Evening star., 1941-09-28


farmers pursue government ordered
hawk-shooting campaign. and the sport
of falconry is forbidden - but across
the sea moats the Nazis forbid hawk
shooting along 1000 miles of coast.
and ban carrier-pigeon keeping over a
wide zone. If you harbor a carrier in
Nazi-occupied area. instead of in
stantly reporting him and handing
him over. you invite the firing squad
or concentration camp.
In the last war the chief users of
pigeons were the infantry. Mechanical
ton in this war has not cut down the
demand for pigeons; it has only in
creased it, with step-up in quality
owing to the longer distances as war
speeds squirt. But the purpose remains
the same. And if. as and when the
British put their new mechanized and
armored army into Hitler's Europe.
the pigeon tales won't differ in essen
tials from those of the first World War.
A wound won't stop a pigeon of the
right breed. provided he still has his
wings to fly. In the United Services
Museum in London you can still see -
the Luftwaffe bombs haven't got her
yet - all that remains of No. 27O9,
heroine of the Menin Road battle of
October. 1917. Released with mes
sage from the front line, she headed
for divisional headquarters. nine miles
off. The enemy shot her down. She lay
all night out in the rain. but by morn
ing gathered strength to futter the
last lap. and drop on the loft floor that
was home to her. The officer picked
her up. She died in his hand before he
could take the message off her leg.
The bravest of the American pigeon
service was ''Cher Ami" the gallant
girl of the Argonne. A small blue
checker. she homed thirteen times with
vital messages from front-line posi-
tons. On her way the last time. a she'll
splinter nearly severed her leg at the
thigh. But she got back with her mes
sage. and the beleaguered platoon that
sent her got its reinforcements.
Nonsd as Hsross
Ia rurc v,,r <ha d A z x>;Uoo,,,
(most bombers and all reconnaissance
planes carry them have been piling
up long list of dispatch mentions. A
blue-checkered hen pigeon. which went
out with five airmen in a big seaplane
and came back alone. ps.: . spotlight
on these birds in war action.
She had had quiet time for spell:
out of the nest and into the basket,
and then twilight and the steady roar
of the planes motors. Lately she had
laid an egg. and had got her three
days excused duty. customary after
an egg-laying. Now she was on duty
again. while her husband looked after
the seventeen-d -day-old egg. Soon they
would both be feeding the precious
offspring on crop milk.
But as she was meditating on this
pleasant cycle of family life. she heard
a staccato cyock-crock-c,ack through
the steady engine note. and then, rs
everything tilted. she had to scramble
about inside the basket to keep on her
feet. There was lot of humping. and
suddenly the roar spluttered out, and
there was only the whistle and swish
of strong wind. Then came violent
shock and a surge of water through her
basket. She thought she was done for.
when the lid opened and a hand
grabbed her and hauled her out. They
were busy with her leg ring. and then
the man holding her said: Alta girl.
60 to it." and tossed her up.
The water nearly got her as she
tried to catch hold Of the air with wet
wings. She was surprised to find her
self flying 90 low. Before, during her
trials. she had always been taken up
twelve hundred feet or more. wrapped
in a piece of paper to save her wings
from being torn off by the rush of