Bletchley Park and the Pigeon Spies

Over 15000 pigeons were dropped into occupied Europe during WW2. Some were used by secret agents to send messages back to headquarters. Others were dropped by parachute into France Belgium Holland and Denmark in the hope that people would complete the attached questionnaire and provided military political economic or other intelligence of value for the Allies. Photographic negatives could be sent. Bletchley Park had its own loft for its pigeon spies. This book investigates the work of MI14 known as the Colomba Service and for the first time sheds light on conditions in Occupied Europe described by extremely brave men and women who risked execution if found in possession of a pigeon. MI14 staff decoded or translated messages and forwarded copies to SOE SIS MI19 RAF RN Ministry of Economic Warfare BBC Churchill de Gaulle and President Benes of Czechoslovakia.