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Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Columba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Unavailable
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Columba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Unavailable
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Columba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Audiobook10 hours

Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Columba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe

Written by Gordon Corera

Narrated by William Hope

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

Gordon Corera uses declassified documents and extensive original research to tell the story of MI14(d) and the Secret Pigeon Service for the first time.

‘This is an amazing story’ Simon Mayo, BBC Radio 2

Between 1941 and 1944, sixteen thousand plucky homing pigeons were dropped in an arc from Bordeaux to Copenhagen as part of 'Columba' – a secret British operation to bring back intelligence from those living under Nazi occupation. The messages flooded back written on tiny pieces of rice paper tucked into canisters and tied to the legs of the birds. Authentic voices from rural France, the Netherlands and Belgium – they were sometimes comic, often tragic and occasionally invaluable with details of German troop movements and fortifications, new Nazi weapons, radar system or the deployment of the feared V-1 and V-2 rockets that terrorized London.

Who were the people who provided this rich seam of intelligence? Many were not trained agents nor, with a few exceptions, people with any experience of spying. At the centre of this book is the ‘Leopold Vindictive’ network – a small group of Belgian villagers prepared to take huge risks. They were led by an extraordinary priest, Joseph Raskin – a man connected to royalty and whose intelligence was so valuable it was shown to Churchill, leading MI6 to parachute agents in to assist him.

A powerful and tragic tale of wartime espionage, the book brings together the British and Belgian sides of the Leopold Vindictive’s story and reveals for the first time the wider history of a quirky, quarrelsome band of spy masters and their special wartime operations, as well as how bitter rivalries in London placed the lives of secret agents at risk. It is a book not so much about pigeons as the remarkable people living in occupied Europe who were faced with the choice of how to respond to a call for help, and took the decision to resist.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 22, 2018
ISBN9780008220334
Unavailable
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Columba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Author

Gordon Corera

Gordon Corera has been the BBC’s security correspondent since 2004. He has reported from London, Moscow, and Washington, and is the only journalist to have interviewed serving heads of both the CIA and MI6. He has covered firsthand many of the central episodes in the spy wars between the three countries and has unparalleled insight into the working of all sides. He is the author of several books, including The Art of Betrayal: The Secret History of MI6, and has contributed to a number of important BBC documentary series about MI6, the CIA, and Russia.

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Reviews for Secret Pigeon Service

Rating: 3.8877551020408165 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book started out great, but didn’t stay great.A little-known episode of WWII (at least by me) was the use of homing pigeons/carrier pigeons by the Allies against the Nazis.Pigeons were dropped into occupied territories, like France and Belgium, with instructions for the finders to observe and write all they could and then send the pigeons back to England.It was only somewhat successful, but Operation Columba (being the species of pigeon) had one major success, and this is partly a story of that success.But that’s mostly the first couple of chapters. The book then turns into a look at spying and resistance in general during WWII – which is great, but that’s not what I was reading the book for. I was reading for the pigeon program.It’s an interesting subject, but it got away from the central thought, I thought, and that diminished it.I won this book from LibraryThing.For more of my book reviews, go to Ralphsbooks.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A well-researched book about the British homing pigeons dropped in Nazi Europe in order to obtain intelligence from local resistance groups. The author reveals the petty internal rivalries which threatened the effectiveness of the Pigeon Service.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A small but interesting part of WW2. It clearly was also a world war as it entered into the fairly widespread but also the strange world of pigeons. Local resistance was a very important part of the war against the Germans and required different forms of communication to connect them and the Free World. Thoroughly researched but difficult to describe and sustain interest; this channel never seemed to become reliable enough to depend on.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was an Early Review selection from librarything.com. It was fascinating to learn about the pigeon spies used during WWII. Particular focus was centered on Belgium and the resistance network which developed as a result of one pigeon being found with a call for intelligence. I definitely gained a sense of the complexity of gathering intelligence, communicating it, and the terrible risks courageous individuals will take to defend their beliefs! Well-written in general, there were some repetitions that could have been edited out. Overall, a very interesting and informative read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In the end, I enjoyed this detailed, true history of a small but exciting part of WWII. Homing Pigeons were used to provide the British with intelligence from the resistance in Belgium and other parts of northwest Europe. The locals who sent messages back to the British in hope of helping in the war effort to defeat the German occupiers were brave, sometimes smart and skilled, sometimes foolish and indulged in too much bragging, to fatal ends for some of them. There were times when reading the book it became a bit of a slog finding my way though accounts of bureaucratic controversies and conflicts. Also, sometimes the accounts of who helped from the occupied territories were somewhat confusing, in part because they were, after all, spies. The smart ones did not make their efforts well known.Recommend for lovers of history books, particularly about WWII in Europe.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I am slightly wary of posting this review on 1 April as I recognise that some people might wonder whether the book is genuine. It is indeed an authentic history of the use of pigeons by the intelligence services during the war. At the behest of MI6, thousands of carrier pigeons were dropped in small crates over territory occupied by the Germans during the Second World War. These crates came complete with tiny parachutes, and each contained a carrier pigeon, a small supply of food and a message in the local language requesting that whoever might find the bird should feed it, and then affix messages and descriptions of any local German army or air force installations. Of course, many crates landed without being found, leaving the poor occupant to die of thirst and hunger. Many more were intercepted by German soldiers, while still more were discovered but, in a time of severe food shortages, ended up in a grateful recipient’s oven. Still, a considerable number were discovered by locals who, at great risk to themselves, took the pigeons home, and prepared notes to be sent back to Britain, where a network had been established to collate and process the information provided. This was, of course, far from fool proof, and there was no reliable way of sifting genuine intelligence material provided by members of the Resistance from deliberate misinformation sent by Germans.This all now seems somehow very twee, and almost desperate, but at the time of the Second World War, pigeon owning was far more common in Britain and Western Europe, especially so in Belgium, whence much of the most useful intelligence originated. Pigeon fanciers across the United Kingdom agreed to surrender some of their finest birds to help the war effort.Gordon Corera is perhaps best known as the Security and intelligence correspondent for the BBC, and it is clear that he has had access to some very detailed, and presumably generally inaccessible, records. His book is well written, and sheds a fascinating insight into this little-known aspect of the intelligence gathering mechanisms from the war.My one slight cavil about the book is that he seems to be stretching to make a free-standing work out of it. I wonder whether it might have worked better in a slightly condensed form as a couple of chapters in a longer history of intelligence work.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The secret pigeon service used during WWII was something I had heard very little about. But I was keen to know more, for sure. I found these little guys amazing, how you can carry them blindfolded hundreds of miles from their home, and they will find their way back, quickly and efficiently.They were used successfully in WWI to carry messages, and it was decided to try them again in Nazi occupied Belgium. Air dropped with little parachutes attached, they would float down to farm fields and meadows, to be found by civilians and then hopefully set off home again with some sort of secret message attached to their legs, attached by a citizen willing to risk his or her life by providing information about the Germans that they might have learned by chance.So the birds could not have done what they did without the people, and some of the people turned themselves into amateur spies for the resistance. They made a choice to act when faced with tyranny. Many did not; some actually turned the pigeons in to the Germans, or ate them for dinner. It was quite fascinating. But only for awhile. Unfortunately, way too many people were introduced and lots of facts. When the pigeons were no longer center stage, my interest waned.An ARC from LibraryThing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Operation Columba is a gem of a find. There are hundreds of books about WWII in general and the major battles, but the work behind the scenes is often overlooked. The book is an excellent account of how ordinary people were able to provide useful intelligence to the British military through the use of the humble pigeon. I have a pretty extensive WWII library but had not run across this topic. A must read for the enthusiast.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not just a story about pigeons during World War II, it is also the story of a brave group of Belgian civilians who gathered valuable information, at the risk of paying the ultimate price. I thought this was extremely well written and interesting to read and definitely covered a small niche of the war, giving it a unique perspective. This one is about people and pigeons, not about weapons and armies. Definitely worth reading if just for the human interest stories.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Operation Columba: The Secret Pigeon Service by Gordon Corera details a fascinating time in British military history when patriotism took flight. The book is as suspenseful as any John le Carré or Graham Greene novel. It’s a true British spy story about the pigeon carriers who flew messages, intelligence gatherings and tiny maps across the English Channel during WWII.Like all espionage sagas, surveillance, sabotage, refugees and spies are involved, as well as messenger pigeons who infiltrate German-occupied Europe while engaging in dogfights with German hawks.The story’s action is structured around the British Army’s Special Pigeon Service and the heroic tale of “Leopold Vindictive”, a network of Belgian farmers led by the priest Joseph Raskin. The resistance group became amateur secret agents when they found British spy birds in their fields. Attaching tiny notes and maps to their legs, they released them back to England. Interwoven with the daring accounts of the villagers behind enemy lines are details of the involvement of the Military Intelligence and the Special Operations agents who provided a crucial link with the group. Corera’s book showcases how each time the pigeons flew across the English Channel, they became a symbol of hope that the countries gripped by the Nazi regime would be eventually free.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book may change the mind of anyone who thinks of pigeons as "rats with wings." ;-)What do you do if you're in a British Intelligence service during WWII and need information from occupied Europe by those who are "on the ground." Apparently you think outside the box and determine that messenger pigeons may be the answer. This was a surprisingly interesting book about just that: the use of the pigeons to attempt to make contact with those in occupied Europe who would be willing the spy and the use of the pigeons to send that information back to Britain. It's an interesting story and a lovely tribute to the people who risked everything to try to help free their countries. Thanks to the Library Thing Early Review program and the publisher for the copy of this book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Enjoyed this book immensely! Being an avid birder, heavy WWII reader, and an Air Force veteran, I was surprised I hadn't run across this military operation before. I've always had a love of birds in general (and all the animals that assist the armed forces), but this book has given me an even greater appreciation of the pigeon. Even if your shelves are bulging with WWII history, this gem is worth adding to the collection. Thank you Early Reviewers and William Morrow for making this quality read available!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Gordon Corera’s book “Operation Columbia: The Secret Pigeon Service: the untold story of World War II resistance in Europe” is what I needed to read in this time and place. It is a history of war but it is not soaked in blood and misery, at least not human blood and misery. The people whose story this is are an inspiring / amusing / courageous collection of competent (ish) characters. Best of all it exposed me to new information and sparked my curiosity. I knew about Cher Ami, from WWI. I have even seen her taxidermied body in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I did not know that homing pigeons were used in WWII and beyond. I did not know that after much debate it was decided that, like dogs, pigeons intelligence and bravery should be recognized with military awards. Did you know that pigeons were awarded more commendations during WWII than dogs? Corera’s book was enjoyable, informative, and it made me feel a little respect for carrier pigeons.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What an intriguing and enjoyable book!I have read some great books (and seen movies) about horses and dogs that assisted during wartime. But I never knew about the homing pigeons who proved so valuable in transporting information during World War II. Operation Columba: The Secret Pigeon Service is very well researched. In addition, it is absolutely absorbing read. Even better than the most entertaining spy novel, because the story of these amazing birds and the brave people who worked with them is true!I'd also like to add ….. this book exemplifies the reason I dearly love the ER program. I might never have even been aware of the existence of Operation Columba, and yet I was lucky enough to win a copy which was delivered right to my mailbox. Thank you!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    “The Belgian farmer could see there was something odd in his field… It was early on a July morning in 1941, just over a year after Nazi tanks had swept through the country… [It] was a small container with a length of white material attached… a parachute. Inside he could see a pair of eyes..and the unmistakable sound of a pigeon cooing… Attached to the side of the container was a message – a request for help”.World War II and history buffs! Gordon Corera’s newest book takes you into the skies over England and Belgium – attached to the leg of a carrier pigeon! This is a well-researched story of Nazi aggression, Britain’s military and intelligence services, Belgium’s brave hometown resistance fighters and the thousands of trained homing pigeons battling bullets and bad weather.Homing pigeons have been popular for hundreds of years, in peacetime, with civilians (nicknamed “pigeon fanciers”) and proved to be an invaluable asset in wartime communication. In 1941, the coastline of Europe is controlled by the Nazi war machine leaving England as a sitting duck for invasion. England was desperate to learn the status of the Nazi preparations to mount an invasion, and later, intelligence was needed for planning their own invasion of Europe allied by the United States.Agents positioned behind lines in Nazi-controlled Europe had a dangerous, limited and unreliable method of transmitting intelligence in a timely manner via radio. Delivering intelligence information via hand-offs to countries outside Nazi control took months, risked lives, and was months old and practically useless. Desperate times called for desperate measures; hence the development of Project Columba.Corera sifted through World War II military and intelligence records, letters and correspondence preserved by families of the brave resistance fighters. The result brings those perilous wartime years to life into the homes and lives of the average citizenry of Belgium, into the thickets and fortifications on the beaches, behind bars in the horrors of the Nazi camps, and into the secret enclaves of the British government agencies – often revealing the humanness and warts of those involved on all sides.Quoting General William Tecumseh Sherman, “War is hell”.The book is written in an easy to read style. Using the sparse facts available, creates a compelling story of heroism, self-sacrifice, and patriotism of individuals willing to look beyond self for the sake of country.Fabulous read. Sure to please history buffs.Advanced Reading Copy in e-book form provided via Edelweiss and a print copy awarded from LibraryThing
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Operation Columba skillfully balances novel-like interest and detail-focused history. I enjoyed myself every chapter and came out of it with a better understanding of WWII British intelligence as well as a great deal of the politics between spy agencies. It shifts between discussing resistance cells, the technology behind the operations, the actions and politics of British military intelligence, and the unique world of pigeon keeping in a world war that could make extensive use of them. I feel it focuses a little too much on too small a group of resistance conspirators, but it's understandable considering that's how the writer gained initial interest in the topic.If the topic sounds remotely interesting to you, you won't be disappointed by reading it. The story is rich and criminally under-told, I recommend it profusely to anyone with an interest in the second world war or the history of military intelligence.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed reading this book. I had no idea this even happened and loved learning about it. The book is well written, interesting, easy to read and covers a very interesting part of WW II.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A well researched account of the British "pigeon warfare" efforts during the Second World War (with some glances at the pigeon efforts by other nations in both that conflict and earlier affairs). Mostly an excellent account, though I confess there were points at which I wanted more about the pigeons and their efforts and less on the bureaucratic background. Definitely a worthwhile story, though, and a book I quite enjoyed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is very well written. While I had previously heard of the use of pigeons to fly messages to German held territory from England, I always wondered just how such. an operation could possibly work. This book answered all my question. Turns out that ultimately a Bakelite Cylinder would be attached to the leg of a pigeon. The message would be written on near translucent tracing paper which would be folded to fit in a cylinder tied on the pigeon’s leg.Large texts or maps could be reduced photographically to fit the pigeon’s leg and reduced size of the photograph could be enlarged by the recipient. The author well describes the early use of pigeons in war as well as the initial failures which caused many deaths of pigeons as well as their successes. The author claims the pigeons could still be used in current modern wars. I found this absurd given all the other current methods available to a modern army !