"Letter to Garcia" is a worldwide bestseller about a man named Rowan in the Spanish-American War who was ordered to deliver the letter to a general named Garcia. This Rowan looks a little unintelligent, a bit like the somewhat silly warrior Xu Sanduo in the Chinese hit drama, and has one trait that is both an advantage and a disadvantage: a road running to black.
Don't ask why, don't ask what to do, don't be afraid of danger, overcome difficulties, and always maintain an obsession in your heart: I want to complete the task. Rowan eventually managed to deliver the letter to Garcia. Over the years, this story has become the first choice for team building, almost becoming a textbook execution.
Okay, back to the point. In World War II, there was also a special group that showed the same bravery as Rowan when carrying out missions. That's 250,000 birds serving the RAF, Army and Civil Defence, and their inaugural "units" include the National Guard, the Police, the Fire Department and Bletchley Park.
Carrier pigeons, in particular, can fly and recognize the way, they are simply too useful. During the war, British, American, Canadian and German armies used the Crane Pigeon all over the world – Greece, North Africa, Italy, India, the Middle East and the Far East. In this way, the "ignorant" pigeons were also divided into two factions, and at the same time that people were fighting with each other, there was also a war between the pigeons. The Germans also knew that the Allies used pigeons and were outraged by the fact that these guys had so easily entered their territory and given civilians the opportunity to resist.
A proclamation was issued saying that keeping unknown pigeons amounted to espionage and that if caught, they would be punished with death.
In fact, this can only encourage more pigeon breeders. So the Germans decided to provoke the Allies with pigeons. In 1944, a pigeon named Lucia di Lammermoor was captured by the Germans and released, carrying a message with it that read: "American army: We will return the pigeon to you." We had enough to eat. "The money dropped was the German army.
Pigeons hanging from German cameras. Profile image: Bundesarchiv Bild183-R01996
At that time, every British bomber would have a carrier pigeon on board. Pigeons carry their information with special containers on their legs or small bags on their backs. This is thanks to the 2,000 pigeon lovers in Britain, who, in order to support the anti-fascist war, gave their hearts to "filling the army" – so that these well-trained pigeons became part of the division of justice. It was only later with Operation Colombo that the official breeding was carried out on a large scale.
When it comes to World War II, Operation Colombo is rarely mentioned, but it is as important as Operation Barbarossa, Operation Drumming, and Normandy Landing. This organization is also known as the "Secret Pigeon Service Society".
In the event of a collision, discard or radio failure, the crane pigeon can be used as a means of communication.
In the army, the breeding of military pigeons is strictly controlled, including the rationing of feed with clear standards. Both the Army and the Air Force have "pigeon lofts" that specialize in raising military pigeons.
An air sergeant in RAF Squadron 209 is about to release a carrier pigeon.
The pigeons were packed into containers and parachuted into the Netherlands, Belgium and France, which were resisting fascism. However, the fragile birds did not resist the toss, and due to the bumps in the landing, some pigeons died as soon as they landed. In addition, there was a big trouble, if an English pigeon was caught, then these resisting troops would be in danger.
There are several potential threats that lead military pigeons to this danger: weather, natural or enemy-bred dove-feeding animals, such as eagles, or simply the enemy itself.
So, soldiers and military pigeons are grasshoppers tied to a rope.
Thydworth Signal Pigeon Centre Examination and Treatment (American Service)
However, the role of carrier pigeons cannot be underestimated because of these potential risks.
Raise soldiers for a thousand days, and use soldiers for a while. On 23 February 1942, the carrier pigeons had the opportunity to perform. At that time, the crew of a Beaufort fighter jet in Bristol, England, returned to the North Sea to prepare for their return after completing the mission to fly over Norway. However, due to severe damage from enemy fire, the bomber crashed in the sea more than 100 miles from home.
Picture is not right: Burma Campaign, attack on Japanese barracks.
It was an era without satellite positioning beacons and GPS. Floating in icy waters, the radio fails, and the four survivors are unable to transmit their accurate location back to the base.
Fortunately, they took precautions and released a carrier pigeon named Wenji while the plane was still descending. It took off from Brady Ferry's attic, flying all the way up and down for 120 miles, and when it rushed back to its home, the Brondie Ferry Loft, its owner, George Rose, found The Wenkee baby oily and exhausted.
Ross hastened to inform RAF Ly charles in Fife.
The Air Force crew carried a wicker woven pigeon cage containing a carrier pigeon.
At the time, Wenkee was not carrying information with her, but the RAF took advantage of the time difference between the escape of the aircraft and the appearance of the birds, taking into account the direction of the wind and even the effect of oil on Wenji's feathers, thus reducing her flight speed, or judging the location of the bomber that was shot down.
So the rescue work began. Within an hour and a half, rescue teams arrived at the spot where the plane had landed. Only 15 minutes after the search and rescue operation began, the crew members were safely rescued. Winky lives up to his mission.
After the rescue, the group arranged a dinner in honor of Winky, who basked in the sun in her cage while the men drank for her health. Winky became famous in one fell swoop. A year later, she became the first animal to receive the Deakin Medal for "passing on information in exceptional difficulty." Because it "delivered information in exceptional difficulty, thus helping to rescue Air Force personnel who served in the RAF in February 1942."
The Deakin Medal is the animal kingdom's highest honor for the warriors of peace and is awarded to any animal that exhibits "manifest heroism or dedication in the service of or in connection with any unit of the Armed Forces or the Civil Defence Force".
Equivalent to the Victorian Cross of the Animal Kingdom
Winky was the first animal to receive this honor. It became a respected animal by the veterinary charity Sick Animal Clinic (PDSA). After Winky's death, owner Rose donated his body and its Dickin Medal to the Dundee Art Gallery and Museum.
Elaine Pendleber, from PDSA, said: "When the crew realised they had other options, Winky was released as a last-ditch survival effort. The story is very, very moving. Without the arrival of this carrier pigeon, these people would have died. Pendlebury said in an interview: "It's very difficult for us to use mobile phones and emails... Think of the wartime communications of the 1940s... It was very difficult and the pigeons certainly saved many lives by flying under very scary circumstances. ”
Seven crew members waited to board the aircraft. The foreground is a pigeon cage.
Another heroic carrier pigeon with a winky named "Joe" came from the United States when British troops occupied a village that was about to be bombed, and Joe flew 20 miles in 20 minutes and successfully delivered a key message to the air base, thus saving more than 1,000 lives.
Another carrier pigeon, Marie, from Exeter, flew tenaciously after being injured, and finally delivered the top-secret information accurately, and it was stitched 22 times afterwards.
Another recipient of the Kindi Gold Medal, Joe
Stories about carrier pigeons and World War II are still being unearthed.
In 1982, in Surrey, eastern England, David Martin was repairing a chimney at home when a pigeon bone fell out. It was an old house from the 17th century. It was a leg bone of a pigeon with a small capsule with a message attached to it. Due to the urgency of the information, the military sent two birds to send a message, but both failed.
Martin's home is located between Normandy and - Park, a code-breaking center where Alan Turing cracked the Nazi Enigma code. According to information, it is believed that the bird was released in Normandy, and the bearer carried a message sent to Blaichley Park to codebreakers related to the Normandy landings.
Martin handed the news over to Bletchley Park, now a museum, so they could explain. The publicity of this incident caught the attention of journalist Gordon Corera, who has since written a book called Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colombo, The Revolt, and The Struggle to Liberate Europe.
Elaine Penderberg worked as a veterinarian for a long time. For her, the animals awarded the Deakin Medal were an inspiration. Their actions go beyond their responsibilities, and these stories are particularly inspiring.
After Wenkee, more than 60 animals won the prize. Between 1943 and 1949, the Order of Dickin was awarded 54 times to 32 pigeons, 18 dogs, 3 horses and a boat cat. As of October 2018, the medal has been awarded 70 times, and all animals that served in World War I have also been posthumously honored with additional awards.
The Order of Dickin is a bronze plaque that reads: "For bravery" and "We serve too."
These two sentences explain everything. It is also easier to understand why we see the dove as a symbol of peace.
Picasso painted it in 1940