Army Pigeons

This article contains a lot of information about Pigeons in the war. The “Dickin Medal” is particularly interesting.

“During the D-Day invasion of World War II, many soldiers were sent with a pigeon beneath their coats. This was a period of radio silence, so the use of pigeons for relaying messages was optimal. The pigeons were able to send back information on German gun positions on the Normandy beaches. Thirty-two pigeons were awarded the prestigious Dickin medal, Britiain’s highest award for animal valor. Recipients included a bird named “G.I. Joe,” who flew 20 miles in 20 minutes with a message that stopped U.S. planes from bombing an Italian town that was occupied by British forces.”

Giving medals to animals for bravery seems really odd. But it’s actually REALLY important, it shows that the animals were treat as individuals, friends even. This makes it a lot easier to add character and life to them.

 

Here’s  another link, this time to the BBC about pigeons and what we as a country actually owe to them. This particular quote actually highlights how important they were in saving lives during WW2.;

“So important was their contribution, ferrying vital messages to troops and secret agents alike, Hitler ordered all Britain-bound birds to be fired upon. “

A lot of this research makes you wonder why people hate them so much. Perhaps people just HATE to share their habitat. It’s easy to say they leave droppings everywhere – but I’d take a bit of pigeon poop over all the crap they eat off our streets for us still lingering around.