CARTWHEEL (1943) CARPATHO-UKRAINE An alternate name for Ruthenia, an area ceded by Czechoslovakia to the Soviet Union in 1945 CARPET BOMBING American term for the practice of large groups of bombers dropping ordnance in planned destructive patterns along a designated “carpet,” or wide dispersal area, rather than aiming for specific targets as in precision bombing The British called such wide patterns “area bombing.” A special British form of tactical bombing developed by the RAF was known as Tedder’s carpet See also air power; strategic bombing; thousand bomber raids; total war CARRIER PIGEONS Homing pigeons were used nearly universally in World War II by air forces, armies, and navies, as well as by resistance fighters, newsmen, and in air–sea rescue The American, Australian, and Japanese navies all used carrier pigeons for island communication during the Pacific War Carrier pigeons ranged up to 1,000 miles from their lofts and could fly over terrain no other courier could cross At short ranges they might fly at 60 mph, carrying coded messages or handdrawn maps several miles in just minutes The U.S Army Signal Corps maintained an extensive Pigeon Service Its more than 50,000 birds were deployed in Africa, Europe, and Asia Some paratrooper vests had specially adapted pockets to carry pigeons during combat jumps The British maintained a feathered air fleet called the “National Pigeon Service.” An additional, secret pigeon intelligence wing was known as “Source Columbia.” It operated the “Confidential Pigeon Service” behind German lines from 1940 Its most basic method was to drop hundreds of carrier pigeons in parachute cases at night Each case included a bird, a message tube, ultrafine paper, a special pencil, detailed instructions in several languages, and a copy of a London newspaper to establish authenticity The Germans set up a counter-pigeon service in March 1944, wherein German birds were dropped across France replete with English cigarettes and a request for return of the names of Résistance members The Résistance council advised those who found German birds to eat them See also falcons; Gibson Girl CARRIERS See aircraft carriers; Catapult Aircraft Merchant (CAM); escort carriers; float planes; Merchant Aircraft Carrier (MAC) CARTWHEEL (1943) Code name for an offensive against the Japanese that originally planned to retake Rabaul It was modified when the Western Allies decided to bypass Rabaul as part of their island-hopping strategy That decision led to continued heavy fighting in the New Guinea campaign, fresh island and naval combat in the New Georgia campaign, but more limited ambitions for the New Britain campaign These operations ultimately isolated and contained over 100,000 Japanese troops until they surrendered in August 1945 From the Japanese point of view, New Guinea and the Solomons were reduced in strategic 213