Soldiers of different kinds, with four legs and special instincts they do wonders!

They have done it in the past, they are doing it in the present and they will keep doing it in the future!

‘Puppies are fluffy and adorable and cuddly companions. Floats, baby horses cannot walk straight since the hooves are fragile and the walk at that time looks that it will not be able to gallop but it does become a warrior and a companion!

-‘The history of warfare has a few elements that are necessary, the first are the warriors (the great leaders and men), the horses ( Bucaphelous, Chetak, Haider there are so many others, the fluffy and puppies who grow up to become perhaps the greatest sniffers and detectors who can put even the best of detectives to shame and the technological advancements that happened in the different eras of the history of the planet earth. From Chariots to supersonic and stealth aircrafts the story has been the biggest! So has been the wonderful military history of warfare!’

-‘Today gleefully I will talk about a lot of different kinds of soldiers, one with the hooves and one with paws, instinct-ridden nose and the deadly canines! A little less than tigers but with their master (the soldier of RVC unit Indian Army they can hurt several big cats). In modern day vocab they can be called as the best hunters in the architectural jungles and the underground detection!

-‘Horses were probably first used to pull chariots in battle starting around 1500 BC. But it wasn’t until around 900 BC that warriors themselves commonly fought on horseback. Among the first mounted archers and fighters were the Scythians, a group of nomadic Asian warriors who often raided the ancient Greeks.’

-‘Horse cavalry began to be phased out after World War I in favour of tank warfare, though a few horse cavalry units were still used into World War II, especially as scouts. By the end of World War II, horses were seldom seen in battle, but were still used extensively for the transport of troops and supplies. Today, formal battle-ready horse cavalry units have almost disappeared, though the United States Army Special Forces used horses in battle during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. Horses are still seen in use by organized armed fighters in Developing countries.’ India stands out because we are still specialists in mountain warfare!’

-‘The literature of ancient India describes numerous horse nomads. Some of the earliest references to the use of horses in South Asian warfare are Puranic texts, which refer to an attempted invasion of India by the joint cavalry forces of the Sakas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Pahlavas, and Paradas, called the five hordes (pañca.ganah) or Kashtriya hordes (Kśatriya ganah). About 1600 BC, they captured the throne of Ayodhya by dethroning the Vedic king, Bahu.[106] Later texts, such as the Mahābhārata, c. 950 BC, appear to recognise efforts taken to breed war horses and develop trained mounted warriors, stating that the horses of the Sindhu and Kamboja regions were of the finest quality, and the Kambojas, Gandharas, and Yavanas were expert in fighting from horses.’

-‘ But in mountain warfare the horses and their varied versions are still the best! They can take you where even the aircraft do not dare! It is the soldier and their load carrying friend walk where the soldier carries his own food and water as well as of their friend the soldier on four legs! But the best thing is that both know each other and both know when it is time to take a break’!

-‘The earliest use of war dogs in a battle recorded in classical sources was by Alyattes of Lydia against the Cimmerians around 600 BC. The Lydian dogs killed some invaders and routed others. At the Battle of Pelusium (525 BC), Cambyses II deployed dogs, cats, and other animals held sacred by the Egyptians.’

-‘ Dogs in warfare have a very long history starting in ancient times. From being trained in combat, to their use as scouts, sentries, messengers, mercy dogs, and trackers, their uses have been varied and some continue to exist in modern military usage.’

-‘Battle between Cimmerian cavalry (600 BC), their war dogs, and Greek hoplites, depicted on a Pontic plate. War dogs were used by the Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Sarmatians, Baganda, Alans, Slavs, Britons, and Romans. Among the Greeks and Romans, dogs served most often as sentries or patrols, though they were sometimes taken into battle. During the Late Antiquity, Attila the Hun used large war dogs in his campaigns. Gifts of war dog breeding stock between European royalty were seen as suitable tokens for exchange throughout the Middle Ages. Other civilizations used armored dogs to defend caravans or attack enemies. In the Far East, Vietnamese Emperor Le Loi raised a pack of 100 hounds, tended and trained by Nguyễn Xí, whose skills were impressive enough to promote him to the commander of a shock troop regiment.’

‘-The rest is history in warfare and ever since 1947 the Indian history of warfare has been very different! Perhaps the best and it all started from the Poonch Link Up Day and the day was 22 November’!

By: M S Nazki

Poonch

-‘This is a special story of the Poonch Link Up Day dedicated to the Remount Veterinary Corps Indian Army for their splendid human soldiers and their best team mates, the animals in the form of horses and dogs!’ The conduct was dead straight perfect by 93 Brigade and the planning absolutely precision loaded by 25 Div’

This is a special tribute to the two great animals, horses and dogs who put up a great show on the Poonch Link up day! It’s also a tribute to the officers men and the Vet doctors who train and look after them till the time these two great animals are in service! That is why the Indian Army is a specialist in mountain warfare, glacial warfare, jungle warfare and insurgencies. They play some match winning cameos with all the profound innocence but with extraordinary effect and effectiveness and have proved to be game changers in most difficult and unthinkable situations!

Dogs are companions who are capable of sinking long, sharp teeth into the flesh of enemy skulls and pulling muscle from the bone. After all, Frederick the Great of Prussia used dogs as messengers during the Seven Years’ War with Russia. Napoleon also used dogs during his campaigns. Dogs were used until 1770 to guard naval installations in France.

In the early days, the dogs were used to break up enemy formations, charging into the ranks and tearing down as many enemy soldiers as possible. Friendly forces would either hit the enemy just behind the dogs or would wait, letting the dogs sow chaos before the humans hit with maximum force.

As warfare modernized, so did the service of dogs. They gained armor for avoiding injury in combat (think large dogs in little knight costumes) and breeders tailored new generations of dogs better suited for fighting. Dogs were pressed into new roles, acting as couriers, sentries, and scouts.

The equestrian disciplines are dressage, eventing, and jumping. In each discipline. The show put up on the Poonch Link Up day was of eventing and jumping where the riders rode with panache and the animals showed their perfect coordination with their masters on the back! A polo match would have been the perfect culmination but may the next time one of the famous cavaliers puts up a show here. There is no one better than the 61st of the Indian Army to do so!

I heard some time back that the elite units of the Indian Army are likely to get the Belgian Malinois, a specialised attack canine being trained for assault operations in urban areas. The same dog was used by the Americans to track down Bin Laden. Probably they have got that. Add to the arsenal the Alsatians, Labs, Ladakh tracer bullets, the massive mastiffs, St. Bernards the ice sniffers, Rampur Hounds and Mudhol Hounds. The team looks magnetic! Some of them were present to show their patrolling, scouting sniffs to the people and prove that they too are urban legends! They did so with panache!

Like the soldiers, the animals too undergo rigorous training of their level and only some of them make it through while others are rejected. The army knows that they are no ordinary pets as their history is full of valiant tales. The fact that Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) is decorated with a Shaurya Chakra and close to 150 commendation cards is reason enough to prove their worth. These animals are an integral part of search and rescue operations where they have to assist in recovering explosives. Without them, the search operations would be at a stand-still. They are taught to respond to military-specific hand gestures and even verbal orders by their handlers. Let us all take a moment and acknowledge the contributions of this animal’s speechless service to the nation. Bow-wow and that stunning roar from the nostrils Grrrrrr! At tims irritating but most of the times wonderful! Their own way to express themselves! They are the soldiers on four very fast limbs and hile on a chase have the capability to mock even the fittest of soldiers! Their handlers know that and that is what companionship, I mean the greatest one of all is all about! Poonch Link UP Day show put up by the animals and their handlers deserves a big salute! It was given by the locals from Poonch and Rajouri!