War Dogs in the Battle of Guam (U.S. National Park Service)

Male soldier in uniform holding the leash of a dog who is leaping over a tree trunk. — War dogs marched into battle alongside their handlers. Ashton, shown here, was killed in patrol on the ridges above Assan Point during the Battle of Guam.
War in the Pacific National Historical Park

The Marines, Army, and Coast Guard weren't the only branches of the military to serve during the Battle of Guam. Three platoons of war dogs also played a part in liberating Guam!

Let Slip the Dogs of War

During the Battle of Guam, 60 dogs and 90 handlers were assigned to the Third Marine Division and the First Provisional Marine Brigade. The dogs, sometimes called "devil dogs," were primarily Doberman Pinschers and German Shepherds. [1]

A Doberman Pinschers rests under camouflaged tarp draped over a piece of barbed wire. — A Marine Corps war dog rests in the shade of a camouflage shelter draped over a barbed wire entanglement.
National Archive 80-G-239419

On Guam, war dogs were primarily used as sentries and scouts. They sniffed out snipers, warned Marines about ambushes, detected land mines, and searched potentially occupied caves and pillboxes. At night, they guarded camps from Japanese attacks. Many Marines said they slept better when they knew the war dogs were guarding their foxholes.[2]

Tails of Heroism

During the twenty-one days of the Battle of Guam, the war dogs saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers.

On the second day of battle, a Doberman Pinscher named Kurt alerted his platoon of Marines about a large Japanese force hidden in the jungle ahead of them. Realizing they had been spotted, an Imperial Japanese soldier lobbed hand grenades at the dog. Kurt was badly injured in the attack. Several vertebrae were clipped, and his spine and spinal cord were exposed. Despite receiving medical attention, he died later that night. Kurt was the first war dog to die during the Battle of Guam. His bravery likely saved the life of 250 Marines. [3]

Three shirtless male soldiers holding Doberman pinschers on leashes stand in line for a meal. One of the dogs is standing on its back legs so it can sniff the food being handed out. — Meal time! War dogs and their handlers pick up their meal onboard a ship.
National Archives 26-G-2655

The War Dog Service Books, a record of each individual war dog's service, contains more stories of bravery. Cookie's service book tells the following story from one of her many combat patrols:

While on nightly security duty during the Guam operations this dog alerted [i.e., alerted her handler to the presence of] 10 Japanese soldiers, six of which were killed. This dog carried a vital message from an out-post to the division CP [command post], of which there were no other means of communication. [4]

A Final Resting Place

While the war dogs' role was important, it was also dangerous. Twenty-five dogs were killed during the liberation of Guam. Another twenty were injured in the line of duty.

The war dogs were originally buried in a cemetery along the Asan River. In 1994, the War Dog Cemetery was relocated to the U.S. Naval Station. A statue of Kurt watches over the final resting place of his fellow dogs-in-arms. [5]

Left image
Dogs of War Cemetery on Guam, 1947
Credit: US Army Signal Corps Collection of Photographs #272345, Book 1

Right image
Marine Corps War Dog Cemetery on the U.S. Naval Station in Guam, 1996
Credit: Collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 6493413)