Tanks Hack Game Pigeon

[Malka Sedano]

WorldWar I was one of the first great wars during the industrial revolution. From the introduction of airplanes to the use of tanks and railway guns on the battlefield, soldiers had to contend not only with each other but with the productions of the factory floor. Even the recent invention of the telephone made its way into battlefield units, where soldiers used it to convey orders or direct artillery fire.

The National Archives has a vast collection of messages that these feathered fighters delivered for American soldiers. Using these messages and the history of the carrier pigeon in battle, we can look at what hardship these fearless fowls endured and how their actions saved American lives.

One of the most impressive things about the war records of the carrier pigeons was how widely the birds were used. Their service as battlefield messengers is their most known use, and the pigeons found homes in every branch of service.

The rudimentary airplanes of the embattled countries used pigeons to provide updates midair. Launched mid-mission, the birds would fly back to their coops and update ground commanders on what the pilots had observed. Quick updates like this were essential for leaders to know what the battlefield looked like and what the enemy was doing in its own trenches.

Tanks carried the birds in order to relay the advance of individual units. Even after the introduction of the radio, pigeons were often the easiest way to help coordinate tank units without exposing the men to dangerous fire. Without a radio set, the soldiers would have had to leave the relative safety of their tanks to relay or receive orders.

The mobile lofts were useful when the armies outpaced their established lines of communications or when the enemy disrupted communications lines for the telegraphs or telephones, as they often did during battle.

While the other Allied powers were first to use birds, the United States did not lag far behind when we entered the fray. During the course of the war, many birds performed heroic deeds in the course of service and became heroes in their own rights.

During the 100th anniversary of World War I, we take a moment to remember the lives lost and the sacrifices they made in the name of freedom. Without the actions of birds like Cher Ami and President Wilson, many more American soldiers would have died in World War I.

Please include the facts that the Passenger Pigeon went extinct, hunted out of existence, by September 1914. Their numbers used to be in the hundreds of millions, but in the course of just 100 years their numbers dwindled to zero because there were virtually no efforts to protect this bird species that had served our country so well.

There were many billions of Passenger Pigeons, alas. But this article is about the humble rock pigeon or dove [all white pigeons], that inhabit our barns & cities. When they are bred properly, they become splendid racers & homing birds. They saved thousands of soldiers & downed at sea airmen in WW1 & WW2. I think that they now occupy, along with those Asian doves the niche the Passenger Pigeon did.

Where cumbersome, insecure, and unreliable wireless sets, along with telephones, signal lights, and flares failed, pigeons succeeded. When human runners could not pass through walls of barrage fire, pigeons rose above the explosions and the gas and flew swiftly to their lofts, bearing dispatches in tiny cylinders attached to their legs.

The usefulness of pigeons in modern warfare had come as something of a surprise to the British. Pigeons were a proven, indeed time-honoured, form of communication. Originally domesticated around 4500 BC, they had marched (or rather flown) with the armies of Ramesses II, King Solomon, Julius Caesar, and Genghis Khan. Yet, by the latter half of the 19th century, while pigeon fancying was becoming an increasingly popular hobby, especially among the working class, for military purposes they seemed to have been entirely supplanted by the telegraph.

Events during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, however, had reaffirmed their military utility. Prussian cavalry patrols pushing rapidly into France had severed telegraph lines, and isolated French garrisons soon resorted to sending dispatches by carrier pigeons loaned by local fanciers.

Officials in Paris, besieged for four months during the conflict, also organised a carrier-pigeon service that delivered hundreds of thousands of messages for the beleaguered city. The military implications of this achievement were not lost on Continental soldiers, and by 1914 extensive networks of lofts had been established across Europe by the armies of all the leading powers.

Over the same period, back in Britain, A H Osman, editor of the Racing Pigeon journal , was commissioned into the Army and given responsibility for organising a carrier-pigeon service for home defence, and for supplying both birds (thousands of which were freely given to the war effort by patriotic fanciers) and suitably qualified men for both the Army and volunteer trawler crews involved in minesweeping at sea.

By early 1917, however, the Carrier Pigeon Service had established an extensive network of lofts, both fixed and mobile, the latter either motorised or horse-drawn. In the interests of the speedy delivery of messages, mobile lofts were often boldly pushed up close to the front-line; Waley, rather uneasily, recorded their presence within 2,000 yards of enemy positions on occasion.

[a divisional signals officer] mentioned that when messages were over 30 words the pigeon nearly always beat the wire, as a certain amount of time was always lost in re-transmitting the wire from Brigade to Divisional Headquarters.

Binfield released their last pigeon, calling for support from the gunners. Fourteen minutes later, and in the nick of time, the barrage fell between them and their attackers, whose assault withered away.

Yet, overall, August 1917 was a month of unremitting fighting with limited success. Sir Hubert Gough, who initially directed the main thrust, struggled to secure the crucial Gheluvelt Plateau. The German infantry suffered agonies under the relentless pounding of the British guns, but they endured, contesting every shell-hole line with bomb and bayonet.

Then heavy rain intervened, turning the battlefield into a swamp. Gough was replaced by the methodical Sir Herbert Plumer. He paused the offensive, built up his artillery, and meticulously planned the next move, aiming for limited but achievable objectives.

[the loft at Vlamertinghe Chateau] had supplied 80 birds to tanks, assaulting troops, and intelligence OPs [observation posts]. Forty messages had come in and a large number of birds had also brought in maps. [V Corps loft] had sent up 120 birds for the offensive and 50 messages had been received in excellent times from assaulting troops, tanks, artillery OPs, and intelligence OPs.

But the skies opened again and the offensive floundered in the mud. Most military historians agree that it was unnecessarily prolonged at this stage, reaching its dismal climax when the indefatigable Canadian infantry finally captured Passchendaele and its environs in early November.

Pigeons were still doing useful service to the end, but their losses were mounting. Many young, semi-trained birds were being sent up the line and released into gales, driving rain, and snow, only to disappear.

During the allied counter-offensives of summer and autumn 1918, the war became more mobile. As the distance between advancing troops and lofts opened up, the pigeons became more of a supplementary means of communication. They never entirely lost their value for attacking troops, but the plans laid for 1919 placed greater emphasis on dogs and wireless.

The gas essentially moves right into pipelines, while the water and condensate move into the tanks. The condensate and water naturally separate and the lighter condensate moves to the top. Or, the condensate and water are split into different tanks.

Industry does sell the condensate. The website gasprominfo.com says it is used to make high-octane petrol, as well as jet, diesel, and boiler fuels. It is also used in the production of plastics, synthetic rubbers, fibers and resins.

Energy is a broad and confusing topic. In this series, Inside Energy reporters de-mystify the wonkiness that dominates so much of the energy conversation, through answering your questions, as well as questions we encounter in the field. What's your energy head scratcher? Submit it at ask.insideenergy.org, e-mail it to us at A...@insideenergy.org, or tweet it to @InsideEnergyNow with hashtag #MyEnergyQuestion.

Safe drinking water is vital for the good health of you and your family and the people who visit your home. Water used for drinking, teeth cleaning, hand washing, bathing, showering, food preparation, and cooking needs to be free from harmful germs and chemicals. If your water comes from a water collection tank, it is up to you to keep your water safe and reduce the risk of water-borne illness from contaminated tank water. If your water comes from a mains supply, your water safety is monitored by your local authority.

Roof areas should be kept clear of overhanging vegetation to prevent leaves and other debris from falling onto the catchment. Overhanging branches also give rodents, cats, and possums access to the roof and allow birds to roost above it.

Water that is untreated or from mixed sources is often corrosive and plastic pipes should be used to carry cold water. If you are installing a new system, see Household Water Supplies for more information.

Water filters help remove impurities from your household water. To treat all household water, place the filter at the point where the water enters your house. To treat some of the water, put the filter on the appropriate tap. Always install filters in places where it can be easily inspected and cleaned.

If you need to fill your water tanks from an external source, such as in times of low rainfall, use a registered water carrier. To find a registered water carrier in your area, see the Register of Water Carriers for New Zealand on the Taumata Arowai website. Ask the carrier for a delivery docket that includes information about the source of the water and any instructions for use (such as whether it needs boiling).

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