Monday, Jul. 07, 1941

First Pursuit Squadron

The U.S. Signal Corps this week had its eye on a brand-new weapon: falcons to intercept enemy homing pigeons.

A falcon dropping on its prey whistles like a dive-bomber, kills its victim in mid-air with one powerful rake of its talons, sometimes swoops to catch the dead bird before it hits ground. Trained, a falcon will fly free (at 100 m.p.h.) to pounce on game birds. The U.S. can use falcons, as other armies cannot, without endangering its own homing pigeons. Reason: the U.S. has developed night-flying homing pigeons.

At Fort Monmouth, N.J., where the Signal Corps has 2,000 pigeons in training, Lieut. Thomas MacClure will not have far to look for his pursuit birds. The best U.S. native hunter is the peregrine, or duck hawk, a long-winged bird of prey that has nested for centuries in the cliffs along the Hudson, now rests also atop the skyscrapers of Manhattan, preys on pigeons in the parks.

So far as is known, the U.S. falcon squadron will be the first such military force in the world.

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