NPR

The Unsung Equestrian Heroes Of World War I And The Plot To Poison Them

An Army horse wears a gas mask to guard against German gas attacks.

April 6 marks 100 years since the U.S. Congress voted to declare war on Germany, entering World War I. The war took the lives of 17 million people worldwide. But what's not as well known is the role that animals played at a time when they were still critical to warfare.

Horses in particular served alongside troops on both sides, and several million died during the war. The animals were so crucial to the war effort that they also became military targets.

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