Smoky the canine war hero

Smoky and the man who adopted her, Bill Wynne

William ‘Bill’ Wynne trained with the US Army Air Force (USAAF) as an aerial photographer. 

He was assigned to the aerial photography laboratory of the 5th USAAF, 26th Photographic Reconnaissance (Photo Recon) Squadron at Hollandia Airfield Complex, Nadzab, New Guinea. 

In March 1944, Bill’s tentmate Ed Downey was driving near the base when his Jeep broke down. As he worked on the engine, he heard a strange noise coming from the surrounding jungle. He went to investigate and soon found a little dog scratching at the bottom of a foxhole. 

Ed took the Yorkshire terrier back to the base, where dog lover Bill adopted her, naming her Smoky.  

Bill would give Smoky baths in his helmet

Bill then faced the challenges of looking after Smoky in the New Guinea jungle. He gave Smoky daily baths in his helmet to keep her free of insects. And with no dog food to feed her, he discovered Smoky liked bacon, ham, eggs, and bully beef. 

Bill started teaching Smoky commands and tricks, which she learned quickly – to the point that Bill and Smoky began putting on shows for base personnel.  

Not long after, Bill was taken to the US 233rd Field Hospital, where he was diagnosed with dengue fever. Bill’s mates smuggled Smoky in and before long, she won the nurses over – so much so, they asked to take her on rounds to cheer up the patients. 

Following Bill's discharge, his squadron doctor offered him and Smoky some leave in Brisbane. There, Barbara Wood Smith, Assistant Field Director with the American Red Cross, asked Bill and Smoky to visit the US Navy 109th Fleet Hospital and US Army 42nd General Hospital and cheer the patients up with a show.  

Smoky brought so much joy to the patients and staff that Barbara wrote a thank you letter to ‘Cpl. Smoky’ on official American Red Cross stationery.  

After two weeks in Australia, Bill returned to his squadron, which had moved to Biak Island after its capture from Japanese forces. Smoky accompanied Bill on photo reconnaissance flights, stowing inside a canvas bag or – when there was no combat/rescue action – sometimes running around the plane. 

From pet to bona fide war dog

A wounded serviceman being cheered up by Smoky 

The 26th Photo Recon next moved to the Philippines, where communication lines had to be run under a runway at Lingayen Gulf. This task would have taken around 70 men approximately three days of digging. It would have also shut the airfield to Allied aircraft, which – with daily air attacks by the Japanese – could have risked many lives. Smoky, with a line attached to her collar, completed the job in around three minutes. 

Bill’s squadron later moved to Okinawa, then Korea, before receiving orders to return to the United States in 1945. However, US Army regulations stated no animals could go back on a War Department ship.  

Knowing he couldn’t leave Smoky behind, Bill devised a way to take her aboard the USS General Walter H. Gordon in an oxygen carrying case. Smoky never once barked, and the bag was not inspected.  

The ship encountered rough seas at the start of the voyage, and Bill spent days seasick in his bunk. So, men from the 26th would sneak Smoky to the upper deck for ‘potty’ breaks, forming a ring around her to keep her hidden. 

But Smoky was eventually discovered. 

Bill was called to the ship’s office. He showed pictures of Smoky entertaining the sick and wounded, plus the letter from the Red Cross. He was told he might have to pay as much as a $1,000 bond to take her into the US. He agreed, and he and the ship’s captain signed a document clearing the ship of any responsibility for ‘one dog’. 

Smoky now officially out of hiding, she and Bill put on shows for the men, with the ship’s captain and the troop commander sometimes watching and smiling from the bridge. 

A global legend

This monument to Smoky was unveiled in 2005

After they arrived in the US, Bill and Smoky’s story spread. Articles about them appeared in the Indianapolis Star, Cleveland Press, New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun, and Herald America. 

Smoky and Bill continued to entertain people, performing at hospitals, schools, orphanages, nursing homes, and other organisations. They even became part of children's TV show Castles in the Air. 

Bill eventually accepted work as a photographer with Cleveland newspaper The Plain Dealer. He went on to become a photojournalist and was associated with the paper for 31 years. Bill received many awards for his work and in 1973 was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. 

In 1957, Smoky died peacefully in her sleep. Bill was inconsolable. His wife Margie suggested they bury Smoky near a tree that the couple had carved their initials into years before. 

The Plain Dealer published an obituary for Smoky, which led local reader Grace Guderian Heidenreich to contact Bill. 

Grace was a US Army nurse in New Guinea in early 1944. Her fiancé at the time (later her husband) had bought her a Yorkshire terrier from a veterinarian in Brisbane. The dog was a Christmas holiday gift, so Grace named her Christmas. (‘Christmas’ was one of the words that got Smoky excited and turning in circles.) 

Following Grace's attendance at a Bob Hope USO show in New Guinea, little Christmas disappeared. Grace showed photos of the dog to Bill. As the stories merged, Bill concluded that his little dog was one and the same.  

On Veterans Day (11 November) 2005, a monument to honour Smoky was unveiled at her grave. 

Bill passed away in 2021, aged 99. 

Smoky is recognised as the world's first documented therapy dog. Her amazing work began in 1944 and continued throughout WWII. 

Smoky's life has been celebrated internationally since, with memorials and honours in her name found across America, England, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. 

Previously featured in the South Pacific WWII Museum Newsletter, this story has been adapted in part from William A. Wynne’s book Yorkie Doodle Dandy: A Memoir and a story featured on ww2history.org.  

Other images © Smoky War Dog LLC.

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