The photos below come from
the Gordon H. Hayes Collection, catalog number MSS294, held by the Holt-Atherton
Special Collections Department at the University of the Pacific Library. Used by permission. You can request reproductions of other
materials in the Gordon H. Hayes Collection by contacting librarian Nicole
Grady, ngrady@pacific.edu.
Gordon H. Hayes is the author
of The Pigeons That Went to War. He served as a pigeoneer in Africa and Italy
during World War II.
The newly added photos start
after the first photo of the British pigeons.
French pigeons
British pigeons, photo by
Hayes
Hayes's caption reads: "Looking at a wak weary B-24."
Sgt. Sylvester Sobecke
prepares pigeons for parachute drops to isolated units behind German
lines. The crate holds eight
pigeons. Sessa front, Italy.
Capt. Dave Buscall, Jr. being
decorated with the silver star by General George Patton, Jr. for his daring
rescue of three pigeoneers at Gafsa, Tunisia.
American combat mobile loft,
feeding time.
In camp
Time with pigeons
Sidney Ober, the trainer of
Miss Ober, packing a combat crate of four pigeons, for use by the Infantry
Patrol at the front. Terracina, Italy.
Not labeled
Not labeled
Jim Ginnell banding squabs at
the breeding base, Bizerte, Tunisia. The
squabs were banded at ten days old.
Not labeled
Price Day, War Correspondent
of the Baltimore Sun, using a pigeon at the Cassino front.
Not labeled
Red Bronson, driver of the
Bronx Express, one of our combat mobiles, north of Florence, Italy.
Racing Pigeons donated by
civilian fanciers awaiting shipment overseas.
Fort Geo. Meade, Maryland.
Not labeled
Cpl. Leonard Karnopp, who
produced many superb war pigeons, standing in his breeding loft at Bizerte,
Tunisia.
French pigeoneers in
Casablanca, Morocco. We used their
pigeons when we first arrived in Morocco.
Our mobile lofts were in the
house to the right. Bolonia, Italy.
This combat loft was hit by
artillery fire. Located at the Cassino
Front, Italy.
This is Yank. He should be noted for carrying a message
which prevented the capture of General Patton.
He also delivered the first news of the fall of Gafsa, North Africa.
Repairing a loft.
Not labeled.
The British Combat Mobile
Loft in Tunis, Tunisia. It proved
unwieldy for tough terrain.
An Italian mobile loft,
captured by us in Tunisia.
Not labeled.
Not labeled.
Not labeled.
This bomb fell on Hayes's
area. Fortunately, it was a dud.
Left to right: Pvt. Gognon, Pvt. Cash, and Cpl. Roush.
When the projectiles and bombs
started coming in, Sgt. Hayes and his crew dove into old German gun
emplacements.
Camouflaged and half-buried
loft at the Cassino front.
German War Bird doing the
Goose Step. Moments later this bird was
shot down by American pigeoneers., Via Reggio, Italy.
The combat mobile loft of
John Gangulio and Walt Haid in the Futa Pass, Northern Italy.
Yank
WWI 3rd Army
Lt. Ericson and Lt. Buscall,
Tebessa
French pigeons, Algiers
Camels
British pigeons, Carthage
Mark VI Tiger Tank
Not labeled
Not labeled
French pigeons, Algiers
L to R: Anthony Scurti, Cletus Moert, and Dapper Dan
Martinovich, handlers of the pigeon, Yank, at the Tebessa front, Northern
Algeria.
Sgt. Steinhaus, loft rear,
just returned for repairs from the Anzio front, San Prisco, Italy. (Notice the shrapnel holes in the loft.)
Herman Williams, co-trainer
of the pigeon named Capt. Fulton, examining the wound in the head of his pigeon
suffered while carrying a message from the front at Sessa, Italy.
Pigeoneers and combat mobile
lofts on the deck of a landing craft during the invasion of Italy at Salerno.
The Italian loft the Allies
captured in Genova, Italy, a British major in the foreground. The loft was three stories high with its
watch tower station on top.
Not labeled
Pigeoneers and mobile lofts
Lady Astor
Mobile loft
Two pigeons in foreground
Sgt. Hayes, co-trainer of the
pigeons Old Seventeen, Rain-in-the-Face, and Hawk Bait, feeding his pigeons at
the beach, La Spezia, Italy. Photo also
found in The Pigeons That Went to War.
Photo not labeled
The Last Round-up: All combat mobiles back from the field, our
last meeting on the bank of the Adige River, Italy. Photo also found in Hayes’s book The Pigeons That Went to War.
Leonard Karnopp holding the
freak pigeon with three legs. Bizerte,
Tunisia. Hayes writes that The Freak was
a great flier and much loved by the pigeoneers.
The main breeding base at San
Prisco, Italy.
Photo not labeled.
Photo not labeled.
Half-buried, a camouflaged
combat loft at the Anzio beachhead, Italy.
The combat mobile loft of
John Gangulio and Walt Haid in the Futa Pass, Northern Italy.
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