Cher Ami
Cher Ami († 1919 ) was a famous carrier pigeon of the United States Army Signal Corps in France at the time of the First World War .
history
The pigeon Cher Ami is one of the most famous carrier pigeons in the world, alongside the pigeon GI Joe . The name “Cher Ami” comes from French and means dear friend . This phrase is a typical beginning of a French letter . Despite the male name, Cher Ami was a hen, as found in taxidermy after her death.
Cher Ami was deployed by the US Army near the French city of Verdun . It carried a total of twelve important messages. In its last mission, the carrier pigeon was seriously injured in the chest by continuous German fire while climbing up, but managed to fly on anyway. When the hen arrived at the headquarters of the 77th Infantry Division , 40 km away, after only 25 minutes , she was covered in blood and blind in one eye. In addition, her right leg was only connected to the body by a tendon. Nevertheless, Cher Ami had successfully delivered the message that had been given to her. This message came from Major Charles Whittlesey, whose 9 companies ( The lost Bataillon ) were surrounded by the German troops and were temporarily fired at by their own artillery. Thanks to the news from Cher Ami, 194 soldiers were saved.
For this mission, the pigeon was solemnly awarded the French war award Croix de guerre . In 1919 she finally died of her wounds. After her death, the carrier pigeon received further honors, such as the admission into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame . Cher Ami was later groomed and is now on display with the dog Sergeant Stubby in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History .
literature
- Joeming Dunn & Benn Dunn: Cher Ami: WWI Homing Pigeon (Famous Firsts: Animals Making History). Looking Glass Library 2011, ISBN 978-161641639-3 .
filming
- Flying Hearts (original Flying Home / 2014) - by Dominique Deruddere, u. a. with Jamie Dornan.
Web links
- Cher Ami on the National Museum of American History website.
- Cher Ami ... ¡y yo! in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Flying Home in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entry by Cher Ami as "black check hen" ( memento of the original from March 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , US Army CECOM Historical Office
