Fighters of the invisible front: how doves were used as signalmen and photo spies

The history of mankind abounds with examples of the use of animals in the armed forces of various countries. Perhaps the greatest success was achieved by the military in the use of pigeons, which acted as the postal service and scouts, who helped to obtain valuable information about the enemy’s situation.

Back in antiquity, pigeons were used to deliver mail. People noticed that these birds always return home, so the pigeon mail was very popular at all times. Birds were often used for their own purposes by merchants and diplomatic circles. But the trained pigeons were in high demand among the military. In the XIX century in France there was even a state postal service - the “dove post office”. And the Dutch and British successfully used carrier pigeons on the territory of their colonial possessions, when it was necessary to quickly transfer important information over long distances.

A special role was played by carrier pigeons during the First and Second World Wars. Radio communications had already been invented at that time, but pigeons were still the most reliable way of transmitting valuable information. They were primarily used for intelligence delivery.

Back in 1907, the German Julius Neubronner proposed the use of carrier pigeons as spies. A miniature camera was put on the bird, which took pictures automatically. Thus, the bird released from the side of the enemy territory, returning home, took off everything that was in its path. Spy pigeons, which were transported to enemy territory with the help of specially trained dogs, were widely used by the German army during the First World War.

According to historical information, already during the Second World War, in 1942, the Soviet army found abandoned mobile pigeons with a full set of equipment. And the American command reported that fascist troops used pigeons and dogs for taking photographs on enemy territory.

Used pigeons and allied forces. There is reliable evidence that, during the landing in Normandy, carrier pigeons delivered urgent information about the location of the German army units, while radio transmitters were not used for security reasons. In gratitude for the service, about 30 carrier pigeons received the highest British animal award - the Mary Dickin Medal.

Interestingly, specially trained pigeons were used for military purposes for quite some time after the end of World War II. It would seem that in an age of advanced military technology, birds have no place in the army. But, for example, in Switzerland, the army service of carrier pigeons lasted until 1994. And during the Gulf War in the early 1990s, the Iraqi army also used pigeons for communication.

A number of projects using pigeons existed in the CIA, but information about this is largely classified. Therefore, it is possible that carrier pigeons are still in the service of military intelligence to this day, because they are reliable allies of people, time-tested.