In 1944, a small patrol of US marines hacked through dense jungle towards a waiting enemy.
The Americans were investigating a Japanese force preparing to retake Manus Island.
Shots rang out and soon the patrol was surrounded. Nothing was getting through on the radio.
The marines' only hope of rescue would be carried on the wings of three Australian homing pigeons.
One by one the birds were released, but as they broke the canopy, the first two were cut down by a hail of enemy fire.
Their last messenger was a blue-chequer cock pigeon by the name Q879 from Loft No. 5 of 1 Australian Pigeon Section, Australian Corps of Signals.
Unlike his contemporaries whose poetic names, such as White Vision and All Alone, befitted heroic actions, unassuming warrior Q879 soared skywards as bullets zipped past his feathers until he disappeared into the distance.
The little pigeon carried his life-saving message at the speed of almost one kilometre a minute.
Almost 50km away, Q879 spotted his loft from high above and dove towards his nest.
A tripwire bell attached to the loft let signallers know a message had arrived.
Commanders called a fire mission on the Japanese position. The marines were saved.
For his efforts, Q879 was awarded the Dickin Medal - the Victoria Cross for animals - in 1947.
'The pigeons we use have pedigrees going back generations, sometimes 200 years'
February 24 was National Day for War Animals and a chance to reflect on the contribution animals have made to Defence.
The Dickin Medal has been awarded 73 times since 1943, with almost half the medals going to pigeons.
Pigeons have flown in the face of danger since before the ancient Greeks.
Few know of these animals' extraordinary abilities better than Peter D'Arcy. He's one of the ACT's top racers and has been involved in the sport for decades.
His pigeons find their way home over distances greater than 1000km.
For the last race of the season, Mr D'Arcy and a dozen or so others will drive to Charleville in outback Queensland.
"We let them go when the sun comes up and on a reasonable day, depending on the wind, they'll arrive back in Canberra before sunset," Mr D'Arcy said.
Pigeons can see for kilometres, including the ultraviolet spectrum, and it's believed they navigate Earth using magnetic fields.
Predators, storms, rain and fog are trouble - even a solar spike can throw off a pigeon's sense of direction.
With such speed and consistency, it's no surprise they've been used by militaries for eons to span great distances.
Wireless communications were an emerging technology during World War 1, but commanders still relied on dogs, pigeons, runners, mirrors and signal lamps to send messages to and from the front.
Technology leaped forward between world wars, and the mastery of the electromagnetic spectrum took the wind from beneath the pigeons' wings.
But in mountainous regions, such as Manus Island where Q879 saved the day, radio communications were sketchy - pigeons still had a role to play on the battlefield.
In 1942, the Australian Corps of Signals raised a pigeon unit, made up of personnel who had been pigeon fanciers before enlisting.
About 13,500 birds were donated to the newly created Australian Corps of Signals Pigeon Service, intended to connect coastal-defence outposts in Australia before expanding to Papua New Guinea.
"Pigeon fliers bred birds off their best pedigree for the war effort and they would send them to train with very experienced pigeon racers who joined the Army," Mr D'Arcy said.
"The Army person with birds in the field was very skilled because they've got to move the birds around.
"The birds have remarkable eyesight and were taught to look for a big X on top of their loft."
'The Army person with birds in the field was very skilled because they've got to move the birds around.'
City pigeons dodging bicycles and pecking around bus stops are not too different to those original signals birds. But Mr D'Arcy said comparing pigeons with racing pedigree to those without was like comparing a thoroughbred to a draft horse.
"The pigeons we use have pedigrees going back generations, sometimes 200 years," Mr D'Arcy said.
The newly raised pigeon service set up breeding lofts all around PNG, as pigeons unaccustomed to mountainous jungle terrain had difficulty homing in tropical rain and mist. And it wasn't long before these little birds made a big impact.
Another Australian Dickin Medal winner, blue bar cock pigeon No 139 flew through a storm to send word about a sinking Army ship near PNG.
All up, 139 flew more than 20 missions over thousands of kilometres.
By the 1950s, use of High Frequency radios to enable wireless transmission of voice messages over distances of up to 150km were well in use.
The following decade introduced encrypted Very High Frequency radios, before widespread use of satellite communications during operations in East Timor-Leste.
Head of Corps of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals Brigadier Deane Limmer said the philosophy that resulted in pigeons serving with Australian forces continued in the corps.
"The use of pigeons was based around a conversation about how we can improve communications and that conversation continues today," Brigadier Limmer said.
"The 2024 National Defence Strategy provided the formal direction to shape, deter and respond, and that drives our current plans. As in the past, RA Sigs continues to evolve to meet the needs of the Army and to support an integrated, focused force."
This year is the 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals. The theme is 'celebrate, commemorate and connect', with senior corps members encouraging all current and former members and families to join events held across the country this year.
