Evening star., 1917-12-02
How Birds and Dogs Helped Save V@rdum From Germans

tillery, having exact plans of French
railroads supplying the front, proceed.
ed to "cut" them methodically. blowing
UP section after section in succession
Verdun was saved, as everybody
knows, by French automobile trains.
Verdun was saved, also. by the hero.
iabolical bombardment ION their
breasts and died in mass to the inn
mortal song of Wont get through"
Yerdun was saved thirdly. by the
France did not possess when the war
came (France was not ready, and
which was planned. made and had its
munitions provided for it in war. while
fighting off the invader. None will for.
get the heavy artillery.
X
verdun was saved by birds and dogs.
When the wireless telegraph went
down in the tempest and deep-laid
telephone cables were blown into the
air by the fury of German shell fire
the French batteries had been blind.
ed" but for the carrier pigeons of the
bird man." Achille arrived with his
partner, Lewis, in peculiar-shaped lin
visible" tents painted green. brown
and gray in daubs and a cage-wagon
full of expensive flyers attached to
their travelling home that nothing
could keep them from 1t once free on
How the great flock OF 'verdun
pigeons was bought and who footed
the bills will be story for after the
war. Many things that were done are
surely military secrets for the present.
Let suppose, however, a trained
animal turn in vaudeville. The faith
full dog will introduce three pigeons
into Thiaumont. The fat-curved wicker
panniers are strapped to Medor's sides
and off he trots through shellfre that
makes the world hold its breath. to
find the master he had left In Than
mont-sixteen times taken, lost and
taken! The French hold it, in a pam
demonium. If the German battery
upon the left cannot be silenced.
Thiaamont is done for. Telephone and
wireless long ceased to exist; the last
pigeon has been released and the COM
mandant is desperate to communicates
with the rear But what can be ex-
pected through that blasting?
Far away "a quarter-mile is far1
Medor crawls on his belly through the
flashes and the crashes. Now he dashes
on, and now he fiattens up against CO.
ment heaps He stops and whimpers,
for the way is awful. He crouches.
leaps and stops again-and, at last.
, scampers into Thiaumont with the de-
voted pigeons in his panniers. His coll
: by attack on Froideterre, pm"
Quick. to one of the pigeons, they at.
tach a return message; Stop the Ger
: man battery on our left Here are the
elements for pointing" Now they wait
. for a calm in the tempest. From q
corner OF Thiaumont, they throw the
, frantic bird into the air. What does
, she think of her adventures? She don't
{ think-she's just palpitating little
mass of craving to get back to the calm
, home OF the cage-wagon.
.. ~
1t is strong story, but stronger wm
be told after the war.
Regularly the birds are simply carr
! ! ried in their little cages by the doxens
when troops occupy advanced positions.
; and as long as telegraph and telephonS
!, work, they are held in reserve.
i Recently, at soldiers sing-sonG,
, we heard, sung very knowingly from Q
!, tin record. the dear old wheeze of the
! bird with the white. white breast,
. where it mourns and mourns and
mourns.
p Whereby hangs as strong a tale a.
r any. Only recently during the capture
I of the Montparnasse quarries, beyond
: the Chemin des Danes. two German
. nerved. came TRANQUILITY down on .
: French coloners post. At the same
r moment three German carrier pigeons
/ fell almost beside them. Wouldn't that
nests agree, but 1t wasn't that. The
;. first bore a message in which . Ger
, man commander told his desperate need
!, of reinforcements to avoid capture: his
i. battalion was stranded on the slopes
beyond Allemant. The second con-
y Germans would launch at daybreak.
t And the third bird bore word that the
troops told of for that attack were
l being wiped out, captured, driven back
: 'N ~ STERLING HEnn0 :