b. 2008 ? d. 18/11/2015 Paris, France.
DATE OF DM ACTION: 18/11/2015 Paris, France.
Diesel DM
Diesel was a seven-year-old Belgian Malinois RAID assault dog employed by the French police. Diesel had worked for the RAID unit for five of her seven years, and was the first RAID dog killed on duty. She was due to retire the next spring. On 18 November 2015, Diesel was killed in a shootout with suspected terrorists in the Saint-Denis area of Paris, while searching for suspects involved in the November 2015 Paris attacks. During the raid, which was in response to the Paris attacks, the dog had been sent in to clear rooms following a cessation of gunfire from the suspects. The first room was empty, but after she entered a second room, the gunfire started once more. She died of multiple gunshot wounds. Following the raid, some media reports claimed that Diesel had been killed by a female suicide bomber. This was later shown to have been incorrect as there was no female bomber. Diesel “was saluted for her bravery by the Paris police chiefs who told Le Parisien[…] that dog almost certainly saved her handler’s life during the raid.”
DM CITATION:
The PDSA Dickin Medal recognises conspicuous devotion to duty in the theatre of conflict and Diesel is a truly deserving recipient. His gallant actions helped to protect human life in the face of imminent danger and we are very proud to honour him in this way.
BURIAL LOCATION: UNKNOWN.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.