Stand up and fight!

Animals, such as horses, dogs, cats, falcons and pigeons were also conscripted. Pigeons were used for communication for ages, with every fortress having special pigeon lofts. Even if there was famine – a companion of every siege (Zamość suffered terrible famine during a 10-month siege in 1813) and all dogs, cats and most horses had been eaten, pigeons were left intact, as the last means of communication with the world. Pigeons can carry 10g letters with a speed of about 120 km/h. It might seem that the communication role of the pigeon in the age of the telephone, radio and aviation disappeared. Nothing could be further from the truth; pigeons were used during the two world wars. About 7 thousand pigeons were used during Operation Normandy in June 1944 in order to ensure radio silence for as long as possible. For their heroism in the battlefield, the animals were awarded Dickin Medal, an equivalent of the Victoria Cross, a British award for services for the country. 3 horses, 32 pigeons, 18 dogs and a cat were awarded the medal, instituted in 1843. In London there is a magnificent and heart-breaking Animals in War Memorial. A pigeon can also contribute to the rise of a financial empire. Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777-1836) used carrier pigeons to send information fast. Before the crucial battle of Waterloo of 18 June 1815, he sent an observer with a pigeon to make sure he was the first to know the result of the battle and it was Rothschild who learned about Napoleon’s defeat three days earlier than the rest of London stock-exchange investors. This item of information ensured the financial power of the family.