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The Pigeoneers

A feature documentary film written, directed and produced by Al Croseri

Starring Colonel Clifford A. Poutre, Chief Pigeoneer, U. S. Army Signal Corps Pigeon Service

Filmed on location in Greensboro, North Carolina

122 minutes duration

“The Pigeoneers” is an homage to the bravery of homing pigeons who saved thousands of lives in combat in the Great World Wars. Their achievements embodied the attributes of service, endurance, loyalty and supreme courage. Here, their memory is evoked by Colonel Clifford A. Poutre, Chief Pigeoneer, U. S. Army Signal Corps Pigeon Service, 1936-1943.

Poutre enlisted as a Private in 1929, soon after, became a Pigeoneer stationed at the 11th Signal Company, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii until 1936. Poutre was then assigned to the lofts at Fort Monmouth, N.J. in the fall of 1936, working under the keen tutelage of Civilian Pigeoneer, Thomas Ross, a Scotsman who was one of the foremost pigeon experts in the world, and after his death, took over as head of the Pigeon Breeding and Training Center.

Acknowledged the world's outstanding military pigeon expert, Poutre is credited with having streamlined the U. S. Army homing pigeon training and services to keep pace with the latest developments in army aviation. Poutre has taught his homers numerous tricks unprecedented in pigeon history-to be ready for day or night messenger duty, to return to a mobile pigeon loft which moves ten miles away after the pigeon departs and to carry a canary piggy-back from New Jersey to a loft on the rooftops in New York City.

Poutre also acted as a public relations person where pigeons were involved. This led to meeting Nikola Tesla, (1856-1943), the great scientist and inventor who had developed alternating current (AC) and who designed and developed many of the devices for the production and distribution of same. Tesla's Coil (1891) and AC Motor is used in most electric devices today. Tesla was also the innovator of wireless transmission, with a radio patent filed in 1897 and at 72 years old, received a patent for a flying machine that combined elements of the airplane and helicopter. Poutre recalls fondly his friendship and visits to Mr. Tesla at the Hotel New Yorker in the 1930's. Poutre dispells the longstanding myth that Nikola Tesla was not a "nut" and didn't keep "filthy city pigeons." Sure, Tesla may have fed or rescued an injured or lost pigeon but Poutre reminds us that that was a mere act of kindness not madness. Mr. Tesla was an avid homing pigeon fancier and the two enjoyed engaging in "pigeon talk".

Poutre discarded the old "starvation" method of training pigeons in favor of a system of "kindness". Poutre's experiments have proved that homers will now come home because they want to, and not, as in World War 1, because they were hungry.

Poutre handled and cared for numerous World War I Hero Pigeons such as "Long John Silver" and "The Kaiser", the famous captured German war pigeon. Poutre also reminds us of the tremendous efforts of the British Pigeoneers, Lt. Col. A.H. Osman and Mr. J.W. Logan, Esq., and the British War Hero Pigeons during the Great World Wars.

Poutre kept army birds in training by racing them against civilian pigeons. One of the great Army racers was "Always Faithful", 1935 winner of a 720 mile race from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to his loft at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, in the time of 15 hours 39 minutes and 9 seconds. An average speed of 1343.8 yards a minute. This tremendous win earned "Always Faithful" the Hall of Fame Cup and Medal from the American Racing Pigeon Union in 1935.

Poutre tossed the last bird in 1957 before the close-out of the Army Pigeon Service at Fort Monmouth, N.J. Colonel Poutre retired in 1960 as Commander, Signal Corps Supply Agency, Tobyhanna, P.A., after 31 years of loyal military service.

Join Colonel Clifford A. Poutre in “The Pigeoneers”, slow down, think, and remember.

Film Reviews

"The Pigeoneers" reviewed by Dr. Charles Walcott, Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

This is quite an extraordinary film. It not only tells the story of Col. Clifford Poutre but it contains voluminous old film clips of homing pigeons in war. For these reasons alone, this is an important film.

The late Col. Poutre was obviously a charming man with a deep love of pigeons. He makes the case that this kind of affection is essential for really outstanding performance from your birds. As he tells his life story interwoven with pictures of the Army pigeon corps it makes a compelling documentary. In addition, he tells of a variety of interesting experiments that he performed. I think particularly of the idea of a mobile pigeon loft that could be moved from place to place, the training of pigeons to fly at night in both Hawaii and New York City and the problems that New York City lights caused. He describes training pigeons to fly over water for 100 to 200 miles and how his pigeons avoided flying over mountains. He describes the behavior of pigeons released from high buildings homing to a mobile loft at Rockefeller Center and how they simply folded their wings and dove for the loft.

The film also contains tributes to the many famous homing pigeons that served their country in war and saved soldiers lives. In this day of electronic communication we fail to appreciate how difficult communication was in the days before miniaturized electronics.

I especially enjoyed the old films that are now preserved in the DVD version that show the training of both pigeons and soldiers who would care for pigeons in the field. These old films would surely disappear unless they were preserved in digital format as they are here. The account of Poutre's visit to Tesla and the pigeons kept in a bedroom of the Hotel New Yorker is priceless. One can only imagine the cleaning maids reaction!

Overall, this is a wonderful film. It gives us an unusual view of the Army pigeon corps, a warm and delightful visit with Col. Poutre and a strong tribute to the Homing Pigeon.

Charles Walcott, Cornell University

"The Pigeoneers" reviewed by Dr. Edward A. Wasserman, Stuit Professor of Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychology, Delta Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

"The Pigeoneers" is a love story between man and bird. After viewing Alessandro Croseri's sentimental documentary, there can be no doubt that Col. Clifford A. Poutre loved the many pigeons that he bred and trained for carrier service in WWII. By both word and deed, Col. Poutre treated his pigeons as though they were human family members, children, buddies. He believed in control through kindness. He saw pigeons as intelligent beings which would fly better if they trusted him. He accorded his birds real respect and even reverence. He reveled in their racing and military achievements and he mourned their loss in warfare and culling.

However anthropomorphically Col. Poutre may have spoken of his pigeons, for him to have been so successful as a pigeoneer, he had to know a great deal about the natural behavior patterns of his birds as well as how best to sculpt those behavior patterns for successful carrier missions. Col. Poutre also had to impart his love for pigeons and his success in training them to the recruits whom he supervised over many years of service to the military.

Do the notions of courage and loyalty aptly apply to pigeons? I can't say. True, Col. Poutre's birds flew hundreds of miles in dreadful weather conditions and they were the targets of intense enemy fire. But, they may have done so because of the extensive training that he gave them.

Nor can we say that Col. Poutre's pigeons truly loved him. Nevertheless, I watched Col. Poutre's tearful eyes, I listened to his tender words, and I watched him as he gently caressed and stroked his birds. If I were a pigeon, then I would surely have loved this man.

Edward A. Wasserman, Stuit Professor of Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychology, Delta Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

"The Pigeoneers" reviewed by Dr. Alan Silberberg, Professor of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC

I am an experimental psychologist in animal learning. While I work with many species, pigeons are my creatures of first choice.

Remarkable animals they are. They can sense magnetic north, use the sun as a compass, and even smell their lofts at a distance. But these facts are known to all pigeon fanciers. Perhaps less known but no less true are these facts: pigeons can discriminate man-made from non-man-made objects, classify items as water whether that item be the ocean, a raindrop or an ice cube, and distinguish between the works of Mozart and Bach, or Picasso and Cezanne.

My introduction to pigeoneers was in Wendell Mitchell Levi's text, The Pigeon (1957). This book began with the history of pigeon heroes from WW I which were retired in their lofts at Fort Dix, NJ. Their accomplishments and their medals are on display in these pictures from the text.

Last night I watched The Pigeoneers with my wife, an historian. She referred to the footage as "a primary historical document" because it codifies a rare and forgotten history-- that of the use of pigeons during warfare. Remarkablely, the tale is told by a 103-year-old colonel dressed to the nines in military regalia. He's the real deal because he was the "go to" guy in developing pigeons as instruments of war. The story is warm, interesting and, of course, historical. This movie is surely of interest to pigeon fanciers, military historians, or just to those who find listening to a fascinating tale a good way to pass the afternoon.

Alan Silberberg, Professor of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC

"The Pigeoneers" reviewed by Elwin F. Anderson, WWII U. S. Army Pigeoneer

I have just finished viewing "The Pigeoneers" by Alessandro Croseri Productions for the third time.

Col. Clifford A. Poutre, at 103 years of age, makes an interesting presentation going back to his youth when first assigned, as a private, to the Army Signal Corps Pigeon Service in 1929. They interviewed Poutre just in time as he passed away a short time thereafter. Alessandro Croseri Productions had spoken with me on several occasions, even considering coming out and interviewing me. Poutre was the far better selection. He had much more to show and discussion information than I could have offered. The better choice by 100%.

As I watched I visualized Poutre in the 1930s, the years between the wars, spending 8 to 12 hours a day with the pigeons, at Army expense. He would have been pondering new ways for the military to use the pigeons, experimenting with the two-way flying and night flying. Also thinking up public relations projects to do with the pigeons. My memory flashes back to the spring of 1942. A group of us newly drafted soldiers arrived at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, selected because of our hobby to be in the Pigeon Service.

Master Sergeant Poutre was top man by then. He had done a good job of establishing the pigeon school which we were to attend for three months. The instructors were a handful of pigeoneers who were drafted during the previous year. One of them from West New York, NJ spoke of the "Boid on the poich". Even he chuckled with the rest of us. One of them, Charlie Fullerton, later as a civilian, moved to Seattle and became a life long friend in the pigeon sport. Charlie later joined me as a member of the AU Hall of Fame.

Others will not get the same reaction as I have to this program. You will find it interesting and a worthwhile addition to your library of pigeon viewing material.

One more, as I see it. Sincerely,

Elwin F. Anderson Everett, WA, USA

"The Pigeoneers" as published by Graeme Hyde, Editor of "Australian Aviculture", a publication of the Avicultural Society of Australia.

"The film, The Pigeoneers - refer to above item, is recommended by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, New York State, USA. Such recommendation speaks highly of the film." Click Here for Article

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The Pigeoneers Press

Ed Schmidt, WWII US Army Pigeoneer, Elgin, Illinois

Ed Schmidt from the WWII "Fighting 279th Pigeoneers". Ed will be co-starring in my upcoming feature documentary film, the third of "The Pigeoneers" trilogy, to be released in 2010.

Below is the article "Bird In Hand", written by Charity Bonner, The Courier News, Elgin, Illinois.

Bird in Hand

April 19, 2009

By CHARITY BONNER cbonner@scn1.com

Photographs By Shauna Bittle / Staff Photographer

Ed Schmidt, 91, of Elgin, has been training homing pigeons since childhood and worked with them in the Army Signal Corps during World War II. He still works as an auctioneer and appraiser of the birds.

Every day, regulars flock to Paul's Restaurant in Elgin to tell stories and catch up on one another's lives.

Among the restaurant's customers are retired schoolteachers and firefighters -- the "average" folk who form the fabric of this community.

Each tale comes with fascinating tidbits accumulated from several decades of life experience. Amid clanking dishes and the gentle hum of conversation, one table stands out. It is a table full of mostly retired men who gather faithfully each morning to share stories and jokes.

When asked who has one of the best stories, they all agree: Ed Schmidt.

Schmidt, 91, has spent all his adult life in Elgin -- except for the five years he was in the Philippines training homing pigeons to carry classified messages about enemy movements to different U.S. camps during World War II. The tactic was especially useful in the Pacific Islands, where the mountains kept radio signals from carrying very far. He still has several of the tiny 1-inch-long aluminum carriers the trainers would use to attach to the pigeons' legs.

And Schmidt is still in the bird business. He's served as a pigeon auctioneer since 1946 and kept an average of 120 birds at a time up until a few years ago when he moved to a different home. A recent Chicago auction he led raised more than $900,000 for local nonprofits.

These pigeons, it turns out, have been spreading their wings for the good of humanity for a very long time.

Wartime messengers

According to the American Racing Pigeon Union Inc., the tradition began when the ancient Greeks used homing pigeons to carry messages more than 5,000 years ago. And no wonder. These birds can fly as far as 80 to 600 miles at speeds of 40 to 60 miles per hour.

The most famous homing pigeon, "G.I. Joe," is known for saving the lives of 1,000 British troops during World War II. According to the racing pigeon union, the British 56th Brigade was scheduled to attack the city of Colvi Vecchia, Italy, at 10 a.m. on Oct. 18, 1943. The U.S. Air Support Command was scheduled to bomb the city to soften the entrance for the British brigade. The Germans retreated, enabling the British troops to occupy it ahead of schedule. The British made all attempts possible to cancel the bombing, but radio messages and all other forms of communication failed. G.I. Joe was released to carry the message to cancel the bombing, flying 20 miles back to the U.S. Air Support Command base in 20 minutes and arriving just as the planes were warming up to take off.

The pigeons were prized for their reliability in carrying messages between U.S. camps. According to Schmidt, they were 99 percent accurate. They were enough of a threat that enemy gunners would target them whenever they could.

Schmidt went from a little boy who raised pigeons on his parents' farm in Woodstock to a pigeon trainer for the Fighting 279th Pigeoneers in World War II -- the first overseas unit. He was one of 34 pigeon trainers in the unit who took care of thousands of pigeons.

Just like people, these birds have quirky personalities at times. One of Schmidt's favorite birds, Lady, would come flying down and land on Schmidt's shoulder whenever he would call. He credits an innate love of animals for his lifelong hobby.

Despite his various duties and years of service, Schmidt speaks modestly of his own time served in the war.

"As far as I am concerned, all the heroes of World War II died over there," he said.

There are less than 30 men from his division left throughout the United States.

When he returned from the war, Schmidt worked for the Milk Specialties Co. in East Dundee and as a sales manager for Pacific Molasses Co. But the former president of the American Racing Pigeon Union continues to be involved in the industry. And though he no longer has pigeons in his home, Schmidt still enjoys meeting other enthusiasts at the Elgin Homing Pigeon Club on the second Friday of each month, as well as traveling around the United States for auctions.

Schmidt will be the featured subject in the upcoming documentary, "The Pigeoneers," which currently is being filmed on location in Chicago. It is being produced by Alessandro Croseri Productions of New York City. Schmidt's feature is expected to be the third in the trilogy and will be released sometime in 2010.

Source: "Bird In Hand" by Charity Bonner, Courier News, Elgin, Il.

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