Pigeon Messages: “There is nothing to eat.”

 

 

(c) Crown copyright images reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, Kew, UK

Catalog numbers: ADM199/2475  #309, #313, #314, #315,  #316

 

 

     I apologize for not getting this post done over the weekend as per usual.  A pigeon died on Sunday, January 23.  We saw him in the yard with a broken wing on Tuesday.  He bravely refused help until he walked into the house on Saturday afternoon.

     It brings tears again that because it was the weekend, no vets could see him.

     I named him Walter on Sunday because the pigeon in A Pigeon’s Tale by S.A. Mahan suffered from a broken wing too.  Walter’s grace, dignity, and good humor right until the end overwhelmed me.   I learned a lot from him and if he had lived, I could have learned more.

     In honor of Walter and all brave pigeons who try to deal with their injuries on their own, I donated $1000 to Palomacy, the pigeon and dove rescue group in San Francisco.  If you would like to do something to honor Walter, search pigeonrescue.org and then click on donate.

     Until January 30, I will send the first three people to email their mailing address, phone number and full name a copy of A Pigeon’s Tale.  Please use jspangler8@yahoo.com. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pigeon Messages: “The ‘blackshirts’ try to get out of it when they get orders to go to Russia.”

 

 

(c) Crown copyright images reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, Kew, UK

Catalog numbers: ADM199/2475  #413, #414, #300, #305, #306, #307, #308

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pigeon Questions and Intelligence on Coastal Defenses

 

(c) Crown copyright images reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, Kew, UK

Catalog numbers: 

ADM199/2475  #201, #202, #203, #204, #206, #207, #208, #409, #410, #411

 

This post includes the list of questions for the questionnaire referenced in the letter above, a pigeon message, and intelligence on  the defense system built by the Germans on the coast of France.  I included the defense pages because I found it interesting to

read what was known in early 1943 and to learn the sources of that intelligence.

     The questionnaire was dropped with pigeons into Occupied Europe as part of Operation Columba.  When people found the pigeon, they sent the pigeon back with their answers. Operation Columba produced useful intelligence, but thousands of pigeons didn’t return because they weren’t found and died alone in their containers, they were eaten, they were shot by snipers, or killed by hawks.  R.I.P. brave birds.