France Medal

Is it true, that in France,?

pigeons can serve in the military and be awarded a medal “Croix de Guerre” with Palm for heroic deeds?

Yes.
Pigeons have long played an important role in war. Due to their homing ability, speed, and altitude, they were often used as military messengers. After World War II, they ceased being used.

In 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War, when Paris was surrounded by Prussian troops, the French military used hot air balloons to transport homing pigeons past enemy lines. Microfilm images containing hundreds of messages allowed letters to be carried into Paris by pigeon from as far away as London. More than one million different messages travelled this way during the four month siege.

One of their homing pigeons, a Black Check cock named Cher Ami, was awarded the French “Croix de Guerre with Palm” for heroic service delivering 12 important messages during the Battle of Verdun. On his final mission in October 1918, he delivered a message despite having been shot through the breast or wing. The crucial message, found in the capsule hanging from a ligament of his shattered leg, saved about 200 US soldiers of the 77th Infantry Division’s “Lost Battalion”.

The unit award of the Croix de guerre was issued to military commanders who performed heroic deeds in combat and were subsequently recognized by headquarters.The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts. The Croix de guerre was also commonly bestowed on foreign military forces allied to France and Belgium.
Pigeon were used as messenger.
Pigeon had been used for their best memory.

Britain’s Oldest Veteran receives France’s highest Military Medal