Homing Pigeons and the Signal Corp

Pigeons play role in Signal Corps history

Charmain Z. Brackett Correspondent


A variety of animals have been used alongside Soldiers in the history of the military. Soldiers rode horses, and military working dogs sniff out bombs.

During World War I and World War II, homing pigeons played their part in helping the Signal Corps fulfill its mission.

“The Signal Corps started using the pigeon in 1916,” said Robert Anzuoni, Signal Corps Museum director.

The use of carrier pigeons dates back more than 2,000 years to the ancient Roman Army. Many countries used pigeons during World War I.

One of the most famous pigeons of World War I was Cher Ami. He carried 12 important messages including one which saved American Soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in France in October 1918.

Surrounded by the enemy and with American artillery coming at him, Maj. Charles Whittlesly sent out a message on Cher Ami with the troops’ exact location. Cher Ami was shot at and wounded, but managed to fly 25 miles in 25 minutes. He got the message through and the American artillery ceased, saving 200 men.

That last flight severely wounded the bird and he lost his leg. The men of the unit he saved carved him a wooden leg.

Cher Ami received the French Croix De Guerre. The bird is on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. A portrait of the bird is on display at the Signal Corps Museum.

A pigeon could cover an average of about 300 miles; with the longest pigeon journey recorded of 1,000 miles, according to Anzuoni.

“They would carry information about enemy position, resup- ply – standard memo traffic,” he said.

During World War II, pigeons carried encrypted messages concerning the invasion of Normandy and other battles. They were vital in getting messages to hard to reach areas such as the mountains of Italy, he said.

Most of the people who served as pigeon trainers and handlers in the Signal Corps had worked with pigeons in the civilian world, he said, and some were familiar with breeding and training them.

Pigeons would be taken miles away from their home station and a capsule attached to their leg held the message. The pigeon would be released and fly home.

One brave pigeon of World War II was Liles Boy. The preserved bird is on display at the Signal Corps Museum. Liles Boy carried 46 messages to the front lines in Italy. He is credited as delivering several of the most important messages of the Italian campaign according to the exhibit.

Pigeons were used until 1957.

FINE, FEATHERED WAR HEROES

Canada's Gazette reports:
Birds transported vital information during World Wars and before

By DAVID BIRD, The GazetteNovember 18, 2009

I often think of my dad repairing the skins of the Spitfires and Hurricanes that were shot to pieces by Messerschmits, Focke Wulfs and ground fire over the Dutch coast during the Second World War. He didn't talk about war much, except to say that most of the time he was scared out of his wits. But David Archibald Bird was not the only "bird" over there fighting the Nazis.

While many of us refer to them as "winged rats" or "flying bags of disease," the lowly rock pigeon has played a very significant role during a number of wars, notably in both World Wars and as recently as the Korean War.

Known as homing or carrier pigeons, these birds have a remarkable talent for finding their way back to their loft over distances of thousands of kilometres and from unfamiliar places in all kinds of weather. They have been valued as faithful carriers of messages during times of both war and peace.

War pigeons were parachuted behind enemy lines in containers for use by the resistance to carry information critical to the Allies. Other birds were released from mobile lofts, tanks and aircraft to take vital messages back to headquarters. Naturally, these actions made them targets for enemy soldiers using not only guns but trained falcons. Tens of thousands died and a number became feathered folk heroes.

One such decorated bird was G.I. Joe, a genuine hero during the Second World War. Bred by the U.S. army Signals Corps in 1943, G.I. Joe lived for 18 years. In its first year of life, the bird served in Colvi Vecchia, Italy. It flew 30 kilometres in just 20 minutes and saved the lives of 1,000 soldiers by carrying a message to cancel a bombardment of Colvi Vecchia, which the British had entered ahead of schedule. For the feat, the bird was awarded the Dicken Medal, the only U.S. war pigeon to do so.

Another famous war pigeon was Paddy, an Irish war hero. He was apparently the last pigeon to be released by the Americans in Normandy, but the first bird to arrive in England with news of the success of the D-Day invasion. According to his trainer, John McMullan, Paddy was the best of the best.

The tenacity of these birds to get back to their lofts is best illustrated by the story of Cher Ami, a black check cock. This bird was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for heroic service. On its final mission, in October 1918, the bird, having been shot through its breast or wing, delivered a message in a capsule hanging from a ligament of its shattered leg. The contents saved the lives of 200 U.S. soldiers.

The pigeons did not perform these duties without help - they had handlers. One of the most famous was Col. Clifford A. Poutre, chief pigeoneer with the U. S. army signal corps pigeon service from 1936 to 1943. Widely acknowledged as the world's foremost expert on military uses for pigeons, Poutre streamlined the U. S. army homing-pigeon training and taught the birds tricks for day or night messenger duty. He also discarded the old method of starving pigeons in favour of kindness. He essentially showed that homers will return home because they want to, and not, as during the First World War, because they were hungry.

A great army racer was Always Faithful, 1935 winner of a 1,160-kilometre race from Tennessee to his New Jersey loft in 15 hours, 39 minutes, 9 seconds, an average speed of 1.233 kilometres a minute! Colonel Poutre retired from the army in 1960 after 31 years of military service.

Alessandro (Al) Croseri, who was kind enough to bring the exploits of these special birds to my attention, has captured their story in his 8-minute DVD film The Flight , a beautiful and moving homage to the sacrifices that these homing pigeons made for us in the wars. Croseri also wrote and produced a longer film The Pigeoneers, featuring Poutre.

Next time you scowl at a pigeon in the streets, think about how these birds helped saved thousands of soldier's lives during war.

For info on these films, visit store.pigeonsincombat.com.

MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL REPORTS - # 5

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PIGEON SPIES

Spycraft In Vienna

Former CIA museum curator brings tools of the trade to life.

By Donna Manz, The Connection

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

excerpt

. . . Spies learned to create listening devices in the dark, and pigeons became a vital part of the World War II communications effort. GI Joe received a citation and medal for animal gallantry; the pigeons had a 98 percent success rate getting messages to their recipients. Turns out that pigeons have magnetite in their beaks, which allows them to follow magnetic fields. The Maidenform Brassiere Company made specially-designed curved pouches for paratroopers to carry their pigeons. The pigeon portion got rave reviews. Jan Beatey and Fran Snyder, both from Vienna, liked learning about the pigeons the most. . .