Soviet Anti-Tank Dogs

Soviet anti-tank dogs, also known in Russian as protivotankovye sobaki (противотанковые собаки or “dog-tank destroyers”) and in German as hundemineh (“dog-mines”), were dogs trained by the Soviet army in the early 1900’s to act as mobile bombs.1 The goal of these furry bombs was to explode enemy tanks on the battlefield. The type of dog most frequently chosen by the army was the Alsatian Wolf dog (called the German Shepherd in many countries) due to its high intelligence level and training capacity.2 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics’ (USSR) army employed these dogs from 1930 to 1996, using them mainly throughout the course of the Second World War, from 1939-1945. Originally, dogs were trained to carry bombs, drop them at the foot of

Russian scientist Petrovich Pavlov had made dogs especially famous (i.e. “Pavlov’s dogs”) in 1920’s Soviet Russia when he used them in his studies of reflex, classical conditioning, and human reaction. He was vocal about making sure his dogs were as comfortable as possible throughout his research, always insisting on using anesthetic on the animals and even investing in a monument to honor the dogs who gave their lives for his research.9 Often, after the dogs were used in an experiment, especially within the space station or the military, the dogs were put to use as propaganda for those programs in which they participated, portrayed as Soviet heroes. It is important to take into account the cultural facets of Soviet Russia to understand the opinion the population had towards these animals. The USSR was a socialist society, meaning that it promoted an economic and political ideal centered around common ownership, and collective culture instead of an individualized approach.10 The government in place under Joseph Stalin pushed the ideas of the good of the country and the common goal of the people, and these ideals were often exemplified through the dogs’ sacrifice for the progress of humanity and the protection of the country. The Soviets celebrated these dogs as heroes, from Laika the space

The dogs were kept hungry for days before their deployment and were taught to seek food underneath tanks, but the Soviets had different types of tanks than the German tanks. Dogs have a very keen sense of smell, and they noticed that the practice tanks and the tanks on the battlefield smelled different, especially because of the different scent of the fuel. Soviets used diesel engines, while Germans used gasoline.21 The dogs were also trained to dive underneath the tank for food, but in the practice scenarios, the tanks were stationary because the Soviets wanted to conserve their ammunition. In actual battle, the tanks were often moving fairly quickly and many of the dogs were too fearful to approach them. Even when the Soviets started trying to train dogs to go under moving tanks while being surrounded by loud noises, the dogs acted differently on the battlefield around the different tank types and situation. As mentioned, the dogs who did not complete their task and returned to the Soviet forces, either seeking out the familiar-smelling fuel or retreating due to fear, had to be killed to avoid bringing the bomb back into the