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Cher Ami, a US Army homing pigeon, was credited with saving the 'Lost Battalion', American soldiers cut off in France's Argonne Forest in October 1918 and shelled by their own artillery. Shot through the breast, it was said to have carried their plea 40 km to headquarters.

Argonne Forest, France, 1918

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The story behind the card

The battalion, more than 500 men under Major Charles Whittlesey, was cut off on 2 October 1918; when it was relieved six days later, 194 were able to walk out. On 4 October American shells began falling on them, and the note they sent by pigeon read, in part, 'Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us.' Cher Ami reached its loft with a breast wound and a shattered leg that army medics could not save. It received the French Croix de Guerre, died in 1919 and has been on display at the Smithsonian since 1921; a 2021 DNA test showed it was male. The same year, Smithsonian curator Frank Blazich found no firm evidence tying the bird to the battalion's rescue and concluded that the Army had polished the story to promote its pigeon service.

Türkçe oku
ABD Ordusu'nun posta güvercini Cher Ami, Ekim 1918'de Fransa'daki Argonne Ormanı'nda kuşatılıp kendi topçularının ateşi altında kalan “Kayıp Tabur”u kurtarmakla ünlendi. Anlatılana göre göğsünden vurulmasına rağmen askerlerin yardım çağrısını 40 km öteye, karargâha ulaştırdı.
Argonne Ormanı, Fransa, 1918

Binbaşı Charles Whittlesey komutasındaki 500'ü aşkın kişilik tabur, 2 Ekim 1918'de kuşatıldı; altı gün sonra kurtarıldığında ancak 194 kişi kendi ayağıyla ormandan çıkabildi. 4 Ekim'de Amerikan mermileri taburun üzerine düşmeye başladı. Güvercinle gönderdikleri notta, kısaca, kendi topçularının tam üzerlerine ateş açtığı yazıyordu. Cher Ami, göğsünde bir yara ve askerî sağlıkçıların kurtaramadığı parçalanmış bir bacakla güvercinliğe ulaştı. Fransız Savaş Haçı (Croix de Guerre) ile ödüllendirildi, 1919'da öldü ve 1921'den beri Smithsonian'da sergileniyor. 2021'de yapılan DNA testi, güvercinin erkek olduğunu gösterdi. Aynı yıl Smithsonian küratörü Frank Blazich, kuşu taburun kurtarılmasına kesin olarak bağlayan bir kanıt bulamadı; ordunun, güvercin birliğini tanıtmak için hikâyeyi süslediği sonucuna vardı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Cher Ami
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