{"title":"Gordon Corera","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"operation-columba-the-secret-pigeon-service-the-untold-story-of-world-war-ii-resistance-in-europe-paperback","title":"Operation Columba--The Secret Pigeon Service: The Untold Story of World War II Resistance in Europe - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetween 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGordon 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, \u003cem\u003eOperation Columba\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTHE FASCINATING, UNTOLD STORY OF INVENTIVE ESPIONAGE AND BRAVE RESILIENCE IN WORLD WAR II--REVEALING HOW ALLIED INTELLIGENCE SECRETLY USED HOMING PIGEONS TO COORDINATE WITH THE RESISTANCE TO DEFEAT THE NAZIS IN OCCUPIED EUROPE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring the bloodiest years of World War II, British intelligence was determined to defeat the Axis powers by any means necessary. As part of a spy operation code-named Columba, the Allied forces amassed sixteen thousand highly trained homing pigeons and dropped them in an arc across Nazi-occupied Europe. Returning to the secret government branch in charge of the \"Special Pigeon Service,\" the birds carried messages written on tiny pieces of rice paper tucked into canisters and tied to the patient 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. Corera also reveals the part played by America's specialist military pigeon units, such as their role in Operation Columba and their work in North Africa and Europe, including on D-Day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe people who sent these messages were not trained spies. They were ordinary men and women, fearful and half-starved, willing to risk their lives in the name of freedom. Some even formed amateur espionage organizations, including the Leopold Vindictive network--a small group of Belgian villagers led by an extraordinary priest named Joseph Raskin. Raskin became such a valuable asset that his intelligence eventually reached Churchill himself, and MI6 parachuted agents behind enemy lines to assist him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGordon Corera uses declassified documents and extensive original research to tell the moving story of 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, \u003cem\u003eOperation Columba\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e--\u003cem\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTHE FASCINATING, UNTOLD STORY OF INVENTIVE ESPIONAGE AND BRAVE RESILIENCE IN WORLD WAR II--REVEALING HOW ALLIED INTELLIGENCE SECRETLY USED HOMING PIGEONS TO COORDINATE WITH THE RESISTANCE TO DEFEAT THE NAZIS IN OCCUPIED EUROPE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring the bloodiest years of World War II, British intelligence was determined to defeat the Axis powers by any means necessary. As part of a spy operation code-named Columba, the Allied forces amassed sixteen thousand highly trained homing pigeons and dropped them in an arc across Nazi-occupied Europe. Returning to the secret government branch in charge of the \"Special Pigeon Service,\" the birds carried messages written on tiny pieces of rice paper tucked into canisters and tied to the patient 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. Corera also reveals the part played by America's specialist military pigeon units, such as their role in Operation Columba and their work in North Africa and Europe, including on D-Day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe people who sent these messages were not trained spies. They were ordinary men and women, fearful and half-starved, willing to risk their lives in the name of freedom. Some even formed amateur espionage organizations, including the Leopold Vindictive network--a small group of Belgian villagers led by an extraordinary priest named Joseph Raskin. Raskin became such a valuable asset that his intelligence eventually reached Churchill himself, and MI6 parachuted agents behind enemy lines to assist him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGordon Corera uses declassified documents and extensive original research to tell the moving story of 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, \u003cem\u003eOperation Columba\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51365577490655,"sku":"9780062667083","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/EUnQdZ3CPY9780062667083.webp?v=1789066476"},{"product_id":"russians-among-us-sleeper-cells-ghost-stories-and-the-hunt-for-putins-spies-paperback","title":"Russians Among Us: Sleeper Cells, Ghost Stories, and the Hunt for Putin's Spies - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWith intrigue that rivals the best le Carré novels, \u003cem\u003eRussians\u003cbr\u003eAmong Us \u003c\/em\u003etells the explosive story of Russia's espionage efforts\u003cbr\u003eagainst the United States and the West\u003c\/strong\u003e--\u003cstrong\u003efrom the end of the Cold War to the\u003cbr\u003epresent and the significant threat of hacking the 2020 election\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpies\u003cbr\u003ehave long been a source of great fascination in the world of fiction, but\u003cbr\u003esometimes the best spy stories happen in real life. \u003cem\u003eRussians Among\u003cbr\u003eUs \u003c\/em\u003etells the full story of Putin's escalating espionage campaign in\u003cbr\u003ethe West, the Russian 'deep cover' spies who penetrated the US and the\u003cbr\u003eyears-long FBI hunt to capture them. This book also details the recruitment, \u003cbr\u003erunning, and escape of one of the most important spies of modern times, a man\u003cbr\u003ewho worked inside the heart of Russian intelligence. In this thrilling account\u003cbr\u003eCorera tracks not only the history, but the astonishing evolution of Russian\u003cbr\u003eespionage, including the use of 'cyber illegals' who continue to manipulate us\u003cbr\u003etoday and pose a significant threat to the 2020 election.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike a scene from the TV\u003cbr\u003edrama \u003cem\u003eThe Americans\u003c\/em\u003e, in the summer of 2010 a group of Russian deep\u003cbr\u003ecover sleeper agents were arrested. It was the culmination of a decade-long\u003cbr\u003einvestigation, and ten people, including Anna Chapman, were swapped for four\u003cbr\u003epeople held in Russia. At the time it was seen simply as a throwback to the\u003cbr\u003eCold War. But that would prove to be a costly mistake. It was a sign that the\u003cbr\u003eRussian threat had never gone away and more importantly, it was shifting into a\u003cbr\u003emuch more disruptive new phase. Today, the danger is clearer than ever\u003cbr\u003efollowing the poisoning in the UK of one of the spies who was swapped, Sergei\u003cbr\u003eSkripal, and the growing evidence of Russian interference in American life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRussians Among Us \u003c\/em\u003edescribes for the first time the story of deep\u003cbr\u003ecover spies in America and the FBI agents who tracked them. In intimate and\u003cbr\u003eriveting detail, it reveals new information about today's spies--as well as\u003cbr\u003ethose trying to catch them and those trying to kill them.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51367965262047,"sku":"9780062889423","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/9EGC38doqC9780062889423.webp?v=1789116981"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/gordon-corera.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}