Bamse, the WWII dog hero!!
This dog was a hero to the many sailors who shared his ship during World War II
During World War II, there were many heros. Bamse, a St. Bernard, was the offical mascot of the Norwegian Navy minesweeper called the Therrod. Recently a book has been written in Bamse’s honor. Bamse was owned by the Hafto family, who lived in Norway. Captain Hafto would take Bamse on the ship with him and the dog proved to be an excellent soldier. Bamse would stand guard at the furthest most gun tower and would not leave until the worst of the fighting was over.
Bamse loved the men on the ship and took extremely good care of these sailors. There are a couple of famous stories about Bamse that illustrate his love for the men. The ship docked at both Montrose and Dundee. At Montrose, many of the men would hit the pubs during down time. Bamse knew when the men had to be back to ship and would go from pub to pub gathering the men (drunk or not) and herd them back to the vessel.
Dr. Willie Jarl Nilsen tells the story of his father’s near death experience and how without the assistance of Bamse, his father may not have lived. The Thorrod was docked in Dundee and Dr. Nilsen’s father, a sailor on the ship was taking a walk along the dog. All of a sudden, a man appeared out of nowhere to attack the man with a knife. Bamse, seeing what was happening, took flight and on up on his two rear legs overcame the attacker. With his weight and determination, Bamse got the attacker away from the stunned sailor and the villian was quickly pushed off the dock into the nearby water.
Read more about Bamse, his history and the love that his countrymen have for him by clicking here.
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