When conditions become unmanageable, sometimes it’s old, reliable techniques that prove much more effective than new ones.
During the Second World War, Greenland became an unexpected feature of Allied and Axis attentions. Due to its location on the map, it was considered a crucial tactical outpost for both sides. It was described as a weather kitchen for Europe.
Using meteorological outposts, it was possible to predict the coming weather across Europe. However, Greenland posed one rather large problem. It was cold, harsh, and largely uninhabited. Navigating was hard enough, sighting potential enemies and outposts was nearly impossible.
Traditional methods of time-based surveillance simply weren’t good enough. Even planes were finding it difficult to stay effective. So, when locals were recruited into the search teams, the military adopted their methods of travel and observation.
“In that large expanse of snow and ice, where men can scarcely be recognized at a little distance, only the natives covering the territory on sleds and well-acquainted with the regular inhabitants could detect a stranger,” the US Coast Guard noted at the time.
Along with their sharp eyes, knowledge of terrain, and survival instinct came the new heroes of the Greenland front in World War 2: Dogs.
War Dogs Are Head Of The Pack In Greenlands Search For Nazis
Using dog sleds, the search for nazi outposts became much easier for the Allied groups. They would travel across the frozen wastes, hopping from shack to shack to refuel themselves and the dogs. “They were the nastiest, crudest shacks that you could possibly think of, but it was a place to sleep,” Bob Desh recalled.
When the shacks with their limited shelter and supply of food weren’t available, it was a case of sleeping out on the ice. Armed with rifles, the patrols would also shoot the local wildlife such as polar bears, musk ox, and arctic foxes. These would feed both the World War 2 pack dogs and the soldiers.
However, the dogs did more than pull sleds; they were also the perfect lookouts. Using their incredibly sharp senses, they were able to spot incoming enemies, be they nazis or wild animals. “They’re elite sensor packages with a tail,” Coast Guard Captain Bob Desh, speaking with the Foundation of Coast Guard History. “They’re transportation [and] they’re your warning system while you’re sleeping.”
Using these dogs, Greenland was able to find outposts and locate invading German troops during World War 2.
Even today, the dog sled patrols exist in Greenland. They are known as the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol and members of the Royal Danish Navy. If it wasn’t for them, there may well have been Nazi outposts all along the shores of Greenland, giving information to the Axis.