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Coop d'etat

From a recently declassified paper written for the British Security Service on August 28, 1945.

Defensively, this department has investigated cases of suspected illicit use of pigeons. We instigated a watch by posts on the southern and southeastern coasts for any pigeons flying out to sea. We started a Falconry Unit, with two falconers and trained falcons. Whilst we never brought down an enemy bird we did demonstrate that we could bring down any pigeon that crossed the area we were patrolling.

Just prior to D-Day, all the fanciers living near the southern coasts were asked to assist in a scheme to decoy into their lofts any enemy birds: they were asked to organize the times at which they let their birds out for their daily flights so that there were always some birds in the air to attract tired enemy birds to join them.

We also arranged a little plan to hinder the use of pigeons in Belgium and Holland by “contaminating” their lofts. Copying the markings of captured enemy pigeons, we had a number of exact replicas made and put them onto English pigeons. We then released the birds—free and without parachutes—from aircraft over Belgium and Holland. Far from home and lost, they would find their way—as homing pigeons always do—to some loft, and as all lofts were enemy-controlled, it would be a German loft. There they would be taken in, and if used for message carrying would of course go astray. Sooner or later the Germans would discover they had been fooled and they would have to call in all their pigeons to check which were the impostors. Whilst they were doing this they would be unable to use any of their pigeon services.

At the present moment Europe is disordered and stunned, but as things settle down, it is possible that resistance forces may emerge and that such forces might use pigeons for clandestine communication, and we feel that Intelligence Services should have a pigeon loft at their disposal. At this loft, experimental work could be carried out (such as the release of pigeons from new and faster types of aircraft), and Intelligence could be kept abreast of any new developments. We feel that it would not be difficult to find a pigeoneer who would be willing to take on such a job for the interest of the thing, and without remuneration.

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SEE ALSO: Homing pigeons; Secret service; War use

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