Merrill's Marauders used mules as well as Mrs C, s da in the Chindits in Burma....thank you for your service, best wishes from the wirral peninsula....E...
Mules proved to be valuable during the American Civil War. At the Battle of Wauhatchie in 1863, some Federal mules panicked at some gunfire, broke down their stockade and charged toward the Confederate lines. It was dark, and Confederate forces thought that it was a Federal cavalry charge and retreated. Thus, Federal officers later requested jokingly to promote the mules to brevet horses. A parody poem was later written as "The Charge of the Mule Brigade." Cheers, Mark!
CSA President Jefferson Davis was instrumental in creating the _US Army Camel Corps_ to provide soldiers posted in the deserts of the southwest with reliable mounts and pack animals. This was back when he served as Secretary of War. If not for the War Between the States this would have most likely been very successful. The animals were simply released into the desert to fend for themselves.
@@donarthiazi2443 A similar thing happened in Australia where camels were imported and used to move supplies into the outback, in the days before roads trains and planes. They were also used to build the cross-country telegraph system. Once they became obsolete, they were set free. There are now hundreds of thousands out there, making Australia the home of the biggest wild camel population in the world.
Mrs C,s da served in the Chindits, was a muleteer, ,prior to joining the Liverpool King, s regiment, in WW2 ran a team of horses down the Dock road in Liverpool ...horses for courses...or miles even...E
Dr Felton, as a longtime watcher of your videos, I'm genuinely surprised that you did not mention US Marine Corps Sgt Reckless! 🤔 SHE'S a famous mule that served in the Korean war and even has a US Marine Corps memorial statue here in the US!! It might be worthwhile to check out more about her! Thanks again for your look at this small slice of war history! 😀 A disabled US Army Veteran
I'm a U.S. Marine veteran. To your brave, and courageous grandpa. I'd like to acknowledge, and recognize his outstanding service to our great nation. God Bless Him. A shout-out to our brave, and courageous U.S. Armed Forces stationed around the world. You are the pride of our great nation, thank you so much for your service. Entrust in your leadership to do their very best to safely bring you back to your families. Care for one another, come home soon. God Bless You All!!
Here in Finland, during the war, mules were not used, but the Finnish horse. The breed has been bred to suit the conditions in Finland, it is intelligent, can handle the cold and gets by with little. My mother told me that their old horse had also been in the war, it had a bad habit for a civilian horse,. When it heard the sound of an airplane, it always sought an air shelter! A bit embarrassing during peacetime, when a horse with a cart or sleigh takes cover in the nearest ditch.
"NOTHING is 'over'! Nothing! You just don't 'turn it off'! It wasn't my war! You asked me, I didn't ask you!" - John Rambo to Col. Trautman, First Blood
My father (1st RCR) was for a time in charge of some Mules and their Indian handlers, this during the Italian campaign. One of the stories he told me was of trying to hold onto a mule during an artillery attack. My dad was fine in a shell crater, but every time a round landed close, the mule would rear up and pull him above the lip of the crater. After once or twice, he let the poor mule go. I think the use of mules tells us a lot about the terrain and nature of the fighting in that campaign. There was no shortage of Bren Gun Carriers-- but even those tough little tracked vehicles were often out matched by the Italian terrain.
Mules were the prime mover of 19th century agriculture. My great grandfather bred raised and sold mules, having up to 600 at a time on his farm here in Kentucky. It was an extremely profitable business for him for decades.
Great video. A friend served with the US Special Forces in Afghanistan and he shared stories of their horses and mules. He never thought his experience in New Mexico hunting on horseback would ever be of use in a modern war.
My dad, who was used to working with famous Missouri Mules, told me that you could work a horse to death, but not a mule. Mules would refuse to do any more when they had reached their limits.
This is how the phrase 'stubborn as a mule' was originated. You can overload or overwork a donkey or a horse until it collapses and or dies. Their prodigy however, if overloaded or overworked, will refuse to move will refuse to move until the load is reduced or buck to throw it off or refuse to go any further. I believe they also have a highly developed sense of danger and will refuse to go into perceived danger.
Amazing video topic Mark, it's true that mules are very overlooked and i've never thought about that. Mules played an instrumental role in my country's logistic supply during WW2, when Greek soldiers pushed the Italians over the freezing steep mountains of Albania.
@@gardenman3 I agree. Mussolini thought his undisciplined army (that correctly saw no reason to be at war) would simply march into Greece and hoist their victory flag. He found out how tough and determined the Greeks are, and have always been.
Bill Mauldin, the US Army cartoonist (who deserves a video from you) discussed mules in Italy in his book ‘Up Front’ and his cartoon in Stars and Stripes.
I learned to ride when I was a child. My experience with Mules is thin, but I can say that on one of the most enjoyable pack train elk hunts I ever went on, my ride was a Mule. She was steady and took to me like a long-lost dog. The outfitter needed help understanding that one. The Throughfair where we hunted you could only get to it on horse or mule back since it was some 30 miles in from the trail head. If I had the space for them I would have one or two. I am not much of a horse person but I make the exception for the Mule. Besides in Gunsmoke Festus Hagen rode a Mule
Dr Felton, as a longtime watcher of your videos, I'm genuinely surprised that you did not mention US Marine Corps Sgt Reckless! SHE's a famous mule that served in the Korean war and even has a US Marine Corps memorial statue here in the US!! It might be worthwhile to check out more about her! Thanks again for your look at this small slice of history! 😀 A disabled US Army Veteran
A number of years ago I met by chance in my city Kate and Eddie from Grimsby. For awhile they visited the US annually, when finances allowed. Eddie was a WW2 British army veteran whose duty was to train and prepare mules. Sometimes the mules weren't docile, and he had to ride them to get them used to carring cargo. He told me he was tossed more than a few times. Kate's first husband was lost when Japan invaded Maylasia, and there was never any accounting to what happened to him. Both were British Patriots, and good friends of the US. God bless them both, and RIP.
The Pakistan Army still employs mules for supplying its troops in mountainous terrain. Working there recently on a construction project, we would occasionally encounter a herd of very large and powerful army mules being guided down the road after having delivered their loads.
NOT only should we remember the contribution of soldiers in the ground battles, we ALL remember the contributions made the horses and mules and even dogs !! God bless the animals !!
8 million horses & mules died during WW1 alone...mule corpses were so common they made faux mule corpses for gunners to hide behind. Thanks for doing this Mr. Felton!
I have owned three mules, down to just one at the moment. Yes, Dr. Felton, these are amazing smart robust animals. The bonds you can make with them is unlike any other equine. Thank you for another awesome video!
It's been years since I last watched the film Merrill's Marauders, but I do recall pack mules were featured prominently, with the relationship between one animal (Eleanor) and its human partner receiving a lot of screen time.
The Yushukan military museum in Tokyo has statues outside of it that commemorate the animals that died as part of the Japanese war effort. They often have flowers and bottles of water set on the pedestals.
There's a memorial to the animals of war in Park Lane, London. Unveiled in 2004 is features statues of two mules, a horse and a dog, with other animals in bas-relief. The inscription reads "They had no choice."
Thanks Mark for all your great stories. This one was particularly interesting to me, my grandfather was a mule handler in the Italian army in WW2. He was in the alpine borders and also in Africa
My family’s history involves every war from the F&I, colonial wars through to IQ and AFG (except SpanAm) - hearing Dr. Felton bringing to life their experiences always brings joy to my day. Thank you, Dr. Felton, for the time, effort, expertise and personality you bring to history!!
Unsung Equines Heroes......just like the Heavy Horses of WW1 & WW2. My Grandad was a Farrier on the railway LMS before Sept 39. As a reservist went to France as part of the BEF, Escaped, ended up in Egypt. It broke his heart to see soooo many Equines of all flavours shot at the end of WW2😞😞😞😞
My German uncle, at 10 years of age, was a refugee from East Prussia. He befriended an abandoned Russian war horse he called Ivan, and it helped his family flee west. He later wrote a book about the journey titled, "Iwan, das Panjepferd."
Happy to see two right-shoulder examples of veterans of the 10th Mountain Division in your footage. My father was a mule skinner stateside, but had a different job in Italy with the 10th. A veteran colonel of the 10th told us that the most heart wrenching thing he had to do in Italy was to put down wounded mules after artillery barrages.
My Dad was in the Italian Campaign, from North Africa up to the Po Valley. He mentioned that the PPCLI (Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry) did indeed use mules to maneouver in the mountains, being the only way to move materiel on difficult terrain.
The first Allied victory against the Axis was the Greeks stopping the Italians and then pushing them back and liberating Northern Epirus, in 1940. And then in the Metaxas Line, facing the Germans and the Bulgarians, until June 1941. Those advanced lines, in Mt Pindus, could only be supplied by mules.
Dear Dr Felton. My Grandad served in Somme and Ypres. His earliest storeys he used to tell me was looking after plough horses and scaring away crows pre WW1, he was born in 1895. An itinerant farm worker, a horseman, loved horses, mules and donkeys. He always said what most upset him in the war was they used to use spotters to find their corrals at night and then shell them. He would creep out the trench and put down the injured, he couldn't stand the noise they were making in their suffering.
This Mark Felton video reminds me of "All Creatures Great and Small" during World War II. Veterinarians Siegfried Farnon and James Herriot were dragged into the RAF as Aircraftsmen in 1939-1940. Veterinarian Tristan Farnon, by contrast, drafted after 1941, was an officer, caring for camels and mules!
I would like to see a special on Sgt.Reckless. I was surprised of no video on search of your channel. A whole episode could be built around this wonderful animal. A decorated Marine I hope to at least create some interest for a future warhorse special. Thanks Doc!
Excellent! As always. We often fail to remember that warfare was still often very primitive and non-technical in World War II. Horses, camels, mules, wooden carts.. .
Another fabulous video!!! Mules do not suffer fools gladly like a horse will. They are wicked smart, and they aren’t too keen on placing themselves in danger. Knowing this, it’s really incredible that mules were trained to get the job done!
Thanks again Dr.Felton. I had no idea how wide spread the use of mules were in world war 2 and Korea. Just amazing stories you come up with. .Really great you were able to train with the Gurka's also in your time in your service to Britain
The Missouri Ozarks are very proud of our Mules! We use them to drag broke ATV's out of the woods! The old farm we live on, was long owned by a fellow who used Mules for his log skidding buisness. 225 sawmills now in our county.
There are lots of mules teams here in northern Idaho. Nowadays, they are mostly used to get in and out elk hunters. My dad used to talk about his hours behind a mule plowing fields.
I would love to see a video on the Gourmiers, the ones who made the breakthrough at Cassino! Great video, as someone who works in the wilderness I often explain that feet will get you where wheels and tracks get bogged down. thanks!
I recall from my teen days in Australia a famous "Aussie" soldier in the Gallipoli campaign called Simpson who used a mule to carry the wounded. I believe he was from South Shields, UK and served with the ANZACs.
Hi Mark, This is a very insightful video. I hope you will do a follow-up one touching on African carrier coups that were deployed to Barma but never got any recognition. They mainly came from Kenya and other East African countries.
My father's cousin qualified in Vetenary Science at Glasgow in the mid 1930s, He was looking after mules in the Italian Campaign although for one short period he was treating wounded soldiers at Cassino (a vet could practice medicine but a doctor cannot practice vetenary science)
Mules are in active service in the Chilean army mountain troops. You can see them in the military parades every September 19th, where they often carry MG 3s on their backs.
This is what my grandfather worked with in Italy during WW2. His favorite story to tell was about a time when he needed to get his Mule through an overpass but the Mule didn't want to budge so he tried to hit it to get it to move and it fell down a hill along with all the supplies.
No matter how hard the engineers try they can’t totally replace the horse and mule. I think that the US military still has a cavalry and mule skinning school to this day.
Mark I know it’s no surprise to you; but you failed to mention that the American mules were also mobile artillery units with special cannons strapped on them. You can go to the artillery museum at Ft Sill Ok. And see some very fine examples of the guns. And a great display of the history of the war mules and their military uses. Thanks 🙏
When I worked at BR HQ in the 80s I lived in Rugby and naturally travelled in every day by train. On the north side of the station there was a small shop selling the usual newspapers, sweets and tobacco. The owner was an elderly chap who had been in the WW2 Italian campaign in an artillery battery that was entirely mule-based. The guns were broken down for transport with each mule carrying a piece, the others carryng ammunition and supplies. The heaviest items were the gun barrels and these were allocated to the strongest mules. He told me that they were in very heavy demand for supporting infantry, and said he must have marched over the whole of the Italian mountains ! You can see one of the mules carrying a gun barrel at 4.33 Mules had to carry fodder for themselves and I was told by another chap, again working in BR, that a mule could carry fodder for himself and 7 other mules but once a unit got beyond a certain size, there were mules who's only job was carrying fodder for mules that were carrying fodder. How true this is, I don't know as all the people involved are now dead !
The late Jack Hargreaves made a film of a mule having it's vocal chords removed for his Out Of Town programme in the 1970's. He had bought a mule which had a terrible bray and was being passed from owner to owner as nobody could live with the sound. Jack Hargreaves found the vet who had pioneered the operation for the Army, and he carried out the operation for the TV programme. The mule was called Yerro as I recall. Three of my Great Uncles were Sergeants in the Royal Veterinary Corps during the Great War, they subsequently became horse van drivers for the London Co-Op and won awards for their care of the animals.
Despite the Wehrmacht supposedly being mechanised, they totally were not. They relied strongly on horses when invading France and the low countries. Thanks for another Vid, Mark!
Another great video Dr. Felton. While in London on one of our visits we saw there was a monument for the animals of war to honor their service and sacrifice.
Excellent video from Mark Felton. I first learned about / read about Army mules when I read the book: "The G.I. War 1941 - 1945," by Ralph G. Martin. I recall the author mentioning how funny it was to watch/listen to a young soldier from Brooklyn, New York City try to get a Mule to do what the soldier wanted done in the Italian campaign. Yay to mules, and horses! We (The U.S.A.) should never have gotten rid of our Horse Cavalry units. They were still being used along the U.S.A./Mexico Border in WW2 very effectively. Horses and mules go places that Jeeps (4-wheel drive ORV and A.T.V.'s) cannot, and they do not need gasoline or oil or lube grease. They can eat off the land.
They still bring unique capabilities to the battlefield, and I think that while large horse Cavalry units have become impractical, in smaller packages horse-mounted troops are valuable enough in the right circumstances and for some roles to warrant maintaining some capability and institutional memory. Mule-borne logistics unit even more so. I'm way past the age to reenlist, but this old Armored Cav trooper would absolutely do it again for a Horse Cav billet!
I was waiting to see if you knew about Afghanistan - you never disappoint good sir! Other than at West Point I don't think the Army has any mules today, but they did use them in Afghanistan on a limited basis. The Marines also used them there, and I think they may have some in their mountain training unit today. Some Special Forces soldiers get training with mules given their use over there. Kind of a handy skill to have in your pocket. They are wonderful creatures and very loyal.
@MarkFeltonProductions! Excellent review. The only exception to cavalry converting to armored or mechanized units by WW2 was across the pond in the U.S.A. where the 1st Cavalry Division (org. 1921) was turned into an unhorsed cavalry division and was sent to the Far East. It did not become mechanized until the 1980's and today it is a full armored division.
I have a photo of my parents taking the mule ride into the Grand Canyon in 1946. They were on a cross-country trip as my father was moving from a USN posting in Washington, DC to his first command as CO of Supply and Ordinance at the Pearl Harbor Naval Station in Hawaii. He had previously served in the Navy Budget Office in DC and previously as Supply officer in USS Baltimore in the Southwest Pacific campaign.
The Alpha dog from Boston Dynamics was supposed to be a modern day version of this. Most commercial/military quadraped robots are more used as scouts/armed guards, but I watched a video where a Chinese part was using one to help with climbing equipment
A brief flyby of our 10th Mountain Division! Assigned 5000 mules, skinners and vets, they trained in Colorado and fought in the Appenines and the Po River campaigns.
My grandfather served in the U.S. 45th Infantry and told stories about them using mules to haul supplies through the rough terrain of Italy, "The trucks wouldn't work but you could get a string of mules through."
I used to live in Columbia, Tennessee, which is nicknamed mule town usa, because of the strong presence of breeding them among the locals in the 19th century. I've always found the use of animals in warfare to be amazing and have argued the merits of various animals and how they can still be used in support role in th 21st century. Another interesting one is in the Amazon rainforest their are water buffalo or oxen, are used to reach parts of the jungle that vehicles can't reach.
Mule packing is a course available to US Special Forces and Ranger units now. It's run by a packer in North Carolina. They were on display after hurricane Helene, going into isolated villages cut off when the roads were destroyed. USFS has maintained mules for it's entire service life. Ivan, the famous mule from the pack string in Region 5 (Weaverville) is featured every year in the Rose Bowl parade with his comrades.
If I'm not mistaken, an uncle who was in the Korean war said mules were used...for transporting ammunition, food, and mail from home to remote locations....
Many were used from Europe to the Pacific theater. Yet, they mock the German use of animals in the second world war. The Chindits made good use of mules against the Japanese in the jungles and swamps on the pacific islands and among other places. The horse was the one most important part of many armies throughout the centuries and should be respected more than it has. Thanks for a great program!
My grandfather Bdr Garnet Kaighen (51st Field Reg't RA) served as a muleteer during the second Chindit campaign in WW2. Unusually, the 51st Field Reg't served as infantry in that campaign. Prior to serving in Burma, my grandfather also served in the brief Norway campaign, and at the first siege of Tobruk.
I have a childhood friend whose father was an Army mule skinner before Pearl Harbor. He then volunteered for, and became an Army Air Corp pilot and flew bombing runs over Germany. After the war, he joined United Airlines. He retired as a 747 pilot. From an army with mules and mostly biplanes to a Jumbo Jet pilot in one career. Amazing.
My daughter is a muleskinner. Bishop California and Columbus Tennessee vie for the honor of being the mule capital of the world, with their Mule Days mercifully not occurring at the same time. The Daughter will have your ears bleeding as she sings the praises of her 'long-eared posse'.
US Army veteran here, I've used the mighty mules for many years in logging and farming, they are excellent companions as well.
Merrill's Marauders used mules as well as Mrs C, s da in the Chindits in Burma....thank you for your service, best wishes from the wirral peninsula....E...
❤
Thank you for your service!!
Mules proved to be valuable during the American Civil War. At the Battle of Wauhatchie in 1863, some Federal mules panicked at some gunfire, broke down their stockade and charged toward the Confederate lines. It was dark, and Confederate forces thought that it was a Federal cavalry charge and retreated. Thus, Federal officers later requested jokingly to promote the mules to brevet horses. A parody poem was later written as "The Charge of the Mule Brigade." Cheers, Mark!
Wow an actual Ass Attack !!!!!
CSA President Jefferson Davis was instrumental in creating the _US Army Camel Corps_ to provide soldiers posted in the deserts of the southwest with reliable mounts and pack animals. This was back when he served as Secretary of War.
If not for the War Between the States this would have most likely been very successful. The animals were simply released into the desert to fend for themselves.
@@donarthiazi2443 A similar thing happened in Australia where camels were imported and used to move supplies into the outback, in the days before roads trains and planes. They were also used to build the cross-country telegraph system. Once they became obsolete, they were set free. There are now hundreds of thousands out there, making Australia the home of the biggest wild camel population in the world.
Wherever there are mountains, there will be mules, during war.
Veteran and mule rider here, thank you kindly, Mr. Felton! Excellent presentation -
Mrs C,s da served in the Chindits, was a muleteer, ,prior to joining the Liverpool King, s regiment, in WW2 ran a team of horses down the Dock road in Liverpool ...horses for courses...or miles even...E
My late grandfather served as a 17 yo mule driver with the Cyprus Regiment in Monte Cassino. He was very proud of his service
My grandfather was a mule-driver in the Cyprus regiment! He was captured in Italy and was liberated by the Ghurkas!
Dr Felton, as a longtime watcher of your videos, I'm genuinely surprised that you did not mention US Marine Corps Sgt Reckless! 🤔 SHE'S a famous mule that served in the Korean war and even has a US Marine Corps memorial statue here in the US!! It might be worthwhile to check out more about her! Thanks again for your look at this small slice of war history! 😀 A disabled US Army Veteran
I'm a U.S. Marine veteran. To your brave, and courageous grandpa. I'd like to acknowledge, and recognize his outstanding service to our great nation. God Bless Him. A shout-out to our brave, and courageous U.S. Armed Forces stationed around the world. You are the pride of our great nation, thank you so much for your service. Entrust in your leadership to do their very best to safely bring you back to your families. Care for one another, come home soon. God Bless You All!!
Sgt. Reckless was a horse though it is quite an inspirational story@@garykubodera9528
Islam best religion
Here in Finland, during the war, mules were not used, but the Finnish horse. The breed has been bred to suit the conditions in Finland, it is intelligent, can handle the cold and gets by with little. My mother told me that their old horse had also been in the war, it had a bad habit for a civilian horse,. When it heard the sound of an airplane, it always sought an air shelter! A bit embarrassing during peacetime, when a horse with a cart or sleigh takes cover in the nearest ditch.
There was an alligator at the Berlin Zoo that exhibited the same thing. PTSD is not just a human condition. 😢
Perfectly understandable that an old vet should remember to seek shelter.
Good story.
"NOTHING is 'over'! Nothing! You just don't 'turn it off'! It wasn't my war! You asked me, I didn't ask you!"
- John Rambo to Col. Trautman, First Blood
amazing danke for this
@@raymondtonns2521either speak the whole sentence in 1 language or don't at all, looms so stupid mixing language like that.
Mules deserve a lot more respect than they get
They fought on the side of communism, good comrade animals.
Es una Mula. ( A hard working woman ) Tasajo . ( You'll have to look that one up 😋)
yep they don't horse around
A friend of mine has one and he is like a Big Dog and loves to play and run he is so cool and his name is Hank.
Yes they do.
They still train with Mules at the Marine Mountain Warfare Center in California.
Aren´t the marines too scared to go to any real war? Why do they train?
@@PROVOCATEURSKfor 249 years the Marines have destroyed America’s enemy’s
In the Sierra Mountains!! The High altitude Cold Weather Training Center in Bridgeport.
a smart thing to do low tech or not
My father (1st RCR) was for a time in charge of some Mules and their Indian handlers, this during the Italian campaign. One of the stories he told me was of trying to hold onto a mule during an artillery attack. My dad was fine in a shell crater, but every time a round landed close, the mule would rear up and pull him above the lip of the crater. After once or twice, he let the poor mule go. I think the use of mules tells us a lot about the terrain and nature of the fighting in that campaign. There was no shortage of Bren Gun Carriers-- but even those tough little tracked vehicles were often out matched by the Italian terrain.
Great story 👍
Mules were the prime mover of 19th century agriculture. My great grandfather bred raised and sold mules, having up to 600 at a time on his farm here in Kentucky. It was an extremely profitable business for him for decades.
Must have been expensive to feed and care for so many mules
@ He raised his own feed and hay on the farm and got a lot of free mash from the local bourbon distilleries.
Profitable? You mean he took advantage of the working class?
Great video. A friend served with the US Special Forces in Afghanistan and he shared stories of their horses and mules. He never thought his experience in New Mexico hunting on horseback would ever be of use in a modern war.
My dad, who was used to working with famous Missouri Mules, told me that you could work a horse to death, but not a mule. Mules would refuse to do any more when they had reached their limits.
So it knew its limits ❤
My father, who grew up in rural Oklahoma, during the Depression, said the same thing.
This is how the phrase 'stubborn as a mule' was originated. You can overload or overwork a donkey or a horse until it collapses and or dies. Their prodigy however, if overloaded or overworked, will refuse to move will refuse to move until the load is reduced or buck to throw it off or refuse to go any further. I believe they also have a highly developed sense of danger and will refuse to go into perceived danger.
I know and admire your work Dr. Felton, I have for many years
*WHO DOES MISHA THINK SHE IS WITH 6 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS* 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
You have nice guns bro 👍
During WWII my great-uncle was US Army veterinarian who took care of Army mules in Burma.
Francis the talking mule was one of my favorite movies when i was young, thank you for making this video it was very good
I also loved those movies as a kid. I was hoping another fan would comment on it.
Thank you Mark. The video is a valuable reminder that there are millions of non-human victims in human wars.
There are millions of human victims in instect wars made by cruel gods.
Amazing video topic Mark, it's true that mules are very overlooked and i've never thought about that. Mules played an instrumental role in my country's logistic supply during WW2, when Greek soldiers pushed the Italians over the freezing steep mountains of Albania.
It would be nice if Mark would have more stories about things in Greece in ww2
@@gardenman3
I agree. Mussolini thought his undisciplined army (that correctly saw no reason to be at war) would simply march into Greece and hoist their victory flag. He found out how tough and determined the Greeks are, and have always been.
Bill Mauldin, the US Army cartoonist (who deserves a video from you) discussed mules in Italy in his book ‘Up Front’ and his cartoon in Stars and Stripes.
I recall one mule being used to evacuate casualties was called "Florence Nightingale.";)
@ I was thinking about that cartoon as I wrote my comment.
I learned to ride when I was a child. My experience with Mules is thin, but I can say that on one of the most enjoyable pack train elk hunts I ever went on, my ride was a Mule. She was steady and took to me like a long-lost dog. The outfitter needed help understanding that one. The Throughfair where we hunted you could only get to it on horse or mule back since it was some 30 miles in from the trail head. If I had the space for them I would have one or two. I am not much of a horse person but I make the exception for the Mule. Besides in Gunsmoke Festus Hagen rode a Mule
Dr Felton, as a longtime watcher of your videos, I'm genuinely surprised that you did not mention US Marine Corps Sgt Reckless! SHE's a famous mule that served in the Korean war and even has a US Marine Corps memorial statue here in the US!! It might be worthwhile to check out more about her! Thanks again for your look at this small slice of history! 😀 A disabled US Army Veteran
Very true but the video is primarily about ww2. I'm sure I've seen many videos about that animal before.
A number of years ago I met by chance in my city Kate and Eddie from Grimsby. For awhile they visited the US annually, when finances allowed. Eddie was a WW2 British army veteran whose duty was to train and prepare mules. Sometimes the mules weren't docile, and he had to ride them to get them used to carring cargo. He told me he was tossed more than a few times. Kate's first husband was lost when Japan invaded Maylasia, and there was never any accounting to what happened to him. Both were British Patriots, and good friends of the US. God bless them both, and RIP.
The Pakistan Army still employs mules for supplying its troops in mountainous terrain. Working there recently on a construction project, we would occasionally encounter a herd of very large and powerful army mules being guided down the road after having delivered their loads.
Wow, I never knew I needed to know this. Thank you Dr Felton.
Very rare someone talk about what animals have gave to us ! Thank you sir!
NOT only should we remember the contribution of soldiers in the ground battles, we ALL remember the contributions made the horses and mules and even dogs !! God bless the animals !!
And birds -- 32 carrier pigeons awarded medals for valor during WWII.
I was just reading about pigeons awarded medals in the 2nd world War and your video popped up, great upload sir.
The Dickin Medal: awarded to 18 dogs, 3 horses, 1 cat, 0 mules, and 32 pigeons. That distribution always seemed off to me.
One cat...there's a story!
@undergroundman4646 yes, I must check it out..
8 million horses & mules died during WW1 alone...mule corpses were so common they made faux mule corpses for gunners to hide behind. Thanks for doing this Mr. Felton!
😢
Very interesting
Many thanks for uploading this Dr. Mark. The unsung hero of the battlefield supply chain.
I have owned three mules, down to just one at the moment. Yes, Dr. Felton, these are amazing smart robust animals. The bonds you can make with them is unlike any other equine. Thank you for another awesome video!
German Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Troops) still use Mules!
It's been years since I last watched the film Merrill's Marauders, but I do recall pack mules were featured prominently, with the relationship between one animal (Eleanor) and its human partner receiving a lot of screen time.
That title jumpscared me
😅
Sonicfox at Normandy
The Yushukan military museum in Tokyo has statues outside of it that commemorate the animals that died as part of the Japanese war effort. They often have flowers and bottles of water set on the pedestals.
Interesting. Aa memorial for service animals but asking to take down memorials to comfort women
There's a memorial to the animals of war in Park Lane, London. Unveiled in 2004 is features statues of two mules, a horse and a dog, with other animals in bas-relief. The inscription reads "They had no choice."
@ I have to check it out next time I go there.
Thanks Mark for all your great stories. This one was particularly interesting to me, my grandfather was a mule handler in the Italian army in WW2. He was in the alpine borders and also in Africa
So fascinating. Mark Felton finds the stories, wherever they hide. Thank you.
My family’s history involves every war from the F&I, colonial wars through to IQ and AFG (except SpanAm) - hearing Dr. Felton bringing to life their experiences always brings joy to my day.
Thank you, Dr. Felton, for the time, effort, expertise and personality you bring to history!!
Unsung Equines Heroes......just like the Heavy Horses of WW1 & WW2. My Grandad was a Farrier on the railway LMS before Sept 39. As a reservist went to France as part of the BEF, Escaped, ended up in Egypt. It broke his heart to see soooo many Equines of all flavours shot at the end of WW2😞😞😞😞
My German uncle, at 10 years of age, was a refugee from East Prussia. He befriended an abandoned Russian war horse he called Ivan, and it helped his family flee west. He later wrote a book about the journey titled, "Iwan, das Panjepferd."
Happy to see two right-shoulder examples of veterans of the 10th Mountain Division in your footage. My father was a mule skinner stateside, but had a different job in Italy with the 10th. A veteran colonel of the 10th told us that the most heart wrenching thing he had to do in Italy was to put down wounded mules after artillery barrages.
oh boy was that notification interesting
Switzerland still uses mules. The veterinary troops operate supply trains using mules.
here in the US, mules were a lifeline to areas destroyed and cut off after recent hurricanes
My Dad was in the Italian Campaign, from North Africa up to the Po Valley. He mentioned that the PPCLI (Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry) did indeed use mules to maneouver in the mountains, being the only way to move materiel on difficult terrain.
Great video! That is a U.S. Marine, Lance corporal at the end of the video, when discussing Afghanistan.
Semper Fi
Mules became a huge part of italian military culture during both world wars
The first Allied victory against the Axis was the Greeks stopping the Italians and then pushing them back and liberating Northern Epirus, in 1940.
And then in the Metaxas Line, facing the Germans and the Bulgarians, until June 1941.
Those advanced lines, in Mt Pindus, could only be supplied by mules.
Dear Dr Felton. My Grandad served in Somme and Ypres. His earliest storeys he used to tell me was looking after plough horses and scaring away crows pre WW1, he was born in 1895. An itinerant farm worker, a horseman, loved horses, mules and donkeys. He always said what most upset him in the war was they used to use spotters to find their corrals at night and then shell them. He would creep out the trench and put down the injured, he couldn't stand the noise they were making in their suffering.
This Mark Felton video reminds me of "All Creatures Great and Small" during World War II. Veterinarians Siegfried Farnon and James Herriot were dragged into the RAF as Aircraftsmen in 1939-1940. Veterinarian Tristan Farnon, by contrast, drafted after 1941, was an officer, caring for camels and mules!
I would like to see a special on Sgt.Reckless. I was surprised of no video on search of your channel. A whole episode could be built around this wonderful animal. A decorated Marine I hope to at least create some interest for a future warhorse special. Thanks Doc!
Nikos Xilouris has a song which is an ode to the donkey. It's called the Ballad of Kir Medios.
Worth a listen.
Excellent! As always.
We often fail to remember that warfare was still often very primitive and non-technical in World War II. Horses, camels, mules, wooden carts.. .
ELEPHANTS TOO
War is always primitive.
Another fabulous video!!! Mules do not suffer fools gladly like a horse will. They are wicked smart, and they aren’t too keen on placing themselves in danger. Knowing this, it’s really incredible that mules were trained to get the job done!
Thanks again Dr.Felton. I had no idea how wide spread the use of mules were in world war 2 and Korea. Just amazing stories you come up with. .Really great you were able to train with the Gurka's also in your time in your service to Britain
The Missouri Ozarks are very proud of our Mules! We use them to drag broke ATV's out of the woods!
The old farm we live on, was long owned by a fellow who used Mules for his log skidding buisness. 225 sawmills now in our county.
There are lots of mules teams here in northern Idaho. Nowadays, they are mostly used to get in and out elk hunters. My dad used to talk about his hours behind a mule plowing fields.
Love your series! Absolutely excellent! Mule rider here!
Mules and donkeys are special, loyal, smart, tough, and warrior animals that don't like predators.
Like the picture of a mule.with a dead coyote. In its mouth
I would love to see a video on the Gourmiers, the ones who made the breakthrough at Cassino! Great video, as someone who works in the wilderness I often explain that feet will get you where wheels and tracks get bogged down. thanks!
I recall from my teen days in Australia a famous "Aussie" soldier in the Gallipoli campaign called Simpson who used a mule to carry the wounded. I believe he was from South Shields, UK and served with the ANZACs.
The movie “Merrill’s Marauders” showed a muleskinner carrying his exhausted mule’s load out of love and the bond he had with the animal.
Hi Mark, This is a very insightful video. I hope you will do a follow-up one touching on African carrier coups that were deployed to Barma but never got any recognition. They mainly came from Kenya and other East African countries.
My father's cousin qualified in Vetenary Science at Glasgow in the mid 1930s, He was looking after mules in the Italian Campaign although for one short period he was treating wounded soldiers at Cassino (a vet could practice medicine but a doctor cannot practice vetenary science)
Thanks Dr. Felton!
Mules are in active service in the Chilean army mountain troops. You can see them in the military parades every September 19th, where they often carry MG 3s on their backs.
They feature prominently in
'Merrill's Marauders' 1962
one of the first genuinely
gritty war movies
6:27 You can't tease us like that, Mark! We definitely need a video on the use of Elephants in WWII !
This is what my grandfather worked with in Italy during WW2. His favorite story to tell was about a time when he needed to get his Mule through an overpass but the Mule didn't want to budge so he tried to hit it to get it to move and it fell down a hill along with all the supplies.
No matter how hard the engineers try they can’t totally replace the horse and mule. I think that the US military still has a cavalry and mule skinning school to this day.
Always informed by Mark's videos 😊❤
I think the Australians used them in Papua New Guinea too. The Kokoda track campaign comes to mind
Mark I know it’s no surprise to you; but you failed to mention that the American mules were also mobile artillery units with special cannons strapped on them. You can go to the artillery museum at Ft Sill Ok. And see some very fine examples of the guns. And a great display of the history of the war mules and their military uses. Thanks 🙏
Mules are great. Sister Sara appreciated 'm too! Both of them :-)
Interesting vid again Dr Felton 👍
When I worked at BR HQ in the 80s I lived in Rugby and naturally travelled in every day by train. On the north side of the station there was a small shop selling the usual newspapers, sweets and tobacco. The owner was an elderly chap who had been in the WW2 Italian campaign in an artillery battery that was entirely mule-based. The guns were broken down for transport with each mule carrying a piece, the others carryng ammunition and supplies. The heaviest items were the gun barrels and these were allocated to the strongest mules. He told me that they were in very heavy demand for supporting infantry, and said he must have marched over the whole of the Italian mountains !
You can see one of the mules carrying a gun barrel at 4.33
Mules had to carry fodder for themselves and I was told by another chap, again working in BR, that a mule could carry fodder for himself and 7 other mules but once a unit got beyond a certain size, there were mules who's only job was carrying fodder for mules that were carrying fodder. How true this is, I don't know as all the people involved are now dead !
The late Jack Hargreaves made a film of a mule having it's vocal chords removed for his Out Of Town programme in the 1970's. He had bought a mule which had a terrible bray and was being passed from owner to owner as nobody could live with the sound. Jack Hargreaves found the vet who had pioneered the operation for the Army, and he carried out the operation for the TV programme. The mule was called Yerro as I recall.
Three of my Great Uncles were Sergeants in the Royal Veterinary Corps during the Great War, they subsequently became horse van drivers for the London Co-Op and won awards for their care of the animals.
Despite the Wehrmacht supposedly being mechanised, they totally were not. They relied strongly on horses when invading France and the low countries. Thanks for another Vid, Mark!
Also in Russia
@@archstanton6102 Quite, then the poor wretched, abandoned soldiers were forced to eat them raw.
Another great video Dr. Felton. While in London on one of our visits we saw there was a monument for the animals of war to honor their service and sacrifice.
By far the most common and also the most dangerous animal on the battlefield is the two-legged one
Without them there would be no wars.
Excellent video from Mark Felton. I first learned about / read about Army mules when I read the book: "The G.I. War 1941 - 1945," by Ralph G. Martin. I recall the author mentioning how funny it was to watch/listen to a young soldier from Brooklyn, New York City try to get a Mule to do what the soldier wanted done in the Italian campaign.
Yay to mules, and horses! We (The U.S.A.) should never have gotten rid of our Horse Cavalry units. They were still being used along the U.S.A./Mexico Border in WW2 very effectively. Horses and mules go places that Jeeps (4-wheel drive ORV and A.T.V.'s) cannot, and they do not need gasoline or oil or lube grease. They can eat off the land.
They still bring unique capabilities to the battlefield, and I think that while large horse Cavalry units have become impractical, in smaller packages horse-mounted troops are valuable enough in the right circumstances and for some roles to warrant maintaining some capability and institutional memory. Mule-borne logistics unit even more so. I'm way past the age to reenlist, but this old Armored Cav trooper would absolutely do it again for a Horse Cav billet!
I was waiting to see if you knew about Afghanistan - you never disappoint good sir! Other than at West Point I don't think the Army has any mules today, but they did use them in Afghanistan on a limited basis. The Marines also used them there, and I think they may have some in their mountain training unit today. Some Special Forces soldiers get training with mules given their use over there. Kind of a handy skill to have in your pocket.
They are wonderful creatures and very loyal.
@MarkFeltonProductions! Excellent review. The only exception to cavalry converting to armored or mechanized units by WW2 was across the pond in the U.S.A. where the 1st Cavalry Division (org. 1921) was turned into an unhorsed cavalry division and was sent to the Far East. It did not become mechanized until the 1980's and today it is a full armored division.
I have a photo of my parents taking the mule ride into the Grand Canyon in 1946. They were on a cross-country trip as my father was moving from a USN posting in Washington, DC to his first command as CO of Supply and Ordinance at the Pearl Harbor Naval Station in Hawaii. He had previously served in the Navy Budget Office in DC and previously as Supply officer in USS Baltimore in the Southwest Pacific campaign.
Thank you for another great video about the lesser known elements of WWII.
The Alpha dog from Boston Dynamics was supposed to be a modern day version of this. Most commercial/military quadraped robots are more used as scouts/armed guards, but I watched a video where a Chinese part was using one to help with climbing equipment
A brief flyby of our 10th Mountain Division! Assigned 5000 mules, skinners and vets, they trained in Colorado and fought in the Appenines and the Po River campaigns.
My grandfather served in the U.S. 45th Infantry and told stories about them using mules to haul supplies through the rough terrain of Italy, "The trucks wouldn't work but you could get a string of mules through."
I used to live in Columbia, Tennessee, which is nicknamed mule town usa, because of the strong presence of breeding them among the locals in the 19th century. I've always found the use of animals in warfare to be amazing and have argued the merits of various animals and how they can still be used in support role in th 21st century.
Another interesting one is in the Amazon rainforest their are water buffalo or oxen, are used to reach parts of the jungle that vehicles can't reach.
'simpson and his donkey' is a pretty famous ww1-era australian war story that my (and many other) grandfather loved to tell stories about.
Definitely the best history channel out there.
Mule packing is a course available to US Special Forces and Ranger units now. It's run by a packer in North Carolina. They were on display after hurricane Helene, going into isolated villages cut off when the roads were destroyed. USFS has maintained mules for it's entire service life. Ivan, the famous mule from the pack string in Region 5 (Weaverville) is featured every year in the Rose Bowl parade with his comrades.
Great video. May the animals of war never be forgotten.
If I'm not mistaken, an uncle who was in the Korean war said mules were used...for transporting ammunition, food, and mail from home to remote locations....
Many were used from Europe to the Pacific theater. Yet, they mock the German use of animals in the second world war. The Chindits made good use of mules against the Japanese in the jungles and swamps on the pacific islands and among other places.
The horse was the one most important part of many armies throughout the centuries and should be respected more than it has.
Thanks for a great program!
WELL DONE VIDEO AS ALWAYS SIR,MERRILL'S MARAUDERS MOVIE IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE USES OF MULES IN COMBAT.
A superb piece of info. It compliments Lord Hard Thrasher's series on the Chindits.
My grandfather Bdr Garnet Kaighen (51st Field Reg't RA) served as a muleteer during the second Chindit campaign in WW2. Unusually, the 51st Field Reg't served as infantry in that campaign. Prior to serving in Burma, my grandfather also served in the brief Norway campaign, and at the first siege of Tobruk.
The US Marine Corps maintains a pack mule training program at their mountain warfare base in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
FM Alan Brooke mentions his Cypriot Mule Companies several times in his memoirs relating to the Franco-Belgian campaign of 1939-40.
I have a childhood friend whose father was an Army mule skinner before Pearl Harbor. He then volunteered for, and became an Army Air Corp pilot and flew bombing runs over Germany. After the war, he joined United Airlines. He retired as a 747 pilot. From an army with mules and mostly biplanes to a Jumbo Jet pilot in one career. Amazing.
Animals of all stripes were vital to early war efforts and should be remembered
Stripes?
@stevepritchett6563 it means all different kinds of animals 👍
Mules: "I didn't enlist or sign up for this, let alone the airborne" Wasn't Brad Pitt in a World War 2 movie? "Furry?" Many thanks Dr. Felton!
Invaluable animals in rough terrain for hauling everything you need. Amazing endurance, they have a role to play in many conflicts.
My daughter is a muleskinner. Bishop California and Columbus Tennessee vie for the honor of being the mule capital of the world, with their Mule Days mercifully not occurring at the same time. The Daughter will have your ears bleeding as she sings the praises of her 'long-eared posse'.