The Lost Battalion: A pigeon saves countless lives in WWI
WWI was an exhausting war of attrition, pushes, and counterattacks that exhausted the major powers. When the Americans came into the war they and their exhausted allies were ready to go on offensives to finally put an end to the great war.
The push through the Argonne Forest was a departure from our modern view of trench warfare. hills, valleys and extremely dense forests were far from the barren no-man’s-land we normally think of. A three-pronged attack through the dense and hilly forest was planned and launched on October 2, 1918. The American 77th Division under Major Charles Whittlesey would be the central push with French and other Americans supporting the other prongs of the attack.
Well, the 77th was quite successful, the French and other Americans were not. This meant that the 77th pushed so deep into German territory that they were soon cut off as the allied prongs had been pushed back.
The Germans had been steadily building networks of defensive fortifications for the entire war and it was all the 77th could do to secure a hill in the middle of it all. Whittlesey sent runners to either flank where the other allied forces should have been but these men were killed or captured as they ran straight into the German troops. Whittlesey soon realized that he had been surrounded.
German attacks came from all sides that afternoon. The condensed American position was subjected to repeated mortar attacks and snipers camped unseen in the thick forest. The Americans gave as good as they got and repulsed every assault, though with heavy losses on both sides.
As the Germans realized the opportunity they had, they brought in more forces and renewed attacks over the next few days. The Americans sent out carrier pigeons, but these were shot down by snipers. After a few days, a pigeon escaped but either had the wrong coordinates or the American artillery was simply off, and Allied shells began raining down on the beleaguered Americans.
Whittlesey finally sent out a last desperate message with his only remaining pigeon, named Cher Ami. Cher flew off, but an exploding shell burst just beneath her, sending her falling to the ground. She recovered and flew off again with the Germans furiously firing after her. Cher Ami arrived at the artillery headquarters with a through-and-through bullet wound, shrapnel taking one eye and a leg dangling off. The message read:
“We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake stop it.”
Cher Ami was worked on by the combat medics and made a full recovery, though sporting a wooden leg from then on. She had saved the Americans who now had less than half their force remaining unwounded. Groups of injured men kept up the fight as well and what started as a huge American liability was now a mighty thorn in the side of German defense, as multiple regiments were dedicated to forcing the surrender or wiping out the isolated Americans.
After a week of suffering, the 77th was finally relieved, having caused so many problems for the Germans that they were unprepared for the attack and were pushed back. Several medals of honor were awarded and the 77th got a well-deserved break, knowing they followed orders and helped win the war.