USMC War Dog Teams

The US Marine Corps introduced war dog teams in 1943. The dogs first saw action in November as part of the Bougainville operation, and then supported US Marine forces on Guam and Peleliu in 1944, and Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945. Most of the dogs used were Doberman Pinschers, with the rest being German Shepherds. The dogs were trained as either scout dogs or messenger dogs. Scout dogs would warn their handlers of enemy positions, ambushes, and hidden snipers, and proved to be very effective in this role – often warning troops of enemy machine gun nests or sniper positions before they came under fire. Other dogs were trained to carry messages between Marine units. They too proved more effective than runners, although they often came under fire or even sustained wounds.

Contains two metal dog handler figures and two metal dog figures with plastic bases.