of the Bulge, sled dog units came close to being sent in, but bureaucratic bungling kept the mission from going forward until snows melted and it was too late. Sled dogs
A team of military working dogs rests outside a Douglas C-47 Skytrain circa 1945 at Ladd Field, Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of University of Alaska, Fairbanks, archives)
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