The Dobermann was known as the "Devil Dog" by the American Marines and is their mascot. It earned the name during World War II in the Pacific, where it used to go ashore with the marines and flush out the enemy.
Why are Dobermans called devils?
Few breeds of dog are as intimidating as the Doberman. Powerful, strong, and imposing, this breed was designed to be scary enough to ward off danger, which is why the Doberman breed was adopted by the United States Marine Corps as their canine companion of choice.
What dog is considered the devil's dog?
The media's choice for “devil dog” of the 1930s was the Chow Chow; anything Chinese was then seen as a part of the corrupting opium trade. In the 1940s it was the German Shepherd, tagged as a symbol of Nazi Germany.
Why do they call them Devil Dogs?
We got our nickname Devil Dogs from official German reports which called the Marines at Belleau Wood Teufel Hunden. It has been said that this nickname came about from Marines being ordered to take a hill occupied by German forces while wearing gas masks as a precaution against German mustard gas.