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Operation Columba–The Secret Pigeon Service: The Untold Story of World War II Resistance in Europe

byGordon Corera

Gordon Corera tells the story of Operation Columba, a British wartime program that parachuted homing pigeons into occupied Europe so civilians and resistance networks could return intelligence. Tiny canisters carried reports about German troops, weapons, installations, morale, and local conditions across dangerous borders. Farmers, families, agents, handlers, and birds formed an improvised communications system beyond radio surveillance. The book reconstructs successful messages, betrayals, uncertainty, and the lives of contributors long hidden by secrecy. Corera shows how low technology, trust, and ordinary courage supported intelligence operations against Nazi occupation.

Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers

Publication date

2019

Format

Print edition

Pages

352

ISBN

9780062667083