Salvete Omnes,
May 8th in the West and May 9th in the Rus. Federation and Belarus etc are celebrated as the Victory Day over the Nazi Germany in World War II. Albeit the war in Asia lasted until August 1945.
Horses played huge role during the world war, from Europe to Africa and Southeast Asia - from cavalry mounts (especially for the Soviet side) and draft animals for the German side, poor in automotive products and always low on petroleum products.
Thus millions of horses went to war and died in process, especially during the German invasion of the Soviet Union - in his book on cavalry in that war
Janusz Piekalkiewicz states that Germany mustered 2 million 700,000 horses and the Soviets 3 million 600,000 of equine poor souls.
German losses were high and in 1942 they initiated horse confiscations in the occupied Polish lands and further east etc. They robbed my great grandfather of his prized breeding stock without compensation nor legal title to it, but the brute force.
Glory to all cavalrymen, wagon drivers and their horse companions.
!Vivat Victory Day!
Valete
