9780062876324
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Operation Columba–The Secret Pigeon Service audiobook

  • By: Gordon Corera
  • Narrator: Derek Perkins
  • Category: History, Military, Strategy
  • Length: 9 hours 34 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio
  • Publish date: October 16, 2018
  • Language: English
  • (195 ratings)
(195 ratings)
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Operation Columba–The Secret Pigeon Service Audiobook Summary

The fascinating, untold story of how British intelligence secretly used homing pigeons as part of a clandestine espionage operation to gather information, communicate, and coordinate with members of the Resistance to defeat the Nazis in occupied Europe during World War II.

Between 1941 and 1944, British intelligence dropped sixteen thousand homing pigeons in an arc across Nazi-occupied Europe, from Bordeaux, France to Copenhagen, Denmark, as part of a spy operation code-named Columba. Returning to MI14, the secret government branch in charge of the “Special Pigeon Service,” the birds carried messages that offered a glimpse of life under the Germans in rural France, Holland, and Belgium. Written on tiny pieces of rice paper tucked into canisters and tied to the birds’ legs, these messages were sometimes comic, often tragic, and occasionally invaluable–reporting details of German troop movements and fortifications, new Nazi weapons, radar systems, and even the deployment of the feared V-1 and V-2 rockets used to terrorize London.

The people who sent these messages were not trained spies. They were ordinary men and women willing to risk their lives in the name of freedom, including the “Leopold Vindictive” network–a small group of Belgian villagers led by an extraordinary priest named Joseph Raskin. The intelligence Raskin sent back by pigeon proved so valuable that it reached Churchill and MI6 parachuted agents behind enemy lines to assist him.

Gordon Corera uses declassified documents and extensive original research to tell the story of the Operation Columba and the Secret Pigeon Service for the first time. A powerful tale of wartime espionage, bitter rivalries, extraordinary courage, astonishing betrayal, harrowing tragedy, and a quirky, quarrelsome band of spy masters and their special mission, Operation Columba opens a fascinating new chapter in the annals of World War II. It is ultimately, the story of how, in one of the darkest and most dangerous times in history, under threat of death, people bravely chose to resist.

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Operation Columba–The Secret Pigeon Service Audiobook Narrator

Derek Perkins is the narrator of Operation Columba–The Secret Pigeon Service audiobook that was written by 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.

About the Author(s) of Operation Columba–The Secret Pigeon Service

Gordon Corera is the author of Operation Columba–The Secret Pigeon Service

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Operation Columba–The Secret Pigeon Service Full Details

Narrator Derek Perkins
Length 9 hours 34 minutes
Author Gordon Corera
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date October 16, 2018
ISBN 9780062876324

Subjects

The publisher of the Operation Columba–The Secret Pigeon Service is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is History, Military, Strategy

Additional info

The publisher of the Operation Columba–The Secret Pigeon Service is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062876324.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Harry

February 23, 2018

Given the passing of the years, the thousands of books, films and TV coverage devoted to the Second World War it is quite surprising that Gordon Corera has come up with a new fact filled book on a less than well known aspect of the conflict. Not only that but it's (generally) a 'ripping yarn.' As ever his immaculate reportage clear and concise. Now and again it 'goes on a bit' with considerable 'background' and 'situation at the time', but whereas I therefor skimmed through a few pages of that detail, for those who know less than I about the overall conflict, on checking through this evening , I think they are well placed and vital to the overall picture. Highly recommended- as a good read, and with it's Carera quality research, source notes and indexing it's a valuable contribution to the record of the times. In the kindle version - where illustrations are not usually a strong point, even the map and photo's were reasonably useful / clear...and they were much needed as part of the story had focussed so much on the personalities and participants. For them, not did we benefit from their bravery but also their skill in micro design and writing so that the Pigeons could carry vital news or information back to their home bases - often, huge distances through inclement weather and all the enemy could throw at them. I did note in the long list of 'thanks' credits, information received, a Mr Pidgeon was listed. Hope he got a free copy.

Rachel

July 13, 2022

I’m not going to say I was on the edge of my seat or anything (turns out there’s quite a lot of *waiting* in espionage and resistance) but I did come away with a fondness for pigeons I wasn’t expecting. The middle part was pretty dry, but the first and last thirds were fantastic. So much heart and humor!

anklecemetery

January 02, 2020

It's hard to find new approaches to WWII nonfiction, but this is spectacular (I listened to the audiobook, which I highly recommend, but make sure to check the print copy so you can see the pictures). I was amazed and enthralled--it's a delightful mix of "ridiculous hobbies that have a brief tenure of importance" and "deeply human attempts to fix what is unfixable." I liked this book so much that I created an impromptu discussion club by making both of my parents read it. It was poignant and made me wonder about how the course of the war could have changed...if only there had been more pigeons.

Tori

November 11, 2018

What a fascinating story, and something I knew very little about. I would imagine that anyone who grew up with James bond stories or movies, or any espionage stories, would enjoy reading about the true-life espionage efforts during WWII using pigeons to glean information on enemy positions, tactics, progress, morale, etc. Columba was in operation for almost four years, using over 16,000 pigeons. The story was fascinating - and besides the information obtained, it was also interesting to note all the opportunities missed! Backbiting between different "secret" departments was amazing. And it really makes a person appreciate the sacrifice various people in the resistance made to actually gather information and send it back on the legs of pigeons! As the author stated, "The campaign encouraged ordinary people to feel they could resist, even if only in a small way."Only 1/10 birds sent out made it back alive. At times the information was repetitious, but to me, the overall effect was so good that I overlooked that. I appreciated the photos used, too!

Jo-Ann

January 12, 2022

What a fascinating but sad story. I had NO IDEA pigeons had played a role in World War II or other war for that matter. In all the books and films I have seen animals have rarely been mentioned and never pigeons.The risks people in war are willing to take is inspiring. The detail Leopold Vindictive was able to cram into such a small space is amazing and the failure of government departments who are more interested in ego than their country's well being is disgusting.Using pigeons to transmit intelligence about troop movements and enemy operations is definitely a subject that should receive more coverage.This is a well written narrative that really draws the reader in. The question at the end about whether the cost of the choices made to both the animals and humans was worth it is easy to answer when looking at the world view but harder to answer at a personal level.

Melinda

January 02, 2021

There are so many books written about WWII, and it's not often that a book about WWII keeps my attention. Yet this one was so interesting!I had no idea that carrier pigeons were used during the second world war. During the war, the British intelligence agencies dropped carrier pigeons in Nazi occupied companies along with sheets of small rice paper so that people could send important information back to the Allies. This book follows the heroic actions of the men and women on the ground who spied on the Nazi occupiers and risked their lives to send intelligence back to the Allies.This book is a fascinating look into a lesser known piece of history.

Julian

March 15, 2018

A supremely oddball slice of the war - perhaps more obvious when you look back on it, but highly speculative at the time. Masterfully told, from top secret files, this tale reveals the history of one of the stranger elements of Military Intelligence, the characters involved and the heroic acts of bravery which the service inspired from those under occupation.A superb read.

Rachel

July 19, 2020

Just when you think an author can't write anything "new" or "fresh" about World War II, along comes Gordon Corera with his outstanding book about - wait for it - pigeons. Yes, pigeons. And the crucial role they played in the Allies' fight against Nazi Germany. As continental Europe fell to German control in 1940 and 1941, a single terrifying question started circulating through Britain: when would the Germans cross the Channel and conquer the island nation? Determined to stop that fear from becoming a reality, a rag tag group of "oddballs and professors from academic and civilian life" (page 28) hatched a risky plan: drop homing pigeons over occupied Europe. Each would carry a questionnaire those who found the pigeon could fill out and send back in a tiny canister attached to the bird's leg. No one really believed in the program, but when one of the first messages sent back, titled "Message 37," included detailed intelligence so crucial to the British war effort it was forwarded to Churchill himself, the Secret Pigeon Service became a vital part of the war's espionage program.It wasn't an easy journey. Operation Columba had to contend with everything from espionage bureaucracy and competition for intelligence from other British spy networks (including world famous MI6), to communication malfunctions, compromised agents, and even specially trained hawks that could pluck pigeons right out of the sky. But after the success of Message 37 - sent from a mysterious Belgian spy network known to the British only as "Leopold Vindictive" - the British intelligence agency in charge of the pigeon operations, MI14, were more determined than ever to make their program succeed. Against the backdrop of thousands of pigeons, Operation Columba is a story about human characters - the men in charge of the many, many, many (too many!) British espionage agencies who were bogged down in their own self interests almost to the point of destroying themselves; the unassuming men and women behind "Leopold Vindictive," including an indomitable Catholic priest, a sickly map enthusiast, and a family of Belgian farmers who believed wholeheartedly in their cause; and the many special agents who fought (and sometimes died) to keep the communication channels between occupied Europe and Britain open. And more than a book about birds, I would argue that Operation Columba is a book about these fighting spirits. People who saw the pigeons as a beacon of hope, a tiny spark that maybe, one day, the world would right itself and those living under Nazi oppression would again be free. People who were in charge of the pigeons, and every scrap of information they gathered, hopeful that something in those scraps would lead to victory. And the people on the ground in Belgium and France, trying to help the resistance fighters filling out the pigeons' questionnaires, and making sure the information that couldn't get out in a bird's canister still found its way home. It probably doesn't need to be said, but Operation Columba is a fascinating new look at a war that has been looked at time and again from every other angle.

Ann

June 06, 2018

Een fascinerend verhaal over het gebruik van postduiven tijdens WOII. Engelse postduiven werden over the Lage Landen en Frankrijk gedropt, in de hoop dat locale verzetslieden ze zouden vinden en de vragenlijst die in het potenkokertje verstopt zat, zouden invullen, alvorens de duiven terug los te laten en naar hun til in Engeland te laten vliegen. Het rendement van deze benadering van het probleem van locale spionage was laag, omwille van het gevaar van het losdroppen, de honger van de locale bevolking die wel eens een duifje in de pot wou steken, de vrees voor de bezetter, en de natuurlijke vijanden van de duif (nl. havikken). Maar af en toe kwam er toch een duifje terug met kersverse informatie. In een geval was de toevallige vondst van zo'n duif zelfs de aanstoot voor de vorming van een verzetskring. De boer die in Lichtervelde een duifje vond en ze naar de locale duivenmelker bracht, zette een ketting van acties en reacties in gang die jaren later tragisch zou aflopen. De duivenmelker, Michael Debaillie, haalde er een familievriend bij, de priester Joseph Raskin. Diens ervaring als tekenaar, en zijn vrije bewegingsmogelijkheid in het bezette Belgie, maakten van hem een ideale spion. Een eerste berichtje, met nauwgezette tekeningen en uitleg, kwam zonder probleem in Engeland toe. Maar ondanks herhaalde verzoeken, werden er geen nieuwe duiven afgezet, en ten einde raad moest de kersverse spionagering beroep doen op veel meer riskante communicatiemiddelen zoals radio-signalen en koeriers. En na verraad van een collaborateur is het voor de betrokkenen zeer tragisch afgelopen....Het is een boeiend verhaal dat inzicht geeft in de vele manieren waarop de Geallieerden probeerden informatie uit de bezette gebieden te bekomen en hun invalsplannen voor te bereiden. Het verhaal van de families Raskin, Debaillie en Joyce illustreert ten overmate het gevaar dat alle dagen de bevolking van Belgie (en Nederland, and Frankrijk...) bedreigde.Ik moet wel zeggen dat het boek slordig vertaald en getypografeerd is. Bv. "de laden van de barmeid"is waarschijnlijk een vertaling van " the bar maid's drawers", what m.i. eerder een allusie was op de "onderbroek" van de barmeid. En het woord "racket" werd vertaald als "raket" (als in V1), maar zou best kunnen gebruikt geweest zijn als "bedriegerij". De punctuatie is ook vreemd en het boek staat vol typfouten. Jammer!

Chris

March 24, 2019

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.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 center 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. It is a book about standing for freedom.

Jonathan

December 17, 2022

What a fascinating narrative! I received a copy of the book Operation Columba from my daughter. Otherwise, I would not have known about this incredible piece of WII history. But my daughter knew of my keen interest in WWII history, in animals in general, and in birds in particular. This book combined them all, grabbed my attention from the outset, and never let go until the final page (including Acknowledgements).The only criticism I have is on the word-smithing front: the author, a journalist, used “most” instead of “almost” (e.g., most everyone in the town knew …). He also used “material” in place of “materiel” to describe military supplies. Neither is a big deal, but I would have expected a journalist to know the difference in both usages, and for his editor to catch the errors if the author did not. These issues might only detract from the book when read by a “grammar nerd.” Nonetheless, they appeared often enough that I found them distracting.Otherwise, the book is an outstanding read: educational, certainly; entertaining; fascinating; infuriating (the politics involved in the program that hindered its success); heartwarming, as common citizens risked all for their country; and heartbreaking in the price some paid for their participation.For those who want a fresh perspective on a familiar subject (WWII in Europe), this book is a must-read.

Pirate

October 09, 2019

I will look on pigeons with much more respect now having read this engrossing book and what the brave little blighters did during the war. From saving airmen ditched in the Channel to flying back with top notch intelligence like from the Belgian cell led by intrepid and courageous priest Joseph Raskin they proved an unlikely if highly effective weapon in the battle of the intelligence services. Winston Churchill was a fan of the unorthodox so they found favour with him. Bizarrely the internecine wars between SOE and MI5 and MI6 even took flight with the pigeons and outstanding intelligence was hidden from those who most required it as a result. There is a human cost as well and treachery aplenty. Operation Columba and Leopold Vindictive are the products of the author -- the BBC security correspondent -- following up on a coded message found attached to a dead pigeon's leg discovered in a chimney in Surrey. Well worth decoding this book which is entertaining and well written about a War that keeps on throwing up new angles to keep one absorbed.

Sue

November 06, 2018

“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

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