“K-9 Corps Debuts,” and “Herbie the Love Bug Premieres,” - This Day in History – Mar 13th

Quartermaster Corps (QMC) debuts K-9 Corps

Back in 1942, the U.S. Army’s Quartermaster Corps (QMC) began its dog training program called the, “K-9 Corps.”  The dog’s presence began in WWI as messengers who carried messages and provide some psychological comfort for soldiers.  With the popularity of the German Shepherd, Rin Tin Tin, this breed of dog became popular among the K-9 Corps. 

According to history.com, “In the United States, the practice of training dogs for military purposes was largely abandoned after World War I. When the country entered World War II in December 1941, the American Kennel Association and a group called Dogs for Defense began a movement to mobilize dog owners to donate healthy and capable animals to the Quartermaster Corps of the U.S. Army. Training began in March 1942, and that fall the QMC was given the task of training dogs for the U.S. Navy, Marines and Coast Guard as well.” 

The K-9 Corps now accepts a total of seven breeds of dogs to finish the 8 to 12 week training along with basic obedience training.  The dogs are also trained to become:

• Scout dogs
• Active combat duty dogs
• Patrol dogs
• Mine detection dogs
• Alerting patrols to approach of the enemy

The breeds allowed are the: German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Eskimo dogs, Malumutes, Siberian Huskies, Belgian sheep dogs and Collies. 

History.com stated that, “the top canine hero of World War II was Chips, a German Shepherd who served with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. Trained as a sentry dog, Chips broke away from his handlers and attacked an enemy machine gun nest in Italy, forcing the entire crew to surrender. The wounded Chips was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star and the Purple Heart--all of which were later revoked due to an Army policy preventing official commendation of animals.”

Disney’s “The Love Bug,” drives into theaters

Back in 1969, the family friendly movie premiered by Disney studios starring a Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie, “The Love Bug.”  The movie whish starred Dean Jones and Michelle Lee, opened in theaters with successful reviews.  

The premise of the film provided by history.com stated that, “The film, which was based on a 1961 book called "Car, Boy, Girl" by Gordon Buford, centered around down-on-his-luck auto racer Jim (played by Dean Jones) who goes on a winning streak after teaming up with Herbie. Other characters in the film include the evil Peter Thorndyke (David Tomlinson), Jim's rival on the racetrack; Tennessee Steinmetz (Buddy Hackett), Jim's friend who makes art from used auto parts and Jim's girlfriend Carole (Michele Lee).” 

Movie sequels followed from this “Love Bug,” franchise of the VW Herbie. History.com acknowledged that, "The Love Bug" was a box-office success and spawned the cinematic spinoffs "Herbie Rides Again" (1974), "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo" (1977), "Herbie Goes Bananas" (1980) and "Herbie: Fully Loaded" (2005), starring Lindsay Lohan.” 

The VW beetle became popular with its sales as well.  In fact as of 1972, the vehicle revenue was an impressive 15 million sold, breaking the Ford Model T’s record for the world biggest selling car of all time.

All History facts provided from the link below:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/johan-santana-born?catId=10