Part of the problem that the US Navy ran into when it went to war was that – like many military forces before or since – it had to learn some things for itself before it believed them. The British had over two years of experience fighting the Battle of the Atlantic at that point, but the Americans didn’t feel that they needed any advice from them on the matter. It didn’t help that Admiral Ernest J. King was an Anglophobe, in addition to having a generally abrasive personality. (His wife reputedly once said: “Ernie is the most even-tempered man I’ve ever met. He’s always in a foul mood.”) As a result, the Americans made mistakes in their early ASW methods of operations which could have been avoided. In fairness, the US Army had similar learning-curve problems in North Africa, notably at Kasserine Pass if I remember correctly.
WWII pigeon message stumps GCHQ decoders
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Recently a dead pigeon was found in an English chimney which contained a secret message dating back to WWII!
WWII pigeon message stumps GCHQ decoders
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20456782 -
What a brilliant story. Thanks.
I can’t help thinking of the episode: Corporal Punishment, Blackadder goes Forth.
It is an excellent comedy series and set in WW1. Captain Blackadder, the main character, shoots a “plump breasted pigeon” with his revolver and eats it.
It turns out to be the General’s favourite bird and Blackadder is sentenced to death in a farcical court scene.
Not sure if you know of the series; it features Rowan Atkinson and is one of my favourite comedies. -
A couple of items of WWI homing pigeon trivia:
The pigeon “Cher Ami” was awarded the French Croix de Guerre Medal with a palm Oak Leaf Cluster for his heroic service in delivering 12 important messages in Verdun, despite having been very badly injured.
During the siege of Fort Vaux (the second fort to fall in the Battle of Verdun), one of its commanders, Major Sylvain-Eugene Raynal, sent several messages to his commanding officers via homing pigeons. His final message carried the phrase “This is my last pigeon.”
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Test summary from TripleA, engine version: 1.6.1.4, time: 15:48:04
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Can you move your Triple A test post to software or play games area please?





