WW2 question...
 

Can't seem to find an answer for this one anywhere.

How many horses died in WW2?

I do not know but I would be amazed if this stats was actually kept. :)

I do recall a great picture of Polish Hussars charging Panzers in the opening days of the war. So I imagine quite a few died that day!

Hmm, not sure. I remember seeing somewhere that the British alone lost half a million horses in WW 1.

Combatant horses or total horses?
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considering the horse was the prime mover for the Whermacht, I would assume the number to be substantial.

Both numbers if possible.

I've read that the Germans employed 2.5 million (1 million more than they did in WW1) and the Soviets used 3.75 million. I also read some stats about how Germany stole 400,000 on a raid into Russia.

But I have yet to come across any numbers regarding total deaths.

Researching Kerry's family tree? Sorry, just couldn't resist.


In any of the stats that I've ever seen, I don't remember ever seeing a number for horses. I would think that the largest numbers of those killed would be at the very beginning of the war with much fewer from after the first year on.

Why do you want to know?

Why do you want to know why he wants to know?

Equine rights groups say we may never know the full devistation visitied upon noncombatant horses. Mass graves are frequently being discovered since the iron curtain lifted on eastern europe. Ponies (Unterpferde) in particular were targeted by the Nazis.

Well, this oughta get you a starter figure

http://www.eisenhowerinstitute.org/p...erienceww2.htm

"The German army causality losses during the 1941-45 period exceeded 6,700,000 horses (26,000 of which were eaten by starving German soldiers during the battle of Stalingrad vii )"

Nothing like a good horseburger... reminds me of my high school cafeteria.

I would estimate in the neighborhood of 50 million.

Wow I did not think I could dislike Nazis more than I did, but they killed ponies too!!!

Man, Nazis are bastards!

Why would ponies be targeted in particular?

They go better with schnitzel

There's one born every minute...

Nazis?

Only in a Jerry Ahern novel, Coug.

Hey, don't knock horsemeat. You can get it in Italy. I saw it on the menu, and had to try it. Tasted like beef, but with more of an iron taste. Wasn't too bad at all.

I wouldn't be suprised if the Russians killed alot of their own horses in WW2. When Germany was pushing into Russia, the Russians used pretty brutal scortched earth tactics to keep their resouces out of German hands.

Unterpferde... I like German. You just need to know a few words and put them together to make other words. ;)

I know that in his lesser-known book, Mein Hoof, Hitler lays out his whole plan for obtaining more grassenraum, or "grazing space."

very very nice