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"BIRDS OF WAR"
Our military maintained and used the homing pigeons up to and
including the Vietnam War. The O.S.S.,later to become the C.I.A., made extensive use of the homing pigeons during the Korean
Conflict. Agents were dropped 75 to 200 miles behind enemy lines with pigeons. The pigeons used performed with 100% completion
of all messages sent, even our modern electronic nets cannot measure up to this performance. Certainly modern communications
is faster and very reliable but jamming and interception are still rendering them unuseable at times.The United States entered
the war with out an organized pigeon force. Oct.1917 a first L.T.Wendell M. Levi, would be sent to Camp Vail,New Jersey. to
study the the subject of homing pigeons and there use in the military.This same person years later would author the the most
complete and informative works on the pigeon ever written.this work was called "THE PIGEON", by Wendel M. Levi.
The homing pigeons of World War 1 were both English and American in breeding,and
many were cited with military honors.Probably the most publicized was "Cher Ami" an english bred pigeon. Attached to
the New York battalion of the 77th division. the battalion advanced to far ahead of it's own lines and was hoplessly cut off
and surrounded, and certain annihilation or capture faced them. Several pigeons were released only to fall mortaly wounded.,
Cheri Ami was released, circled and headed for home, only to be hit by a burst of sharpnel. In spite of her wound which left
the message capsule
leg hanging by only a shred, and the breast penetrated,"Cheri Ami, covered the forty kilometers in 25 minutes with the
vital message that saved the "lost battalion"
For more information on the birds of war, and pictures,please go to my main hawkbait web site
on the link page or click on the hawkbait logo on the front home page. then you will be taken there.~Dennis~
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