The Soviet army employed 40,000 dogs for military purposes during WWII. You'll often read that most of these dogs were anti-tank dogs (собаки-истребители танков; sobaki-istrebiteli tankov), but I'm skeptical about the accuracy of this statement.
I find it more likely that the majority of these dogs were used to haul supplies, as stretcher bearers, for search and rescue, or as guard dogs, while only a fraction were trained as anti-tank dogs, but it's difficult to find out factual information because most English language articles written about them are heavily biased for various reasons.
Soviet friendly narratives focus on the heroism of the dogs and the evil of the Nazis, while more typical Western narratives focus on the failures of the anti-tank dog program, and moralize about the treatment of these animals by the Soviets. Neither type of article give primary sources for their facts, so it is hard to figure out what is true and what is propaganda.
SHQ miniatures are true 20mm figures, so they are definitely tiny when compared to 1/72 scale figures. However, I think the dog looks just fine (if not better) next to a 1/72 figure.
The only other model of this type that I know of is the TAS Models 1/72 anti-tank dog, but it is on the pricey side at €7.50. I may end up eventually getting the model because the dog is more typical of the type used by the Soviet military, but TAS Models do not seem to be readily available in the retail market.
2 comments:
Not my period at all, but I love your effort to document this very rare wardog (if I may say so), and the fact that you have found this figure! Impressive.
Hi Phil,
My WWII stuff tends to be used for WWWII and pulp gaming, so it's not strictly period either, but I do like to make sure that the historical aspects are there ;)
You might find this funny poster touting the anti-tank dog as the modern equivalent of incendiary pigs as an interesting tie-in to the ancient/medieval eras.
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