Would your pet dog go on a bombing mission in a war? Would it help you escape to another country? There once was a German shepherd who did those things and got a medal for it. When Czechoslovakia was invaded by Hitler’s Germany in 1938, an airman named Vaclav Bozdech went to France to help fight the Germans. In March, 1940, Bozdech’s plane crashed in no man’s land. He and his wounded pilot went to a deserted farmhouse where they found a starving puppy. After feeding him, the two moved on because Germans were searching the area. The dog started barking from inside the house and fearing the Germans would come to check it out, Bozdech went back to silence the puppy. For good. However, when he opened the door the puppy leaped into his arms and he could not kill him. He put him into his flight jacket and left. He and his pilot managed to get back to friendly lines. Bozdech named the dog Antis. When France fell, Bozdech and Antis managed to get to Great Britain. Bozdech became a gunner on a Wellington bomber named “C for Cecilia”. When Bozdech’s bomber went on missions, Antis would wait for his master to return. Once the bomber did not come back and Antis would not move until his master returned from an emergency landing at another airfield. One time when Bozdech and some of his mates were in London on leave, there was a German bombing raid during the Blitz. Antis helped find people in the rubble of a building. He was caught under a wall that fell and Bozdech had to dig him out. Another time Antis was stuck under rubble for several days before he dug himself out. One day, Antis was nowhere to be found before the bomber took off. While high over Germany, Bozdech felt a tapping at his leg. He looked down and saw Antis lying on the floor struggling to breath. The dog was a stowaway. To save his pet and the squadron’s mascot, Bozdech shared his oxygen with the dog. The mission was tough with heavy anti-aircraft fire and a storm. When it returned safe, Antis jumped around with joy and ran around the plane several times. The crew believed the dog was lucky, so he was allowed to go on 30 more missions with his own oxygen mask. Antis was wounded several times, but never panicked. After the last injury, his flying days were over. He became the babysitter for 4-year-old Jacqueline. Antis was once arrested after a farmer shot him for chasing his sheep. The judge could have sentenced him to death, but Bozdech’s commanding officer wrote to the judge and convinced him that Antis was a good boy. After the war, Bozdech and Antis returned to Czechoslovakia. In 1948, Bozdech was forced to flee because the communists were looking for anyone who fought for Great Britain. Antis helped him evade patrols. They ended up back in Great Britain where he was awarded the Dickin Medal by Field Marshall Lord Wavell in 1949. Antis passed away in 1953. His gravestone has the following poem:
There is an old belief
That on some solemn shore,
Beyond the sphere of grief,
Dear friends shall meet once more.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antis_(dog)
The Animal’s VC for Gallantry and Devotion by David Long pp. 88-91
https://rafa.org.uk/blog/2024/08/19/antis-dog-war/
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