sapper756 Posted 4 hours ago Author Report Posted 4 hours ago Homing pigeons played a key role in World War I, being considered a reliable means of sending messages. Over 100,000 pigeons were used during the war, with a 95% success rate. In October 1918, as the war drew to a close, 194 American soldiers found themselves surrounded by German soldiers. Their only chance of alerting anyone to their desperate situation was to send a pigeon with the coordinates of their location. The pigeon, named Cher Ami, flew 25 miles past the German border to the American headquarters in just 25 minutes. The pigeon was shot by the Germans, wounded in the chest, but it continued to fly. Despite the loss of the coordinates, the Americans launched a rescue operation and found their trapped men. Cher Ami was awarded the Croix de Guerre in appreciation.
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