Our history is very interesting, filled with lots of discoveries, and has the longest trail of blood. There are times when we almost destroy our species. Sometimes nature helped us. Wars happen for different reasons, lack of food or resources, the desire of a woman, or a territory. “Fortes fortune iuvat” – fortune favors the bold. If you lack the test of fortune join 20Bet and who knows how much you might win.
Unfortunately, animals have had to participate in human wars since ancient times. The most common assistant to a person in any war has always been a horse. But sometimes on the front line, one could also meet more exotic animals, such as war elephants, burning pigs, or demolition dogs.
Pigeon Service
There used to be a service at the front for pigeons. But the birds were used not to attack the enemy and not as assistants in battle, but to deliver urgent messages and orders, or for reconnaissance. One of the largest wars in the use of pigeons was the First World War. When the war for the first time in history acquired an all-out character, the commanders of the formations needed to clearly coordinate their actions many times a day. It was here that the birds came to the rescue. Some of them, like the dove named Sher Ami, have gone down in history.
On October 3, 1918, 500 soldiers of the US 77th Infantry Division made a breakthrough deep into enemy territory. After a long battle, they were surrounded. The fighters had four carrier pigeons in reserve. The commander decided to send one bird to the headquarters with a request to provide artillery support. Due to ignorance of the area, incorrect coordinates of the detachment were transmitted in the message. Soon, the artillery began to mistakenly fire on the allies, due to friendly fire, the unit lost half of its personnel.
Last Chance
The Americans sent two more pigeons to headquarters with corrected coordinates. As soon as the soldiers saw a bird in the sky, they proceeded to shoot at it with rifles. This happened this time as well. When they saw two birds, the Germans opened fire on them and were able to kill them. The surrounded US soldiers had one last chance and that chance was a dove with the French name Cher Ami. The bird has already made more than a dozen sorties and brought important information on time, so the soldiers considered it lucky.
As soon as Sher Ami took into the air, the enemy opened heavy fire on her. The bullets hit the animal in the chest, tore off a leg, and gouged out an eye. By some miracle, the winged messenger managed to stay in the air and fly through the German positions. A few hours later, the artillery fell silent. The dove once again completed its task. The allies who came to rescue the surrounded soldiers managed to break through and return them back to their territory. 194 soldiers owed their lives to a small bird.
Award
By that time, doctors in the hospital fought for the life of Sher Ami. To the joy of the soldiers, they managed to save her, and the dove quickly became a national hero. Cher Ami was awarded the Military Cross, the French state military award for the successful sorties.