Currahee Chris
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 4,704
Hey fellas
Here's a fun and interesting niche on WW2 history! My VFW Post blasted this on their social media account this morning- really interesting- we always grimace at the rough treatment on horses in warfare- here is the very rare story where we, as humans, did for them!
Last Month Marked the 79th Anniversary of Operation Cowboy, One of the Most Unusual Operations in the History of the United States Army.
It’s One of Two Documented Cases in World War II Where the American Army and Elements of the German Army Fought Side by Side.
Cowboy’s Purpose Was to Rescue Four Hundred Prisoners of War as Well as the World Famous Lipizzaner Horses from Slaughter for Horsemeat by the Soviet Army.
In 1938 Hitler Had Created an Experimental Farm in Hostau (Present Day Czechoslovakia) for the Purpose of Creating a Perfect “Aryan Horse”. The Lipizzaner Mares Had Been Taken from the Vienna Riding School as Part of This Experiment.
The Head of the Riding School Was Alois Podhajsky, a Famed Equestrian and Olympic Medalist Who By 1945 Was a Major in the German Army and Stationed at Hostau.
Near the End of the War the Soviet Army Was Approaching Hostau from the East While the American 3rd Army Under General George Patton Was Approaching from the West.
German Army Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Rudofsky and the German Force at Hastau Didn’t Want to Surrender the Horses to the Soviets. They Knew That When the Hungarians Had Surrendered the Soviets Had Slaughtered the Entire Collection of Lipizzaner Horses for Food.
Fearing For the Horses Lives, a German Contingent Led by a Luftwaffe (Air Force) Officer Approached the US Army’s Second Calvary Group Led by Colonel Charles Reed. Colonel Reed Had Already Been Made Aware of the Horses and Allied Prisoners of War at the Farm While Discussing Horses with a Captured German General.
The Second Calvary Was Famous for Their Daring Deep Strikes Behind German Lines and Had Been Nicknamed by the Germans “the Ghosts of Patton’s Army”. Reed Himself Was a Horseman as Were Many of His Officers. He Quickly Came Up with a Plan to Rescue the POWs and Horses.
When He Relayed a Message to Third Army Headquarters General Patton Replied: “Get Them. Make It Fast! You Will Have a New Mission.” Colonel Reed Quickly Organized a Plan with Terms for the Germans to Surrender.
The Mission Was Fraught with Complications and Danger.
First, Hundreds of the Horses Were Pregnant. Many Others Had Just Given Birth. The Germans at Hostau Were Arranging Their Surrender in Secret from the Rest of the German Army Who Would Fight the Americans. And Lastly Hostau Was in Soviet Territory as Agreed to by President Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference.
A Group of 325 Americans Under the Command of Major Robert Andrews Including Two M24 Light Chaffee Tanks Snuck Past German Forces. They Made Their Way 20 Miles to the Farm Behind Enemy Lines with Thousands of German Troops and Elements of Two Panzer (Tank) Divisions Nearby.
Upon Arrival Major Andrews Quickly Realized There Were Many More Horses Than Men Available to Handle the Evacuation to Include Fighting Off Any German Forces.
He Quickly Gathered and Armed the Freed Prisoners of War Who Had Been Manning the Farm.
The POWs Consisted of New Zealanders, British, French, Poles, Serbs and the German Soldiers and Luftwaffe Airmen Stationed at Hostau. A Nearby German Army Unit of Anti Communist Russian Cossack Calvary Unit Even Joined in When They Heard About the Mission.
After Arrival Colonel Reed Gathered as Many Vehicles as He Could to Transport the Pregnant Horses and New Born Foals. The Remaining Task Force Was Then Turned Over to Captain Tom Stewart. The Healthy Horses Were Ridden by Americans, Germans, and Russian Cossacks.
Before Being Able to Evacuate the Task Force Was Attacked Twice by Waffen SS Infantry.
The Multi National Force of American Soldiers and Allied POWs Including the Hostau German Soldiers, Luftwaffe, and German Army Cossack Calvary Repelled the SS Infantry Both Times. The Composite Force Later Became Known as “Stewart’s Foreign Legion”.
As the Last of the Horses Were Evacuated Soviet Tanks Were Simultaneously Seen Entering the Town from the East.
Four Hundred POWs as well as 1,200 Horses Including Nearly 400 Lipizzaners Were Escorted Thru a 35 Mile Journey to Safety.
As a Gift Alois Podhajsky Gave 200 Horses Including Three Lipizzaner Stallions and Six Lipizzaner Mares Worth at the Time a Million Dollars to the United States. Their Ship to the States Nearly Capsized in a Storm but They Made it to Their New Home Safely. Eventually the Horses Were Transferred by the Government to Private Owners.
As Colonel Reed Later Said: “We Were So Tired of Death and Destruction; We Wanted to do Something Beautiful.”
Here's a fun and interesting niche on WW2 history! My VFW Post blasted this on their social media account this morning- really interesting- we always grimace at the rough treatment on horses in warfare- here is the very rare story where we, as humans, did for them!
Last Month Marked the 79th Anniversary of Operation Cowboy, One of the Most Unusual Operations in the History of the United States Army.
It’s One of Two Documented Cases in World War II Where the American Army and Elements of the German Army Fought Side by Side.
Cowboy’s Purpose Was to Rescue Four Hundred Prisoners of War as Well as the World Famous Lipizzaner Horses from Slaughter for Horsemeat by the Soviet Army.
In 1938 Hitler Had Created an Experimental Farm in Hostau (Present Day Czechoslovakia) for the Purpose of Creating a Perfect “Aryan Horse”. The Lipizzaner Mares Had Been Taken from the Vienna Riding School as Part of This Experiment.
The Head of the Riding School Was Alois Podhajsky, a Famed Equestrian and Olympic Medalist Who By 1945 Was a Major in the German Army and Stationed at Hostau.
Near the End of the War the Soviet Army Was Approaching Hostau from the East While the American 3rd Army Under General George Patton Was Approaching from the West.
German Army Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Rudofsky and the German Force at Hastau Didn’t Want to Surrender the Horses to the Soviets. They Knew That When the Hungarians Had Surrendered the Soviets Had Slaughtered the Entire Collection of Lipizzaner Horses for Food.
Fearing For the Horses Lives, a German Contingent Led by a Luftwaffe (Air Force) Officer Approached the US Army’s Second Calvary Group Led by Colonel Charles Reed. Colonel Reed Had Already Been Made Aware of the Horses and Allied Prisoners of War at the Farm While Discussing Horses with a Captured German General.
The Second Calvary Was Famous for Their Daring Deep Strikes Behind German Lines and Had Been Nicknamed by the Germans “the Ghosts of Patton’s Army”. Reed Himself Was a Horseman as Were Many of His Officers. He Quickly Came Up with a Plan to Rescue the POWs and Horses.
When He Relayed a Message to Third Army Headquarters General Patton Replied: “Get Them. Make It Fast! You Will Have a New Mission.” Colonel Reed Quickly Organized a Plan with Terms for the Germans to Surrender.
The Mission Was Fraught with Complications and Danger.
First, Hundreds of the Horses Were Pregnant. Many Others Had Just Given Birth. The Germans at Hostau Were Arranging Their Surrender in Secret from the Rest of the German Army Who Would Fight the Americans. And Lastly Hostau Was in Soviet Territory as Agreed to by President Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference.
A Group of 325 Americans Under the Command of Major Robert Andrews Including Two M24 Light Chaffee Tanks Snuck Past German Forces. They Made Their Way 20 Miles to the Farm Behind Enemy Lines with Thousands of German Troops and Elements of Two Panzer (Tank) Divisions Nearby.
Upon Arrival Major Andrews Quickly Realized There Were Many More Horses Than Men Available to Handle the Evacuation to Include Fighting Off Any German Forces.
He Quickly Gathered and Armed the Freed Prisoners of War Who Had Been Manning the Farm.
The POWs Consisted of New Zealanders, British, French, Poles, Serbs and the German Soldiers and Luftwaffe Airmen Stationed at Hostau. A Nearby German Army Unit of Anti Communist Russian Cossack Calvary Unit Even Joined in When They Heard About the Mission.
After Arrival Colonel Reed Gathered as Many Vehicles as He Could to Transport the Pregnant Horses and New Born Foals. The Remaining Task Force Was Then Turned Over to Captain Tom Stewart. The Healthy Horses Were Ridden by Americans, Germans, and Russian Cossacks.
Before Being Able to Evacuate the Task Force Was Attacked Twice by Waffen SS Infantry.
The Multi National Force of American Soldiers and Allied POWs Including the Hostau German Soldiers, Luftwaffe, and German Army Cossack Calvary Repelled the SS Infantry Both Times. The Composite Force Later Became Known as “Stewart’s Foreign Legion”.
As the Last of the Horses Were Evacuated Soviet Tanks Were Simultaneously Seen Entering the Town from the East.
Four Hundred POWs as well as 1,200 Horses Including Nearly 400 Lipizzaners Were Escorted Thru a 35 Mile Journey to Safety.
As a Gift Alois Podhajsky Gave 200 Horses Including Three Lipizzaner Stallions and Six Lipizzaner Mares Worth at the Time a Million Dollars to the United States. Their Ship to the States Nearly Capsized in a Storm but They Made it to Their New Home Safely. Eventually the Horses Were Transferred by the Government to Private Owners.
As Colonel Reed Later Said: “We Were So Tired of Death and Destruction; We Wanted to do Something Beautiful.”
