Buzz
In the midst of World War II, the Nazis launched invasions across nations, seizing invaluable treasures ranging from precious jewelry to renowned artworks. Efforts to reclaim these pilfered riches have been widely chronicled, including in George Clooney's 2014 film The Monuments Men and its 2009 book counterpart. Yet, fewer are aware of the Nazi initiative to abduct a unique kind of treasure: hundreds of the globe's most elite horses.
Hitler's ambition was to engineer a "super horse." Mirroring the pseudo-scientific ideals of breeding a human "master race," he aimed to selectively breed horses to produce the ultimate, fearless, and "pure" warhorses in military history. This was not a mere whimsical pursuit but a calculated strategy to address Germany's struggles during World War I. As Elizabeth Letts explains in her remarkable book The Perfect Horse, Germany's horse industry suffered devastating losses in the Great War, and Hitler sought to restore the nation's prestige:
"Following World War I, a combination of factors nearly obliterated horse breeding and equestrian sports in Germany. The staggering number of equine casualties during the war halved the horse population. Additionally, Germany's economic instability made horse sales and maintenance challenging, and the Treaty of Versailles further strained resources by mandating horse exports as part of war reparations."
When Germany entered the war two decades later, horses were a top priority for Hitler. Despite the nation's robust industrial capacity and technological advancements, German leaders were convinced that additional horses were essential for their military campaigns. (According to Letts, by 1938, their army relied on over 180,000 horses and donkeys—and Hitler was determined to acquire even more.)
Hitler assigned Gustav Rau, a dedicated hippologist who had long championed Germany's horse-breeding industry, to oversee the creation of a flawless "super breed." Rau focused on the Lipizzaner stallion, a majestic breed celebrated for its agility and enchanting appearance. He aimed to produce armies of identical, pure white warhorses through intensive inbreeding of Lipizzaners within three years, stating, "We must encourage inbreeding of the finest bloodlines." (Rau seemed unaware of the genetic risks associated with inbreeding.)
To support Rau's ambitious plan, German troops began seizing purebred Lipizzaner stallions from renowned stud farms and equestrian schools across Europe. These stolen horses were transported in luxurious conditions, housed in spacious train cars, and relocated to pristine farms in rural areas. "It was a peculiar aspect of Nazi ideology, so cruel to humans, yet animals were treated with exceptional care and compassion," Letts notes. By 1942, Rau had gathered nearly every purebred Lipizzaner in existence.
As the war turned against Germany, a Nazi veterinarian at a stud farm in occupied Czechoslovakia grew concerned for the horses' safety. The advancing Russian forces, known for slaughtering and consuming enemy horses, posed a grave threat. The New York Post reported that the Russians had no regard for prized stallions, citing an incident where "the legendary racehorse Alchimist was killed by Russian soldiers in 1945 after refusing to board their truck." Rudolf Lessing, the veterinarian, feared the rare Lipizzaners under his care would meet the same fate.
In a bold move, Lessing contacted the Americans for assistance. His goal was to have them rescue the horses by stealing them back.
Upon learning that the stallions were trapped far behind enemy lines in Czechoslovakia, General George Patton dispatched his cavalry to rescue them. "Retrieve them," Patton ordered his troops. "Do it quickly." (The operation had to remain covert, as the Express notes, "The U.S. Army had agreed with Stalin not to advance beyond Germany's border with Czechoslovakia, and the horses were located miles beyond that limit.")
With Lessing's assistance, Hank Reed, the commanding officer of the Second Cavalry in Europe, secured the surrender of the occupied horse farm and placed the animals under American military protection. In the fall of 1945, 151 horses were transported by boat to America—all of them arriving safely.
"We were exhausted by the endless death and devastation," Reed remarked when questioned about the mission to save the horses. "We wanted to accomplish something meaningful and beautiful."
For further details, Mytour recommends Elizabeth Letts' acclaimed book, The Perfect Horse.
