# WWII Homing Pigeon Found **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 3, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765 "2012-11-03T15:35:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/21 "2012-11-05T16:29:53Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Paging **Captain Ridley’s Shooting Party**! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/22 "2012-11-05T17:11:21Z")
I’ surprised at the delay in translating the message. WWII codes should be in old books on cyphers. They have the RAF guys name. That should be a quick computer lookup. He might still be alive. ---
**Author:** ![AHarris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@AHarris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHarris)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/23 "2012-11-05T23:58:56Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ surprised at the delay in translating the message. WWII codes should be in old books on cyphers. They have the RAF guys name. That should be a quick computer lookup. He might still be alive. It depends. If a [one-time pad](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-time_pad) was used properly when writing the message, it would be extremely difficult to de-crypt it without the original key (which may have been destroyed after the war). ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/24 "2012-11-06T00:58:05Z")
OK, after looking at the linked picture, I’ve cracked it. The results are still in some sort of cypher, maybe someone else can help with it: WRGOABABD [del]MLIAOI[/del] WTBIMPANETP MLIABOAIAQC ITTMTSAMSTGAB ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/25 "2012-11-06T01:07:29Z")
Rofllmfao istmlol iircbrb afkppor ttfn ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/26 "2012-11-06T01:08:33Z")
D’oh! Joke ruined by enforced lowercase. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/27 "2012-11-06T01:11:07Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > OK, after looking at the linked picture, I’ve cracked it. The results are still in some sort of cypher, maybe someone else can help with it: > > WRGOABABD > [del]MLIAOI[/del] > WTBIMPANETP > MLIABOAIAQC > ITTMTSAMSTGAB That IS the message, unencrypted. It was part of a British deception campaign intended to tie up German code breakers by sending random nonsense. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/28 "2012-11-06T01:26:47Z")
Maybe the secret message is what “14 k of g in a f p d” means. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/29 "2012-11-06T01:43:26Z")
“I just flew in from Germany and boy are my wings tired.” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/30 "2012-11-06T02:12:21Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > “I just flew in from Germany and boy are my wings tired.” You know, when I hear that line play in my head, because of the delivery, it teeters on the precipice of astoundingly bad taste. ---
**Author:** ![dimmy\_derko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@dimmy\_derko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dimmy_derko)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/31 "2012-11-06T02:19:11Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > This story is getting a lot of press. They think the message was intended for RAF Bomber Command, because the addressee code was “XO2”, but they don’t yet know the conents. > > BTW, has anybody ever heard of RAF bombers carrying pigeons to return to England if the bomber was shot down. I’ve never read that and I’ve been reading WWII histories all my life. Can a pigeon even survive being tossed out of a 150 mph plane? Is it supposed to struggle out of the crushed and burning wreckage on the ground and them return home with the sad news? Which crewman had the job of releasing the pigeon before saving himself? Color me skeptical. > > Unfortunately, this very story is making a Google search about the history problematic. Searching for WWII carrier pigeons and bombers is hitting on tons of news stories to wade through. I can’t concentrate on what the code possibly meant as I’m still trying to get my head around a bomber crew taking an Emergency Homing Pigeon with them. Did they have little cages for them or were they tucked in the rucksack as standard kit? ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/32 "2012-11-06T03:09:54Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > “I just flew in from Germany and boy are my wings tired.” > [@For You](#): > > You know, when I hear that line play in my head, because of the delivery, it teeters on the precipice of astoundingly bad taste. For the life of me, I can’t figure out how my post demonstrates “astoundingly bad taste”. It was nothing more than a variation on the old stand-up comedy cliché, described in [this TV Tropes article](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StockShticks) on Stock Shticks (example #1). Far from hilarious, I admit- but “astoundingly bad taste”? ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/33 "2012-11-06T03:28:58Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > For the life of me, I can’t figure out how my post demonstrates “astoundingly bad taste”. It was nothing more than a variation on the old stand-up comedy cliché, described in [this TV Tropes article](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StockShticks) on Stock Shticks (example #1). Far from hilarious, I admit- but “astoundingly bad taste”? I thought it was funny as hell myself. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/34 "2012-11-06T03:33:04Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > OK, after looking at the linked picture, I’ve cracked it. The results are still in some sort of cypher, maybe someone else can help with it: > > WRGOABABD > [del]MLIAOI[/del] > WTBIMPANETP > MLIABOAIAQC > ITTMTSAMSTGAB \ Knew that sounded familiar - I was just reading about that this summer… ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/35 "2012-11-06T03:33:44Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I thought it was funny as hell myself. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/36 "2012-11-06T03:42:39Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > Far from hilarious, I admit- but “astoundingly bad taste”? I always hear an accent leaning toward Yiddish. In the context of WWII Germany, that makes me a bit uneasy, pardon me for being overly sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/37 "2012-11-06T03:50:46Z")
> [@For You](#): > > I always hear an accent leaning toward Yiddish. In the context of WWII Germany, that makes me a bit uneasy, pardon me for being overly sensitive. No problem. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/38 "2012-11-06T03:55:59Z")
> [@For You](#): > > I always hear an accent leaning toward Yiddish. In the context of WWII Germany, that makes me a bit uneasy, pardon me for being overly sensitive. Oy. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/39 "2012-11-06T04:08:06Z")
“Me name is Speckled Jim” ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-homing-pigeon-found/639765/40 "2012-11-06T06:25:06Z")
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