USMC War Dog Teams by Warlord Games

The U.S. Marine Corps introduced war dog units in 1943. The dogs first participated in the Bougainville Operation in November and then supported U.S. naval forces on Guam and Peleliu in 1944, and on Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945. Most of the dogs used were Doberman Pinschers; the rest were German Shepherds. The dogs were trained as sniffer dogs or messenger dogs. Sniffer dogs warned their handlers of enemy positions, ambushes, and hidden snipers and proved 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 naval units. They, too, proved more effective than runners, although they often came under fire or even sustained injuries.

Includes two metal figures of the dog handler and two metal figures of the dog with plastic bases.