It is 3 October 1918. World War I is raging across Europe. On the Western Front in France, 500 men from the 77th Division of the US Army Signal Corps find themselves trapped behind enemy lines. Surrounded by German troops, and strafed by friendly artillery fire, many of the men are killed or wounded. By the second day, fewer than 200 men of the 'Lost Battalion' are left alive. As the situation grows ever more desperate, their only hope is to get a message out for help. One by one, the men sent out their homing pigeons. One by one, the pigeons are picked off, until only one, Cher Ami ('Dear Friend'), is left. She is dispatched with a note in a canister attached to her left leg. But, as Cher Ami tries to fly home, the Germans spot her and open fire...Would she survive and save the Lost Battalion, or was all hope gone? This book tells the true story of Cher Ami's astonishing courage in the face of overwhelming odds. But Cher Ami was not alone. She was one of tens of thousands of pigeons that flew on heroic missions during World War I and World War II.Chosen for their speed and homing instinct, these little birds played a vital part in the war effort, winning many medals for bravery.