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War pigeon. Dispatching of a message by carrier pigeon within the Swiss Army during World War I. Homing pigeons have long played an important role in war. Due to their homing ability, speed, and altitude, they were often used as military messengers. Carrier pigeons of the Racing Homer breed were used to carry messages in World War I and World ...
The most celebrated pigeon of World War II was the blue-checked GI Joe. On October 18, 1943, an American infantry division called for heavy aerial bombardment on German-occupied Colvi Vecchia, Italy. When the Germans retreated unexpectedly, the British 56th Infantry Brigade moved into town unwittingly minutes before the scheduled bombing.
Mar 9, 2018 · Birds of War. A thousands-strong force of messengers, spies, and counterspies helped save lives and win battles throughout the war. A handler from the Army Pigeon Service stands with some of the carrier pigeons that were used in Africa during World War II.
- Karen Jensen
- Mules
- Dogs
- Pigeons
- Horses
- Elephants
- Camels
- Mongoose
- Cats
- Mouse
- The Desert ‘Rat’
Mules provided the backbone of British Army logistics over difficult terrain transporting ammunition, equipment, medical panniers and even the wounded over what amounted to thousands of miles during the course of the war. The first of some 3,000 mules to serve with the British Expeditionary Force landed in France in December 1939 in the charge of R...
Dogs performed a variety of roles during the war including as watch dogs who, using their keen senses of hearing and smell, would bark at the approach of troops. Combat dogs were trained to directly tackle the enemy and rescue dogs carried medical supplies out to stranded soldiers under fire. Other dogs were used to carry messages or were specially...
Over 200,000 homing pigeons were supplied by the National Pigeon Service during the war for the British military in a variety of roles. They fulfilled tasks from being message carriersto having a camera strapped to their chests to take aerial reconnaissance photographs as the bird flew over enemy territory. Pigeons were also carried in special case...
Around the world, thousands of horses were used by both army and partisan messengers, scouts, or fighting troops in areas of difficult terrain such as the mountainous regions or jungles where motorised vehicles would find it difficult or even impossible to pass and soldiers needed to travel quickly. Some 9,000 horses were required for the British m...
Elephants were widely used in Africa and India for transport and heavy lifting during the war. One group of elephants stands out, those of Mr Gyles Mackrell of Shillong, Assam who had his own elephant transport business before the outbreak of war. When Mackrell heard that a group of refugees, Sepoys and British soldiers were having difficulty cross...
Even in an age of automatic weapons, camel-mounted fighting troops maintained a fearsome reputation. A number of British Imperial units employed camels during the Second World War, such as the Sudan Defence Force who used their camels on mounted armed patrols of the Upper Nile, the Arab Legion, Egyptian Camel Corps and Bikaner Camel Corps of Indian...
The mongoose is one of nature’s fighters but soldiers in India and Burma soon found they made a very useful pet, earning their keep fighting off poisonous snakes. A good mongoose would also curl up near their army pals at night and would become restive if enemies were around, saving many lives with their early warning of the approach of intruders u...
Cats were always useful in stores, barracks, and on ships to tackle vermin. One of the luckiest ship’s cats was picked up by the British destroyer Cossack as he floated on some of the wreckage of the infamous German battleship Bismarck after it was sunk in May 1941. The cat was rescued and named Oskar, but just as he was settling in Cossack was tor...
A small animal to care for such as a mouse would often bring much-needed comfort to those on active service. Some became mascots, with once such a piebald mouse named ‘Eustace’ adopted by the crew of LCT 947 – he was with them when they landed in Normandy on 6 June 1944.
The greatest animal symbol of the Second World War is the red ‘rat’ of the Desert Rats, proudly emblazoned on vehicles and uniform insignia of the 7thArmoured Division. But it is actually a jerboa, an endearing and gregarious little creature, that was both a curiosity and pet to many soldiers during campaigns in the western desert.
- Neil Storey
Pigeons were especially useful during conflict, as they allowed military units to communicate remotely from field to headquarters. During the World Wars, a soldier would place a message in a small canister tied to a pigeon’s leg. The pigeon would fly to its destination coop where it would trip a wire alerting the Signal Corp.
May 8, 2019 · After the rescue, the team arranged a dinner in honor of Winkie who was basking in her cage while the men drank to her health. On December 2, 1943, Winkie, together with pigeons named Tyke and White Vision, were awarded the first-ever Dickin medals for rescuing an air force crew during World War II. Dickin Medal.
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During the First World War carrier pigeons played a crucial role in delivering messages from the frontline. The Second World War once again saw pigeons called upon and one of their roles saw them become part of a bomber crew, and many would play a vital role in the rescuing of downed Allied aircrew, with 32 awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal as a result of their actions.
