HOW A HOMING PIGEON SAVED THE LOST BATTALION OF WORLD WAR I (DUSTY SHELVES)

A BETTER PEACE continues its Dusty Shelves series with "How a Homing Pigeon Saved the Lost Battalion of World War I." Frank Blazich and Jacqueline E. Whitt discuss the means of communication available during World War I and why homing pigeons were so successful despite the emergence of new technologies such as the telephone. This was shown clearly in the case a carrier pigeon, who in October 2018 flew the message that stopped the friendly artillery barrage raining down on the Lost Battalion. Given the risks associated with modern information technologies, are there roles for non-tech means on the future battlefield? May we see pigeons once again used in war?