GI Joe (carrier pigeon)
GI Joe (born March 24, 1943 in Algiers , † June 3, 1961 in Detroit ) was a famous carrier pigeon in the US Army with missions in North Africa and Italy . At the time of the Second World War she was a member of the US Army Pigeon Service . Besides Cher Ami, GI Joe is one of the most famous carrier pigeons in the world.
Life
Shortly after he hatched, GI Joe was used by the US Army to deliver messages. First of all, the young postman in Tunisia , especially at Bizerta , brought military messages. However, he was relocated to Italy only a few months later .
GI Joe's most famous outing took place on October 18, 1943 in the small Italian town of Calvi Vecchia . The 56th British Brigade had succeeded in taking the city without major resistance from the German troops. The Allies had not anticipated this. The US Army was supposed to make it easier for the British Army to capture Calvi Vecchia by air raids . However, any attempt to contact the allies to stop the attack failed. GI Joe was therefore entrusted with delivering the important message. He covered the 30 kilometers to the US command base in just 20 minutes and arrived before the aircraft took off. GI Joe is credited with saving over 100 soldiers and thousands of civilians.
Due to the service of GI Joe, he was solemnly awarded the British War Award Dickin Medal for Animals by the Lord Mayor of London in November 1946 .
GI Joe spent the rest of his life in the dovecotes of the "Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame" near New York City and from 1957 in the zoological garden of Detroit, where he finally died at the age of 18.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b October 18, 1943: Winton T. Prater: Carrier Pigeon “GI Joe” wins medal , World War II Today; accessed on November 21, 2014.
- ↑ American Racing Pigeon Union: GI Joe