I cannot remember the exact location of this next tale, save to say that it was in one of the training areas to the north of our base at Minden. It was probably on Luneburg Heath, or somewhere in that area. We were camped in woodland and from our position we took part in what I believe was a large-scale mortar-firing exercise. The four three-inch mortars of our platoon were set up at a respectable distance from each other and would fire live rounds at a pre-arranged target at intervals throughout the day and night. As can be seen from the accompanying photographs, this is a most impressive sight in the remote, night-time darkness of a military training area. The first time I saw these photographs was when they were published in the newspaper of the 6th Armoured Division, a small publication entitled ‘Mailed Fist’, the division’s emblem. I believe I saw this whilst we were still on this exercise. I have always remembered the night –firing shots and then, just a few weeks ago, I was surprised and delighted to find that Ken Terry had copies of them, along with other photographs of our time in Germany. He allowed me to borrow the entire album, and that is why I have so many pictures to support my stories. My daughter Sarah, editor and webmistress of this site, has scanned and cleaned the images, before adding them. I am eternally grateful to them both. Ken says that he has no idea how he comes to have these pictures. He certainly did not take any of them himself.

However, to return to the story.

One night, the soldier who was left on guard woke some of us, saying that someone or something was rattling the dixies in which our food had been cooked, and which were lying on the ground just outside the bivouac area. When we went, with some trepidation, to investigate, an animal of some sort ran off into the surrounding bushes. Not knowing what it might be we decided that discretion was the better part of valour and returned to our respective sleeping quarters, either in the truck, the bivouac or by the camp fire. This was repeated on the following night and then we began to see these creatures in the daytime.

They were in a group, or pack, consisting of about eight to a dozen individuals. They appeared to be of the canine family, standing roughly 30 to 40 centimetres at the shoulder and steel-grey in colour. They were all roughly the same size and had a thin, rope-like tail, which drooped downwards and backwards. What fur they had was short and close to the body, with a harsh appearance. I remember thinking at the time, as we chased them away through the bushes, that they were not foxes as they did not have a ‘brush’, they were entirely the wrong colour and they were in too large a group. I also think they were too long in the leg and too tall.

We had arranged one of the bivvies sideways on to the camp-fire with one side raised and tied upwards to nearby trees, to provide an open-sided shelter where we could sit and gaze into the fire! I sat there one night and my friend, John Jordan was sleeping on the ground, on the far side of the fire, about six feet away from me. As I sat, probably dreaming of home, or more likely of some girl, I suddenly became aware of a movement just beyond where John was lying. I kept very still and watched one of these ‘wolves’ as we were by now calling them, come slowly forward until its front legs were against John’s body. It then leaned as far forward as it could, staring across the fire and into my face. This was quite a chilling moment! Moving very slowly, I reached out and picked up a nearby entrenching tool. I hurled this at the inquisitive creature and it bolted off into the darkness. John did not wake up, so I waited till the morning before telling him of his close encounter!

When I decided, about a month ago, to add this story I began to research the identity of these animals, as I have wondered many times what they could have been. I tried the local libraries and the internet with no success and decided to take my search further afield. Mindful of the area in which I saw them, I emailed, with a description, to Hamburg Zoo. This produced no response, so I tried The Natural History Museum in London. I had a fairly prompt reply from a lady in the Mammals Department, who asked several questions. I was quite encouraged by this response and emailed the replies immediately. Unfortunately it all went quiet after that, but I am still hopeful of a result. I begin to doubt my own sanity, but I did see these animals and someone, somewhere must know what they were!

News! Another day, another email! I heard today from my expert at the Natural History Museum. After much thought and research she says :

“I am sure that the animals you saw were feral domestic dogs (wolves are much taller than you indicate). The dogs could have been living wild for many generations. Their apparent similarity in appearance could be because they were in effect a family group descended from only two individuals and their direct offspring, living in isolation, they had no interbreeding with other dog breeds.”

In addition to the lady at the British Museum, I also have this opinion from a German gentleman, webmaster of a site about the regeneration of Luneburg Heath after military use:

“Perhaps they really were wolves; there were wolves in Germany in the time just after WW II, the beginning of the 50s; the last were shot in Verden, not far from Hohne. I could also imagine wild dogs, which could certainly survive for a time on a military training area – until the foresters there were allowed to carry weapons again.

In my opinion, other species are not possible – racoons were to be found in Hessen at that time, but are noticeably smaller. The same goes for badgers. Wild cats and lynxes do not hunt in packs.”

I have already said that we were encamped in woodland and we were all saddened to see the damage to the trees in the area. This was fairly open woodland, mainly of tall, slim pine trees. Being a live firing area, a high proportion of the trees were broken off at a height of about fifty feet and their remaining height sloped down to the ground. Those which had escaped this fate were pretty much devoid of side branches as will be apparent in the accompanying photographs. This devastation had been wrought by tank and artillery shells, over the years of gunnery practice. It was a very sad sight.

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