James Signals Corp with the 'Animals At War' educational display - pigeon 'bra' used mainly by American troops. The pigeon vest or 'bra' - an American WW2 devised method to protect carrier pigeons strapped to the chests of paratroopers as they dropped to the ground. The pigeon was a largely reliable (95% success rate) method of communicating carrying messages in a capsule attached to a leg. 32 pigeons of about 56,000 in service in WW2 received awards for their contribution. The pigeon 'bra' was designed by Ida Rosenthal & manufactured by Maidenform a brassiere company which made about 28,000 vests for the US Government.