Soviet Forces

Dogged warrior - Djulbars (the Dog, that is ...)

Unknown author/Government of the USSR/Russian Republic

It has been estimated that some 60,000 dogs served with the Soviet Red Army in WW2 (though I am not sure whether this included "anti-tank dogs"). Whatever about the anti-tank nonsense, these dogs performed the usual range of war dog duties including - perhaps surprisingly, given the "carelessness" of many Soviet commanders in the matter - mine detection. The canine pictured here, along with BT-10 armored car chums - is Djulbars, a famous Soviet war dog, credited with the discovery of some 7,500 mines in the course of a distinguished WW2 career that also involved a number of other creditable acts. German Shepherd he was; perhaps a minor accent on the "German" bit. Djulbars survived the war although, when it came to the Moscow victory parade, he was suffering from war wounds that prevented him from "marching" at the head of the contingent of war dogs. Such was his fame, Stalin ordered that an officer carry him in the parade, cradled in one of the Leader's greatcoats. He never received the Dicken Medal - but Stalin did award him the Soviet Medal for Military Merit, making him the only Soviet dog, at any rate, to be awarded a full military decoration for his service in WW2. Best regards, JR.