Landships II

Ironsides · Legend

Use of Elephants by German Army somewhere in Europe

TinCanTadpole · Legend

Is that an African or Indian elephant? African would make more sense, but right now I can't remember which has the small ears like this one, and I'm thinking it may be the Indian elephant.

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Just checked Wikipedia - it confirms that it's the Indian elephant that has small ears, so that's an Indian elephant; apparently they can be found elsewhere in Asia besides India, so that explains how the German army could get hold of elephants that one would otherwise assume to have been subjects of the British Empire� smile

Okay, just read the bit that says they were likely from a local zoo.

-- Edited by TinCanTadpole on Sunday 22nd of April 2012 01:27:56 AM

-- Edited by TinCanTadpole on Sunday 22nd of April 2012 01:30:16 AM

Tankcommander · Colonel

Evening,

Googling on this site:

http://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/?/indonesie_onafhankelijk_-_fotos_1947-1953/items/SFA03:SFA022801792/&p=1&i=18&st=vervoert&sc=%28vervoert%29/

Dated: 1915

use of elephants, I think must be Europe (looking at the buildings), think the animals come from a local Zoo. Real or just propaganda?

DJ

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olifant 3.jpeg

Rob · Legend

Looks real enough - one was used in Sheffield in the UK to haul heavy machinery about town. And over in the States they were hanging or electrocuting them for murder; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topsy_(elephant) http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant)

Rob · Legend

The Sheffield Elephant http://www.flickr.com/photos/shefflibraries/5057529444/ http://www.free-photos.biz/photographs/industry/machinery/251337_ww1-elephant.php

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

The elephants of all major zoos - and circuses - in Germany were put to work during the war - due to the lack of horses, which were being conscripted. - If these pictures were not taken in Germany, Belgium and animals from the Brussels zoo come to mind as most probable point of origin.

However, the presence of a uniformed beast master only indicates that the elephant handler of the zoo in question had been called up for military service earlier - and now was 'borrowed back' by the army for civilian purposes at home.

-- Edited by mad zeppelin on Sunday 22nd of April 2012 09:12:04 AM

Rectalgia · Legend

Which Zoo? Should think German Zoos of the time would be interchanging with Dutch ones, Dutch East Indian origin (Sumatra, Borneo) would be more likely. Okay, those are just sub-species of the Asian elephant but still ...

MLW · Lieutenant-Colonel

There is a similar photo of the same elephant being used by the German Army to move timber.� It is dated March 1915 and identified as being in Belgium.

Tankcommander · Colonel

Some other elephants:

Photo from above with explanation

Picture title: "The Elephant as military auxiliary "
" Indian draught elephant given by�von Hagenbeck to the Lines-of-Communication Commander in Valenciennes"�
In the end of 1914, the unpredictable� Major von MEHRING made come to Valenciennes� elephants of
the zoo of Hamburg ( Hagenbeck) to help in the unloading of trunks in the�
Mormale forest�which depended then on the zone of Lines-of-Communicationof Valenciennes.

French propaganda cart, saying they don't use elephants for military purpose (like Hagenbeck elephants) but only to help civilian matters

Elephant towing heavy material in Sheffield

Btw: is that a gun/Cannon the elephant is towing?

DJ

LincolnTanker · Commander in Chief

The Sheffield elephant was covered here�

http://landships.activeboard.com/t37075500/elephants-at-war/