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How General Patton and Some Unlikely Allies Saved the Prized Lipizzaner StallionsBy Karen Jensen | World War II | Single Page | 18 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post At about the same time—on the afternoon of May 14—the U.S. Army flew Podhajsky to Colonel Reed's headquarters. He was introduced to Reed over dinner. "Our conversation soon showed how full life is of interesting coincidences," Podhajsky recalled. Reed, as it turned out, knew Podhajsky's name well. When the captain of the U.S. Army riding team, of which Reed was a member, saw Podhajsky ride in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, he had been so impressed he named one of the cavalry school horses after him. Subscribe Today
The next morning Reed drove his Austrian counterpart to Mannsbach in a jeep. Podhajsky easily identified the Lipizzaners belonging to the Austrian herd and Reed assured him they would be sent to St. Martin. "Before I flew off I tried to thank Colonel Reed for his help and great understanding," the Austrian horseman said. "I have only acted as a fellow rider should," Reed replied. "And I am convinced that you would have done the same if the positions were reversed." A little over a week later, Reed proved good to his word. Just before midnight on or about May 25, the sound of engines broke the quiet at an abandoned airfield outside St. Martin as the first of some 60 trucks pulled into view. The journey this time had been too great a distance to make on foot, so Reed had amassed as many captured German vehicles as possible and had them outfitted to carry the horses. Although two mares were injured in the chaos of unloading at the airfield and had to be put down, a total of 244 Lipizzaners were successfully returned to Austria. Podhajsky was so grateful to have this segment of culture and tradition preserved for his country and the world that he staged performances for American soldiers stationed in occupied Austria over the next few months: a second for Patton on August 21, 1945, and several more for "ordinary mortals"—one or two thousand American GIs at a time. "The success of the Lipizzaner with the American Army General was repeated also with the ordinary soldiers," Podhajsky noted with his characteristic pride. "They were all captivated." But why—when there was so much destruction, so much loss and pain, so much left to be done—devote limited resources to this particular mission? A simple explanation lies with the diverse individuals central to the rescue, who had all one trait in common: they loved horses. Alois Podhajsky, the son of a cavalry officer, was one of the youngest lieutenants in the Austro-Hungarian cavalry in World War I, and won a bronze in dressage in the 1936 Olympics. Podhajsky devoted his life to horses, and they were rarely far from his thoughts. "I am bound to admit that I have always been what is commonly called 'horse-mad,'" he said. Charles Hancock Reed, also a former officer in the mounted cavalry, was a superb horseman: an instructor at the Cavalry School and a member of the 1930–1931 U.S. Army horse show team. After retiring from the army, Reed purchased the offspring of one of the horses he rescued, and rode her every day for nearly 30 years. George S. Patton spent a lifetime with horses. While stationed at Fort Myer, Virginia, after his graduation from West Point, he played polo, fox-hunted, and competed in mounted steeplechases. He was a participant in the first modern pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, placing sixth out of 23 in the equestrian phase. As a major in the cavalry in 1921, he wrote that a cavalry leader "must have a passion—not simply a liking—for horses." And when he sought to assess his condition after the automobile accident that ultimately took his life in December 1945, Patton chose one question to ask his doctor: "What chance have I to ride a horse again?" But the rescue came at a cost—and a simple fondness for horses can't explain the many instances of risk, bravery, and personal sacrifice that arose during its execution. For that, it was Colonel Reed, fittingly, who provided the answer: "We were so tired of death and destruction," he said, "we wanted to do something beautiful." Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
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18 Comments to “How General Patton and Some Unlikely Allies Saved the Prized Lipizzaner Stallions”
As much as I've read about "operations" during WWII, I had never heard of "Operation Cowboy". Indeed, an extremely interesting article. Goes to show what good deeds the human race is capable of if you put aside the insanity of war. Thank you for posting.
By John Rodriguez on Sep 21, 2009 at 10:34 pm
I saw the Disney movie " Miracle of the White Stallions" on TV and later was able to find it on VHS. Robert Taylor played the part of Colonel Podhajsky in the movie. I really enjoyed reading the article. I have not thought of that movie in a long time. Thanks again for printing the story
By Tim on Sep 25, 2009 at 1:12 pm
My wife had to almost drag me to see the descendants of these magnificent horses when we visited Austria in the early 70's. I just was'nt interested in horses. However,I was captivated by their performances snd have seen them several times since in Austria and America. Many thanks to Gen. Patton and the others who saved them.
By Clyde Meyers on Sep 25, 2009 at 6:01 pm
My uncle, Guy French, served as General Reed's driver during this time and lived in one of the buildings shown in this article. Needless to say, he was thrilled beyond belief to receive his Nov. issue of World War II magazine and see an article about a time in his life that was so special to him. Now in a nursing home in Oneonta, Alabama, Uncle Guy entertains all who will listen with WWII stories and still tears up at the mention of General Patton, his hero. Thanks for this GREAT article about "the greatest generation".
By Phyllis Galbreath Ratliff on Oct 4, 2009 at 7:40 pm
It was wonderful to read this article. Captain Tom Stewart is my uncle. His brother Fricks also served in the Army. My father Paul Turner served in the Navy. It is an honor to read and know that Uncle Tommy had such an important part in that daring and adventurous rescue. I have always known of the rescue, but not to this detail. Thanks for publishing this account of history.
By Shayne Stewart on Oct 5, 2009 at 10:42 pm
There is a painting of this rescue action – does anyone know where I could find a copy?
Mark Ballard
MAJ, USAR, RET
guarddat@yahoo.com
By MAJ (RET) Mark Ballard on Oct 7, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I have read several accounts of this operation but none with such detail. Wolfgang Kroll, the German veterinarian mentioned was a good friend of mine for over 25 years. He often spoke of the horses and even accompanied some of them when they were shipped to the U. S. Later he emigrated here and at one time was veterinarian of the San Diego Zoo. We travelled together to Vienna and to the breeding farm in Piber in 1966 and he actually remembered some of the horses and grooms.
I would like to know if anyone has any personal recollections, pictures, or accounts of him. I would like to share them with his children who still live in Germany. I can be contacted at: jgrobarek@cox.net
By Jacqueline Grobarek on Oct 8, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Mark-
'Rescuing the Lipizzaners' by Don Stivers appears to be sold out at most websites, but you might try ebay or craigslist.
By roger king on Oct 15, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Glad to see this story is finally getting the attention it deserves. I know I've done my part to get the ball rolling. Hoping to build interest in a remake of the Disney movie, this time telling the REAL story.
Wanted to note that the two from Troop A that were killed during the operation, Pfc Raymond Manz and T/5 Owen Sutton, were honored in 2006 with permanent monuments in the Czech Republic and that annual joint ceremonies are now held at the sites of the monuments with the Czechs and the 2nd Cavalry.
By Dave Gettman on Oct 16, 2009 at 5:20 pm
For more details on "Operation Cowboy, Colonel Reed and the 2d Cavalry Group [and Regiment] go to: http://www.dragoons.org then click on history.
For any veterans of the 2d Cavalry Group in WWII the 2d Cavalry Association is very interested in contacting you and helping you connect with other veterans.
Please contact me at: adjutant@secondcavalry.com
By Chris Golden on Oct 17, 2009 at 11:31 am
What an incredible story.
I was deeply moved by this tale of co-operation between former enemies who all cared for such magnificent and gentle animals that horses are.
Thank you for this.
By Tyrone Lambert on Nov 5, 2009 at 4:25 am
I attended a Lipizzaner event in Boston, MA on 11/08/ It was fantastic! The master of ceremonies commented that a few of the stallions had been rescued from a farm, and that they had been rehabilitated, trained and were now part of the show. Can someone tell me where the farm was located?
Thanks.
By Barbara McGonagle on Nov 10, 2009 at 12:00 pm
You might be interested to see some backstage photos from this performance, from the personal collection of PFC Frank Wayne Martin, who was a forward scout for General Patton. Martin (no relation to me) was involved in this Lipizzaner operation and was assigned to guard the trainers backstage during this show. He has just published a book of his memoirs, called Patton's Lucky Scout (Crickhollow Books, October 2009). I'm the editor, and we're in the process of posting photos (not included in the book) on a blog for that book at:
http://luckyscout.wordpress.com/
Thanks, Karen and HistoryNet, for this great article on the operation!
By Philip Martin on Nov 11, 2009 at 1:55 pm
This is a story that will alway resonate in my family's history.
Pfc. Raymond Manz was killed in this action and like the thousands of U.S. soldiers that gave their lives in WWII his life is but one of the stories
of selflessness that has shaped our world. My father Lawrence Manz is Ray's first cousin and best of buds. Larry was 16 when the family learned of Raymond's death and was finally able to visit the the site in Rosendorf and pay his respects.
Please see the posts by David Gettman of Chris Golden for more information on 2nd Cavs sacrifices.
Thank you Karen for publishing this incredible story.
By paul manz on Nov 17, 2009 at 12:35 pm
11 Panzer did not surrender to 2nd Cavalry on May 4. CG of 11 Panzer, General von Wietersheim, surrendered the entire division to the CG of the US 90th Inantry Division on May 4 on the Czech/German border southwest of Pilsen. Go to 90th Division web site for details if you wish.
By James Haahr on Dec 7, 2009 at 4:28 pm
I recently found out that my grandfather, Les Shepard was one of the "cowboys" that helped to rescue the horses. I have a number of photos from the Germay Rodeo and now because of this article understand why there was a Rodeo going on at the end of WWII !!
By Denise Campbell on Dec 12, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Dr. Rudolf Lessing was my stepfather and one of the greatest lovers of horses ever! He was made an honorary member of the US 2nd Cavalry after this horse rescue. He had many fond memories of Col. Reed and Stewart and several others whom I was also able to meet at a 2nd Cavalry Reunion in Norfolk, VA. What a wonderful group of men, what a wonderful group of soldiers – working together despite their national differences. This rescue of the LIppizanners was a story often told proudly and emotionally. I still have many of Rudolf's photos of the war and working with horses though unfortunately I do not know who the many other men in the photos are but there are some amazing photos. I thank you for publishing this article.
By Ronnie Larson on Dec 26, 2009 at 8:49 am
To Shayne Stewart, I met your uncle Captain Tom Stewart at a 2nd Cavalry Reunion and was inspired by his warmth and wit. He was truly a good friend to Dr. Lessing throughout the years and we still think of Capt. Stewart fondly, though we lost touch after Rudolf's death in 2002.
By Ronnie Larson on Dec 26, 2009 at 8:54 am