Britain's parachuting dogs of war honoured in new book which reveals how animals went behind enemy lines to defeat the Nazis Dogs were trained as bomb sniffers and lookouts for British troops They were starved prior to jumps so they could be lured out with meat Brave: A sketch of Bing the parachuting dog who fought in the Second World War and was decorated for his bravery in action against the Nazis Britain's parachuting dogs of war are honoured in a new book which tells the story of how man's best friend was enlisted into the ranks of the army to help defeat the Nazis. 13 - Lucky for Some: The History Of The 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion by Andrew Woolhouse chronicles how these 'paradogs' became hero-hounds in the service of their country. Brian was one of them. He learned how to sniff out mines, didn't flinch under gunfire and eagerly threw himself out of planes thousands of feet in the air. And on D-Day, the greatest invasion in history when the Allies left the shores of Britain to retake occupied Europe from the Nazis, he dropped under heavy ack-ack to be the first four-legged liberator on French soil. After the war the young Alsatian-Collie mix was given a medal recognising his 'conspicuous gallantry.' He was one of the most unique units ever formed by the British army in wartime. The Russians, early in the Second World War and overwhelmed by the Nazi war macine, trained dogs with mines on their backs to crawl under German panzers and sacrifice themselves for the Soviet Union. But Britain wanted its canine comrades alive - to find minefields, keep a watchful eye out for the enemy and even to attack sentries. Woolhouse, an amateur historian, believes the battalion got Brian in early 1944 because Lance Corporal Ken Bailey 'had a veterinary background.' L/Cpl Bailey initially ran the 'War Dog Training School' in Hertfordshire, a Hogwarts for hounds that were meant to help the war effort. Brian, who was renamed Bing by the paras, joined Alsatians Monty and Ranee, the latter being the only bitch to parachute for the army during the war. Training was tough, recounts Woolhouse. At the base in Larkhill Garrison the dogs were forced to sit four hours on transport aircraft with propellors running at full pitch. They learned to sniff out explosives - TNT, cordite, ammonal - and how to keep low to the ground when live ammo was flying all around. The dogs were fitted with parachutes originally designed to drop bicycles for troops. Starved of food and drink before jumps, the dogs were lured out of the aircraft with chunks of meat. On April 2, 1944, Bailey wrote in his notebook about his first jump with Ranee. 'After my chute developed,' he wrote, 'I turned to face the line of flight; the dog was 30 yards away and slightly above. The chute had opened and was oscillating slightly. Ranee looked somewhat bewildered but showed no sign of fear. I called out and she immediately turned in my direction and wagged her tail vigorously. The dog touched down 80 feet before I landed. She was completely relaxed, making no attempt to anticipate or resist the landing, rolled over once, scrambled to her feet and stood looking round. I landed 40 feet from her and immediately ran to her, released her and gave her the feed. Hero: Lance Corporal Jason Grime and Corporal Kevin Waterhouse pose next to the life-sized model of Bing On D-Day, June 6 1944, three aircraft carrying the 13th Battalion paras and their three dogs were sent to Normandy. Bing, who would go on to win a medal, had to be thrown out of the plane by the jump master after Bailey had jumped. He landed in a tree where he hung suspended for two hours before his two-legged comrades rescued him. He had cuts to his face from shrapnel from German mortars. But Bing and the other dogs went to work and were invaluable in sniffing out mines. 'They would sniff excitedly over it for a few seconds and then sit down looking back at the handler with a quaint mixture of smugness and expectancy,' Bailey wrote, noting that the dogs would then be rewarded with a treat. The dogs also helped on patrols by sniffing out enemy positions and personnel, hence saving many Allied lives. Monty was severely wounded on D-Day, while Ranee was separated from her battalion shortly after landing in Normandy and never seen again. But they were later replaced by two German army German shepherds who switched sides. Bing survived the war and went on to receive the Dicken Medal, the UK's highest honor for animals that have displayed 'conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving with any branch of the Armed Forces or Civil Defence Units.' When he died in 1955, the former paradog was buried in a cemetery of honor for animals northeast of London. A life-sized model of him can be found in the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum in Duxford... wearing his parachute.