Emaciated German shepherd became a hero

Discovered as a puppy by two Czech airmen who crashed in no man’s land between French and German lines, the original Antis was in such an emaciated condition that they thought putting the dog out of its misery was the most humane thing to do.

But they could not bring themselves to kill the pup and took him back to their base.

One of the airmen, Vaclav Bozdech, then took the dog aboard his aircraft on combat missions, and Antis also later sailed on board the MV Northmoor, having been smuggled on board the vessel for a journey from Gibraltar to Britain.

The ship came under both submarine and aircraft attack, but Antis survived and was then also smuggled into Britain by his owner, where they joined No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron and the German shepherd assisted in searches for air raid survivors, as well as continuing to fly in combat missions.

Bozdech and his faithful pet returned to Czechoslovakia, but when they had to flee persecution in 1948, the brave dog guided several people around searchlights and through machine gun fire to cross safely into West Germany.

Antis was formally recognised for his heroics with the award of the Dickin Medal in 1949, two years before Václav Bozdech became a British national, and they remained loyal companions until the dog died at around the age of 14.