Dean's small, fascinating book provides handy reference on the military use of dogsleds. The first soldier to use them was Bill Mitchell, while laying a telegraph line across Alaska. The French used them in the Vosges Mountains and the Italians in the Alps during World War I to supply outposts that couldn't be reached by mules. In World War II, the leading user was the U.S, which, despite many experiments with sleds and breeds of dog, ended up using them mostly for search and rescue in the Arctic. The Germans' SS mountain division used Finnish-trained dogs on the Russian front. After the war, the U.S. Air Force maintained search and rescue dog teams until helicopters replaced them in the mid-1950s. The book is full of fascinating tidbits, particularly for dog lovers, such as the report of a French Canadian musher whose dogs understood commands only in French. Even today, Dean reveals, Danish dog teams patrol Greenland's ice cap.
Roland GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Dean''s small, fascinating book provides handy reference on the military use of dogsleds. The book is full of fascinating tidbits, particularly for dog lovers."—Booklist
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Booklist )
“This fine book on a little known military topic, superbly illustrated with numerous photographs and sketches, is surprisingly interesting and a pleasure to read.”—Military Heritage
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Military Heritage )
“This little-known piece of history is well-worth preserving, and Dean has done a real service to history buffs, mushing enthusiasts and dog lovers by salvaging it.”—Shana Loshbaugh, Fairbanks Daily-News-Miner
(Shana Loshbaugh
Fairbanks Daily-News-Miner )
“By way of original army documents, interviews with the last living dog drivers, and never-before-published photographs, Charles Dean tells the hundred year history of canine military service from the frozen reaches of Alaska to the snowy battlefields of World Wars I and II. . . . The illustrations of several of the sleds used by various world armies coupled with Dean’s engaging narrative makes Soldiers and Sled Dogs worth the price.”—Military Trader
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Military Trader )
“The book provides an interesting look at an obscure corner of modern military history.”—The NYMAS Review, a publication of the New York Military Affairs Symposium
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The NYMAS Review )
"This book is a hundred-year history of canine military service from the frozen reaches of Alaska to the snowy battlefields of World Wars I and II. Former army officer and longtime sled dog aficionado Charles L. Dean tells this story for the first time."—Military History of the West
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Military History of the West )
“Being an ex-scout-dog handler in the Vietnam War, I fall into two categories of someone who would be interested in this book. I found it well written and a welcome addition to my library. I hope others discover this book and pick it up to discover a forgotten chapter of our history.”—H-Net Book Reviews H-War
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H-Net Book Reviews H-War )
