Human and Animal Interrelationships in World War I Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Some European armies, especially on the continental side, considered horses to hold a vital role in their battle, even before the war has begun. Russia had a similar view and at the time it got into the war, it had thirty-six mounted troops divisions. The Russian government even stated that its cavaliers would plunge deep into Germany s heart. The Russian mounted soldiers were soon surrounded by the German forces and destroyed. Transport of cavalries was a hardship for Russian infrastructure especially because of the large distances they had to travel. Horse soldiers from central powers also faced similar problems with transport and tactics failure. Apart from being the cavalry mounts, horses also pulled ambulances and carried supplies and ordnance. Earlier in the war, the German army depended on horses to transport their ammunition wagons for artillery and field kitchens ( Heineman Jr). Thousands of horses were being used to transport the large field guns. About six to around twelv e were needed to pull every gun. Horses could also be used to recover guns netted by rival forces. In an occurrence, two groups of sixteen horses had had their hooves, pulling chains and tacks enveloped so as to reduce noise. Sometimes dummy horses could be used to cuckold the enemy about the location of their troops. We will write a custom essay sample on Human and Animal Interrelationships in World War I or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page In 1917 s battle of Passchendaele, soldiers at the frontage fully comprehended that losing a horse at that juncture would be worse than losing one of them, as men were replaceable but horses weren t. Horses in Britain were so valuable that when a soldier s horse died, he was supposed to cut a hoof and take it to the commanding officer to express that the two had not just been merely parted ( Heineman Jr).