In the Great Patriotic War our troops included the 28th Reserve Army, in which camels were the draught force for the cannons. It was formed in Astrakhan during the battles near Stalingrad: the shortage of vehicles and horses forced to capture wild camels in the vicinity and tame them.
Most of the 350 animals died on the battlefield in various battles, and the survivors were gradually transferred to household units and "demobilized" into zoos. One of the camels, named Yashka, walked with the soldiers to Berlin.
