Frozen Frontlines: Alaskan Malamutes in World War II
Resilience and bravery, both canine and human, shine from the pages of this stirring novel set in the harsh and unforgiving military training grounds and deployment of Arctic survival in WWII. It follows the story of Ethan Carter, a young man already bonded with Alaskan Malamute dogs in a New Hampshire kennel run by a former Arctic dog musher. Ethan gets drafted by the US Army and is ultimately sent to work in the newly established Dogs for Defense program. In this program, sled dogs were needed to support search and rescue operations, emergency supply runs, and reconnaissance in areas where Americans were preparing for and engaging in military maneuvers in frozen snowbound landscapes.
Survival became fully dependent on the trust built between the humans and their dog teams. Ethan’s Malamute team were held up as an example for other teams to aspire to, with the Malamutes widely revered for their willingness to never give up. In contrast to the speed of the smaller Siberian Huskies and the sheer strength of the powerful Saint Bernards, the Malamutes proved their worth in their steadfastness, their instincts for survival, their strong bond to their human handler, and their ability to endure rather than fight the frigid elements of an unforgiving environment. From training to deployment, the Malamutes proved stalwart partners to the US military.
Alaskan Malamutes were just as heroic as their human counterparts in WWII, and this novel is a fitting tribute to their courage and their sacrifices. Recommended for any historical fiction readers seeking a uniquely inspiring story about the important contributions of dogs in wartime.
