4. A Carrier Pigeon Stuck in a Chimney
Carrier pigeons were an important part of the war effort as they were able to carry messages back and forth in a manner that was not easily intercepted. They had no email or text messaging back then so they had to look for alternative methods of sending messages and the postal system could hardly be trusted and not everyone had access to telegram machines. The skeleton of a carrier pigeon was recently found after seemingly more than 70 years stuck in a chimney in Surrey, England with a coded message still being tied to its leg.
This discovery was made in 2012 and while the coded message was still readable and potentially could have unveiled something new about the war effort that has remained hidden to this day, unfortunately, the code has not been cracked. This showcases how sophisticated the level of code making reached during the war, as intelligence had to devise more and more complex ways in which to hide the messages they were sending in case the message fell into enemy hands and this information was compromised.
Even with all of the great strides that have been made with computing power and problem-solving in recent years could not interpret this coded message which is quite impressive in itself. Throughout World War II there were about 250,000 homing pigeons of this kind utilized all across the United Kingdom to deliver messages. There were even 32 pigeons that managed to be honored with the Dickin Medal, a decoration of valor of the highest order that can be received by an animal who was part of the line of duty. There were even a number of famous carrier pigeons who managed to earn this medal, including the likes of the Irish pigeon Paddy and the Pigeon from the United States Army called G.I. Joe.
The Paddy pigeon managed to be awarded this medal after it became the fastest ever pigeon to return to England with the news about the D-Day invasion that was a success after hundreds of pigeons had been despatched. This flight over the English Channel was more than 230 miles in length and would have taken the pigeon approximately 4 hours and 50 minutes to complete, which is the fastest crossing ever recorded for a carrier pigeon. It was the sole Irish animal who received the Dickin Medal.
The GI Joe pigeon helped to save the lives of many villagers of the Calvi Vecchia Village, as well as the levels of those British troops who were stationed there during the Italians Campaign. There had been air support requested to eliminate German potions in the town, but British forces managed to capture before the strike. The G.I. Joe pigeon carried the message of this victory to the air support command before it was too late and the bombing was carried out. It flew over 20 miles in just 20 minutes and arrived at the base right when the planes were getting ready to embark on this mission. Almost one thousand troop’s lives were saved as a result.