GIGLIOLA MAGRINI

Trans. From Italian

In order to understand until in bottom the spirit of this history it must rifarsi to the First world war and the insufficient then existing mass media, a lot that to make from messengers often came employed the doves travellers.

One of these called Cher Ami and was in forces to colombaia of the troops the Americans taken part in Europe, exactly to the New battalion York of the seventieth division with to head the greater C. S. Whittlesey. 27 October 1918, the battalion who fought in French territory, incuneò between the enemy forces taking care the fortress of Verdun, in Lorena, not far away from the border with the Lussemburgo.

To this point the irreparabile happened: the enemy sluices to tenaglia around the fortress and began the state of besieges.

In order to communicate with the base American who found itself to Rampont, to the thirty distance kilometers, the greater Whittlesey had to disposition only a sure number of doves, inasmuch as to the soldiers it was impossible to exit from the fortress.

The small, wingeds messengers, that they brought tied to zampetta a demanded urgent of aid, came at intervals launch regular, but as soon as they took the flight did not come pulled down from the sharpshooters who watched the fort. In last he remained only he, Cher Ami destined to complete an indeed heroic enterprise, that it allowed the Americans to take part ready and to free the lost battalion, that is the lost battalion.

Cher Ami, completed the guideline turns headed straight at colombaia of Rampont, exceeding miraculously the first curtain of bullets. It seemed that the enterprise had succeeded when an isolated gunman hit the little animal just to the leg that brought the message, maciullandola. The bullet crossed also the chest of Cher Ami, but the single little animal equally caught up the goal in venticinque tiny.

Fortunately the container of the reduced message penzolava from the zampetta in brandelli and therefore the enterprise of Columbus had the hoped outcome.

Cher Ami came cured and, in spite of the mutilation, it still lived to along. When it died came imbalsamato and it can be still seen to the Smithsonian Institution, U. S. National Museum, in Washington.

To Verdun, to right of the door that immette in the fortress, a lapide remembers the heroic behavior indeed of Cher Ami and us seems that the acknowledgment is more than deserved.