Posted on 12/26/2014 8:29:29 AM PST by WhiskeyX
The strange, forgotten World War II mission that involved Americans and Nazis cooperating to save a rare breed of prize horses from extinction.
It was late April 1945 when the Americans first heard about the white horses.
It happened near the Czech-German border, about 90 miles east of Nuremberg. Capt. Ferdinand P. Sperl, an officer with IPW (Interrogation Prisoners of War) 10, was examining a cache of items he’d just confiscated from a Nazi colonel known only as “Walter H.” They were typical intelligence documents: memos, maps, charts. But something in the colonel’s personal attaché case caught Sperl's eye: photos of horses — galloping horses, prancing horses, horses standing regally in green meadows.
Walter H. began telling Sperl about a place called Hostau, 10 miles from the German border. Hostau was a picturesque Bohemian town marked by modest homes set into rolling hills and a large horse farm with stables and fenced-in pens. Once the site of an imperial stud, it now contained, Walter H. boasted, the finest collection of steeds in the world. There were Arabians, Anglo-Kabarda mares, Cossack mounts, and thoroughbreds stolen from the capitals of Europe and famous racehorses. And there was a rare collection of Lipizzans, the “dancing white horses of Austria.” The oldest cultivated breed in Europe, the Lipizzaner had performed their acrobatic wonders for monarchs and commoners alike for centuries. All the animals had been purchased or confiscated by the Nazis and then brought to Hostau.
Sperl was presented with a mystery. Why on earth were the Nazis collecting horses in the middle of a mechanized world war?
(Excerpt) Read more at warrior.scout.com ...
Cool. Thanks for sharing.
Great article, well worth reading. Thanks for posting.
I think Disney made a movie about this story sometime back in the 60’s. Incredible animals.
Best story I’ve seen since the WW-I Christmas Eve Soccer game.
Miracle of the White Stallions. A very good Disney show.
Great post.
Highly recommended.
A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.
There is an annual tour of the U.S., allowing these horses to strut their stuff before a live audience. We saw the several years ago at the Glen Rose, TX Arena. Keep an eye open for their appearance...and, when they show up, go see them.
The Lipizzaners are well worth the price of admission. Children are particularly charmed by their complex maneuvers and graceful antics.
You also get the distinct impression that these horses love what they do...
Don't miss out!
Miracle of the White Stallions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Zqg2qACWxY
1944 German Color Film - Dancing Lipizzaner Horses.mp4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2AMk1FBHeg
It is my understanding these remarkable horses -the stallions- are performing cavalry/military manuvers. One note. The horses are born coal black and their coats turn white as they mature at about age 3 if I remember correctly.
Many of the moves, true, are adapted from those which might be useful in hand-to-hand combat from horseback with sabres or lances. But some of them are "just showin' off" -- like jumping straight in the air and "clicking their heels".
They are magnificent steeds. And quite large...
Thanks for the clarification.
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