Secret Pigeon Service by Gordon Corera

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.

To read the full review, visit LibraryThing:

http://www.librarything.com/work/22253379/reviews/166075658_369920639

Secret Pigeon Service can be purchased through Amazon here