Spy Pigeon

This is a novella about military carrier pigeons, a subject rarely explored.

In 1939, World War II broke out. The British Army formed Military Intelligence Section 14, tasked specifically with operating spy pigeons. Professor Nix, an expert in training homing pigeons, was appointed instructor for the military pigeon program. He also recruited young pigeon enthusiasts such as Robert to serve as handlers. Robert’s girlfriend, Anna, was one of Nix’s students and a young expert in pigeon research. To resist the German occupation of France, Anna joined British military intelligence and was sent to the French town of Charbin. There, she worked with the local underground resistance to gather intelligence on the German forces and transmit it by carrier pigeon.

Robert took the military pigeons he had trained to carry out missions with the Royal Air Force. The pilots did not understand their value and mocked him mercilessly. During a bombing mission, the crew of a bomber brought along Heroic Knight, a military pigeon trained by Robert. On the way home after completing their mission, the bomber was hit by a German fighter, and the pilots parachuted to safety. Out at sea, the rescue effort had to be called off because the pilots could not give their exact location. In a desperate moment, one of them released the pigeon Robert had given him. Robert received the pilots’ distress message and worked out exactly where they had come down in the sea, enabling their rescue. After returning to London, the pilots petitioned for Heroic Knight to receive the Animal Victoria Cross.

Heroic Knight was sent to the German-occupied town of Charbin on an intelligence-delivery mission. Major Budden of the Gestapo was also a pigeon expert. To prevent the British from using carrier pigeons to transmit intelligence, he set up an aerial blockade with falcons and snipers, inflicting heavy losses on British military pigeons. Around this time, the underground resistance learned that the Germans were building a secret submarine base in Charbin. To get the intelligence out, Anna sacrificed herself, foiling Budden’s scheme to use carrier pigeons to locate the resistance. On its return to Charbin, Heroic Knight was shot by a German sniper and fell into the home of Fischer, a civilian pigeon enthusiast. Fischer treated the wounded pigeon and made contact with the underground resistance. With Fischer’s help, the resistance successfully released Heroic Knight. Overcoming one obstacle after another, the pigeon finally returned to the British military pigeon base with the precious intelligence. The British sent in a fleet of bombers and completely destroyed the German secret submarine base, removing an obstacle to victory.

For delivering intelligence on multiple occasions, Heroic Knight was awarded the Animal Victoria Cross. After its death, it was buried in the Essex Animal Cemetery in London, where it is remembered to this day.