Although prior to Pearl Harbor, the citizens of the U.S. were opposed to getting involved with the war that was going on in Europe and Asia, the Marines thought they would have to fight the Japanese in the Pacific. Since the Japanese were well established in the islands and atolls of the central, south, and west Pacific, the Marines knew they were going to be fighting in tropical climates where the vegetation provided jungle-like coverage. In such conditions, dogs would be ideal sentries and couriers. It was no surprise later that the Marine Corps had the first large dog unit in the nation's history to see action against the enemy.
The Doberman breed was first registered with the American Kennel Club in 1908. It was not until 1922 that more than 100 were registered each year. In 1934, more than 1,000 were registered each year and in 1941 there were 1,637 Dobes registered and they were 15th in popularity amongst purebred dogs. Although there were not a great number of Dobes, they were the one breed that had been produced to be "police-soldier" dogs. The Marines Corps decided that the Doberman Pinscher was to be their official combat dog.
The Doberman Pinscher Club of America was approached to procure Dobes for the newly formed Marine Corps War Dog Training Facility at Camp LeJeune, New River, North Carolina. Sydney A. Moss, President of the DPCA, agreed to assist in the procurement of Dobes. Richard C. Webster, DPCA, Baltimore, Maryland, headed the recruiting committee. He divided the country into sixteen procurement areas to facilitate enlistment. DPCA members spent their own time and money to screen applicant dogs for the Marine Corps. The recruitment was done amongst Dobe owners in the country who were asked to "volunteer" their dogs. Owners were told that their Dobes would be returned to them if they failed to meet the standards or at the end of their tour of service. Actually, the owners did have to sign over ownership of the dogs to the Marine Corps. On the application there was a statement that the dog "agreed to perform active service without pay or allowance, other than subsistence", and whether the dog wishes "to be returned to his owner after his services are no longer required." Many Marine handlers of the Dobes requested that their Dobes come home with them. These requests were nearly always granted by the donating family and other Dobes were returned to their families.
The Marine dogs were named "Devildogs", 90% of them were Doberman Pinschers mostly recruited through the efforts of the DPCA. There were also some German Shepherd Dogs that were obtained from the U.S. Army and the remaining dogs were enlisted directly from their owners.
The larger island in the Solomon's was Bougainville. The Marines landed on Bougainville in 1943. After the landing sites were bombed and shelled, the dog platoon was sent ashore just one hour after the first Marines hit the beach, under heavy mortar and rifle fire. The Devildogs were met with mixed reactions by the fighting Marines. There was one thing that quickly changed the Marines' view of the dogs to a very positive one. In landing and fighting on islands quite often the Marines were stopped for a time on the beaches. It was a common tactic for the Japanese to infiltrate the beach positions at night and attempt to kill the Marines. To prevent this the Marines were always on the alert at night. One night a Marine battalion fired 3,800 rounds, killing a water buffalo and wounding one of their own Marines. No enemy were known to be in the area. The next night the Devildogs were called in. It was a quiet night and the Marines got some sleep. The Dobes keen sense of smell and hearing could detect the presence of men several hundred yards away. In one instance, the dogs detected the presence of troops one half mile away. The Dobes' handlers always had help digging foxholes, the other Marines always wanted the handler and their dogs nearby. No unit protected by one of the dogs was ever ambushed by the Japanese or was there ever a case of Japanese infiltration.
During World War II, seven War Dog Platoons were trained at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. All platoons served in the Pacific in the war against the Japanese. The First War Dog Platoon served with the 2nd Raider Battalion on Bougainville. From this and other units, the First Marine Brigade was formed and invaded Guam along with the 3rd Marine Division and the 77th Army Division. More units were added to form the 6th Marine Division which invaded Okinawa. The First War Dog Platoon saw action on Bougainville, Guam, and Okinawa. The 2nd and 3rd War Dog Platoons saw action on Guadalcanal, Kwajalein, Enewetak, and Guam.
During the battles, the dogs led infantry points on advances, explored caves, pill boxes, dugouts, and scouted fortified positions. They did sentry duty with military police at crossroads day and night. They occupied foxholes in forward outposts at night. They and their handlers were officially credited with leading three hundred and fifty patrols during the mop up phases of the battles. The handlers accounted for over three hundred enemy slain. Only one handler was killed on patrol. During the Guam campaign fourteen dogs were killed in action and ten more died from exhaustion, tropical maladies, heat stroke, accidents, and anemia from hookworm. These twenty-four were buried in the War Dog Cemetery on Guam.
The Inscription on the front reads as follows:
25 Marine War Dogs gave their lives liberating Guam
in 1944. They served as sentries, messengers, scouts.
They explored caves, detected mines and booby traps.
SEMPER FIDELIS
| Kurt | Yonnie | Koko | Bunkie |
| Skipper | Poncho | Tubby | Hobo |
| Nig | Prince | Fritz | Emmy |
| Missy | Cappy | Duke | Max |
| Blitz | Arno | Silver | Brockie |
| Bursch | Pepper | Ludwig | Rickey |
| Tam (buried at sea off Asan Point) | |||
Given in their memory and on behalf of the surviving
men of the 2nd and 3rd marine war dogs platoons, many
of whom owe their lives to the bravery and sacrifice
of these gallant animals.
By William W. Putney DVM C.O. 3rd Marine WarDog Platoon
Dedicated this day 21 July 1994.
