A soldier prepares a carriage while what appears to be a pair of German Rottweiler Metzgerhunds patiently wait to be on their way in this photo that was produced in 1916 in Brezezany – a small town in the province of Galicia in Austria, some 55 miles away from the city of Lviv in Ukraine, and which back then was the capital city of the Austrian empire.
During World War I that officially lasted between the 24th of July in 1914 and the 11th of November in 1918, canines of all breeds and sizes came to participate in warfare like never before in the history of mankind.
In Europe, on the Western and Eastern fronts, as the forces of the Bulgarian, Ottoman, German and Austro-Hungarian empire had faced off against a coalition of six allied nations, dogs on both sides had pawed in to successfully accomplish a wide range of tasks.
Dogs in World War I.
They had hauled supply carriages, heavy mortars and machine guns. Guarded prisoners and camps especially in colder regions. Rescued the wounded from battlefields. Scouted and alerted of enemy presence. Carried field telephones and wires.
Delivered important communication under shelling and through inhospitable terrains. Pulled miniature ambulances for the Red Cross, and did what Dogs are world over known to do: Provide companionship and comfort, especially to soldiers recuperating from hard struck battle fatigue and other syndromes.
Furthermore, their ability to negotiate snowy and muddy fields better than horses, oxen and mules had made them one of the most preferred modes of transport in the armies of Britain, France and Germany – with the British alone training over two thousand dogs for war service.
The Germans, however, were the first to recognize their potential and by 1914 had already trained some 6,000 dogs for wartime duty. Furthermore, during the conflict the German army had requisitioned for an additional 28,000 dogs for active service. The canines had also proved useful when the German army had faced an acute shortage of horses in the aftermath of the Aragon offensive in 1918.
Their ability to understand spoken words and signs better than other domesticated animals, and their intelligence and undying loyalty, is what had earned them a place in a modern army.
Brzezany, Galicia.
Brzezany, Galicia where this photo was taken in 1916 was then a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and had witnessed two major engagements between the Russians and the Austro-German armies.
In the first engagement, that took place on the 3rd September in 1916, the Russian 7th army had captured the heights located on the southeast of the town but had retreated following an Austrian counteroffensive the next day.
The second Russian offensive had taken place under General Aleksei Brusilov on the 1st of July in 1917. Although the Russians at the beginning had possessed a numerical advantage over the Austro-German defenders and, initially, even managed to break through their defences.
A counter-attack on the 6th of July in 1917 followed by a major thrust by the German Southern Army on 19th of July in 1917 had produced a critical defeat on the demoralized Russian army, already suffering from a breakdown in discipline and mass desertions.
Rottweiler Metzgerhunds.
In Deutsch or the German language, Rottweiler Metzgerhunds means a butcher’s dog from Rottweil – a town in Southern Germany that was originally established by the Romans and in later centuries was an important commercial centre. The name Rottweil comes from the colour of bricks that was used by the Romans to build the town, and which was red.
These powerfully built dogs were primarily domesticated and bred for assisting butchers in herding livestock, protecting their money, and pulling carts laden with commodities.
The breed is believed to have emerged in the medieval era from a crossbreeding of the local sheepdog and a type of black dog Roman legions had brought with them to the province of Germania for herding and protecting cattle – and later during the crisis of the 3rd century, left to roam wild in the region of Stuttgart.
When the photo was produced.
Iron blades attached to the wheels of the carriage suggests this photo was taken in the winter months of 1916. The soldiers and officers belonged to the German Southern Army, that was deployed on the Eastern Front, and of which the town of Brzezany had formed a part.
The original caption appended to the photo reads in Deutsch as, Vorfuhrung eines hundezuges in Brzezany. Which in English means, Demonstration of a dog train in Brzezany.
The photo was produced by an uncredited photographer from the K.u.k War Press Headquarters, which was the Austro-Hungarian department for press activities and propaganda.
All photos produced by the K.u.k War Press are now archived at the Austrian National Museum in Vienna.
I F I This is an Independent Story that tries to unravel the history behind this featured Vintage Photo produced during World War I in 1916, and highlights the role of Dogs during the conflict. It has been created from facts curated from literary and historical sources. I
