Horses, dogs, pigeons, the animals that served France during the Great War are numerous.
And some of them have become real national heroes, such as Vaillant, rock pigeon born in 1915, registration number 787-15.
Vaillant is just one of the thousands of pigeons used to carry messages, but the conditions in which he accomplished his mission will earn him official recognition in the country.
This is a crucial mission, at the heart of one of the most important campaigns of the conflict, the Battle of Verdun.
At the end of May 1916, Commander Sylvain Raynal, at the head of Fort Vaux and his 600 men, found himself surrounded by German troops.
Telephone communications are cut off, and the German army drops a deluge of shells on the buried fortress.
Valiant's Mission
Commander Raynal needs reinforcements, artillery support and supplies.
The soldiers lack everything as they face German poison gas.
The commander has four pigeons ready to deliver his messages to the citadel of Verdun and, on June 2, when the situation becomes untenable, he sends a first bird.
This one manages to pass the enemy fire, but he arrives very seriously injured.
Worse, her ring has disappeared, along with the message it contained.
Raynal sends two other pigeons, directly killed by the Germans.
On June 4, he wrote a final message:
“We are still holding on, but we are under attack by very dangerous gases and fumes.
We urgently need to get out.
[…] This is my last pigeon.
»
This one manages to cross the fumes but he is seriously intoxicated, and when he delivers his message, he is on the point of death.
The dovecotes try to save the one they call “Le Vaillant”, but the bird succumbs.
For having carried out his mission with courage, and even if the fort of Vaux surrendered on June 7, he received the ring of honor and a summons to the order of the Nation.
A legendary pigeon
Stuffed, Vaillant was presented at the International Poultry Exhibition in 1920, before joining the military dovecote of Mont-Valérien in Suresnes where it is still kept.
His commitment, like that of his 30,000 congeners who served during the conflict, is honored at Fort Vaux, on a plaque dedicated
to “the pigeon fanciers who died for France and the pigeon of Verdun”
.
Somewhat forgotten over the years, Vaillant's bravery was remembered in 2005 with the animated film
Vaillant, pigeon de combat!
But the scenario takes some liberties with the story, since this Valiant served during the Second World War, and under the British colors...
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