The Forgotten 500 Part 12

Having served its purpose in helping win World War II, the OSS was disbanded along with many other war operations. Key government leaders, however, had learned the value of clandestine work. Before President Roosevelt's death, Donovan proposed to him the idea of creating a new espionage organization that would be similar to the OSS Donovan had created years earlier, but with one major difference: This spy group would be directly supervised by the president. Sensing a threat to their own power and influence, the military establishment, the State Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation opposed the idea without success.

President Truman created the Central Intelligence Agency in 1947 by signing the National Security Act of 1947. The work of the OSS would continue.

t.i.to ruled Yugoslavia as dictator until his death on May 4, 1980. Representatives of 122 states attended his funeral and most eulogized him as the last great World War II leader, praising him for successfully challenging Stalin's efforts to control his country after the war. He was considered the creator of modern Yugoslavia and credited with uniting the country's diverse ethnic and religious factions. He did so by using the iron fist of a Communist police state, of course, and his long rule over Yugoslavia was instrumental in ensuring that Communists maintained control over Eastern Europe through the end of the Cold War. until his death on May 4, 1980. Representatives of 122 states attended his funeral and most eulogized him as the last great World War II leader, praising him for successfully challenging Stalin's efforts to control his country after the war. He was considered the creator of modern Yugoslavia and credited with uniting the country's diverse ethnic and religious factions. He did so by using the iron fist of a Communist police state, of course, and his long rule over Yugoslavia was instrumental in ensuring that Communists maintained control over Eastern Europe through the end of the Cold War.

The forgotten 500 never forgot who helped them survive the war. They were eternally grateful to the OSS agents who came to their aid, and they held a special place in their hearts for the Yugoslav people who harbored them at great risk to themselves. Sixty years after their rescue, on May 9, 2005, the downed airmen presented the Legion of Merit- kept secret for so many years-to Mihailovich's daughter Gordana. Though they struggled with the limitations of age, George Vujnovich, Arthur Jibilian, Clare Musgrove, and a number of other veterans involved in Operation Halyard were proud to return and do what should have been done decades earlier. who helped them survive the war. They were eternally grateful to the OSS agents who came to their aid, and they held a special place in their hearts for the Yugoslav people who harbored them at great risk to themselves. Sixty years after their rescue, on May 9, 2005, the downed airmen presented the Legion of Merit- kept secret for so many years-to Mihailovich's daughter Gordana. Though they struggled with the limitations of age, George Vujnovich, Arthur Jibilian, Clare Musgrove, and a number of other veterans involved in Operation Halyard were proud to return and do what should have been done decades earlier.

The surviving airmen and OSS agents, much older and even more aware of how much Mihailovich had done for them, gathered around Gordana Mihailovich and expressed their grat.i.tude. Some of the old men cried openly as they told her how much their father had done for them, and how much they regretted the way he had been treated. A retired medical doctor, Mihailovich's daughter was seventy-eight and a bit of an enigma. Over the years, little was known about her except that she had joined t.i.to's Partisans after her father's death, probably against her will, and had almost never appeared in public since.

Nervous and excited, her hands trembling, Gordana broke into tears when the Americans handed her the Legion of Merit medal. She kissed her father's photograph, whispering to her long-gone father.

The tears from the Americans flowed partly in grat.i.tude, but also because Gordana Mihailovich reminded them of all the women who ran to greet them as they parachuted down and all the villagers who helped them along the way.

Jibilian, still spry and quick-witted as ever, was happy to see the Legion of Merit in the hands of the Mihailovich family, where it belonged, but he still thought it was only a step toward justice for the man who had saved so many Americans. As pleased as he was to be in Yugoslavia honoring the memory of Mihailovich, he could not help feeling frustrated that his country still was not willing to come clean with the story of Mihailovich and Operation Halyard. He was quick to anger when informed that the medal presentation ceremony, originally scheduled as a public event with media coverage, was changed to a small affair in a private home. Jibilian was sure the State Department had stepped in yet again, reluctant to allow publicity favorable to Mihailovich even after sixty years. There's still a conspiracy to keep this story from being told There's still a conspiracy to keep this story from being told.

His anger was tempered upon meeting another American attending the small ceremony. The young man introduced himself as Clare Musgrove's grandson and remarked that, if not for Mihailovich and Operation Halyard, he never would have been born. The sight of the young man who had traveled all the way to Serbia to honor a man from his grandfather's past helped restore Jibilian's faith.

Jibilian choked up and tears came to his eyes as he realized that, though good men may pa.s.s without the world's recognition, they can live on in the hearts of young people who know the truth.

Partial List of Airmen Rescued in Operation Halyard This is a partial list of the 345 Americans, four British, four French, seven Italians, and twelve Russians rescued in the Operation Halyard mission between August 9, 1944, and September 1, 1944. Another 167 were rescued before the mission ended on December 27, 1944.

(B) - British (F) - French (I) - Italian (R) - Russian

Lloyd J. Adams Harold M. Adee Carl P. Anderson P. D. Angleberger B. Antoine (F) C. E. Astifan Howard Baetjer Paul Baker Hugh Balfont D. Barna Russell W. Barney F. Barrett J. W. Barrett F. Bartels N. M. Baughman R. E. Baum C. Baumann Charles Beall T. L. Beard A. R. Berger B. H. Berger Bernie Berggren Edmund Bernice C. T. Beyer G. F. Blackburn Vladimir Bobrov (R) R. S. Boren Roy J. Bowers Tom Bradshaw T. R. Bradshaw (B) Herbert S. Brinell G. J. Broadhead L. C. Norman Brooks Leonard M. Brothers Robert L. Broun Donald P. Brown E. J. Brown Gus T. Brown Jr.

J. F. Brownell W. B. Brubeck G. T. Bryan H. W. Brynildsen Jack A. Buchanan J. E. Buchler Anthony Buckner K. W. (Roy) Buckner R. W. Buckner Billy B. Burnett Ennis Burns John A. Burton F. Byfield F. J. Byrne W. K. Callam V. S. Callicutt J. L. Camara C. M. Card J. F. Cardone Thornton Carlough J. P. Carlson A. C. Carrico J. B. Carroll P. E. Carroll Damon L. Carter L. W. Carver R. Ca.s.sity B. C. Cator J. W. Chambers F. J. Chappell A. Chesbowitz S. T. Ciotti D. Clark Victor Clarke Bruce H. Clifton F. H. Clos Floyd S. Cofer Jr.

Bertram Cole R. Cole J. V. Crandall Frank S. Crawford Jr.

J. Cribari Martin Cudilo Boris Cugionski (R) J. W. Cunningham Willard Curtis P. Dansercour (F) Charles L. Davis Richard L. Davis Anthony Degaetawd Donald DeLauca John P. Devlin A. J. Dewa T. N. Dixon H. L. Dodgen C. E. Drigger E. Dunn Robert Eagan Wilbur Earl D. Edmundson John B. Edwards John T. Eldridge W. Elvin W. R. Ely N. L. Elzeer Robert English Julian Entreken Everett C. Estys D. L. Fairbanks W. F. Farley Lee Farris Richard Felman R. B. Ferris Sameuel Ferris C. R. Flower Robert T. Foley E. W. Ford Edward Ford H. D. Foreman J. Foster J. T. Fox Ervin Frekco A. Friedberg M. Friend Kenneth C. Fulier _ Gannaro (I) W. Gantt C. B. Gerrish S. A. Gibson V. Gibson R. D. Gilson G. E. Goad R. H. Goldman Viktor Golukokov (R) C. F. Gracz J. F. Granger R. Greene w.i.l.l.y Griffin Beluga Grigorije (R) P. C. Grinnell Stephan Hanick R. L. Hansen R. R. Harper William B. Harrell W. R. Harris W. J. Harter L. L. Harvey R. J. Hefling G. A. Heinicke W. M. Henley H. D. Henton C. B. Hickman Richard B. Hobby H. S. Hock J. P. Hoffman J. T. Holcomb J. G. Holtz J. E. Honsinger R. L. Hooper Allan H. Hoover Lawrence H. Horne J. R. Horner R. I. Howard V. Hunt G. R. Hurd J. Indrisek Fred Irwin Rudolph M. Janci N. S. Janosky M. W. Jarvis D. B. Jeffers V. E. Johnson C. R. Johnston E. D. Jones F. V. Jones Forrest N. Jones W. E. Jones Charles R. Kear W. L. Keepers Menly Kent R. C. Kent Glenn Kerris William Keys J. I. Kidd M. L. Kiel F. N. Kincaid James E. King W. J. Kirkpatrick Clarence E. Knight R. Knowlton G. G. Koch F. S. Koffel Vladimir Komiskalov (R).

Peter Kovacovich Petar Krikun (R) D. E. LaBissioniere A. F. LaCom John Lane O. H. Larson Bernard J. Larvin A. LeBoulie (F) Clarence R. Ledford William Lee R. Leger W. T. Leslie John Lindstrom Donald E. Loehndorf T. O. Looney C. S. Lovitt C. Luciano (I) F. Lukas E. D. Lynch Al Maas Nikolaj Mahinjko (R) Konstantin Mamasuk (R) K. B. Manley W. K. Mann F. Mario (I) H. Marker Robert L. Marshall D. Y. Martin Frederick Martin J. P. Martin R. A. Martin C. Masellis (I) Frank Mathews Paul F. Mato B. V. Mazzara Lee McAlister Michael E. McDonnell Dale L. McEhaney Thomas McElroy W. O. McGinn G. N. McGuire Mike P. McKool R. P. McLaughlin O. Menaker G. F. Messick S. J. Methvin L. Meyer G. Mitch.e.l.l Robert D. Molina R.D. Moore J. Morris J. Mortimer Simeon Moskalemko (R) H. Muckow J. F. Mueller K. Munn Irving S. Muny L. K. Murray Clare M. Musgrove M. Nierman F. Nino (I) Lawrence T. Norton Robert J. Norwood O. Nouska D. O'Connell Michael O'Keefe J. T. Oliver Thomas K. Oliver J. F. O'Grady G. O'Neal Anthony J. Orsini D. B. Osborne J. D. Owens K. L. Owens John W. Pace D. Parkerson K. Patten D. T. Patterson T. F. Paul L. Pavlovich A. L. Pearce F. Pederson L. W. Peller S. N. Pensabena A. E. Peterson T. Pettigrew K. A. Pfister D. Pierino (I) Aleksander Plahotnikov (R).

Robert L. Powers Leonard. E. Pritchett D. D. Radabaugh C. G. Rechtin N. C. Reid (B) Norman Reid P. L. Reinhardt Joe Renkowitz D. F. Rice T. C. Richards H. J. Ripper Howard Robert Hupert Robert Paksmur Robert Dale F. Rodgers A. D. Romans Anthony Russo W. C. Rye George Salapa Delbert F. Salmon A. Saucer J. H. Scharnitsky Baxter C. Scott J. E. Scroggs Floyd F. Shanley R. S. Sheehy J. Sickels Donald Siegfried S. Sika E. E. Simon A. Simone (I) D. J. Smith L. L. Smith Philip Smith W. R. Smith H. J. Snyder R. Somers (B) H. Souter R. L. Spence P. A. Stearns C. L. Stevenson H. R. Stillman R. Straub Edward E. Stringham M. Sucharida D. W. Sullivan Joseph P. Sullivan Frank Sutton Georgij Taminsin (R) W. Taylor (B) M. A. Tennison Anthony P. Thalmann John H. Thibodeau R. J. Thies G. Thomas J. Thomas Rodger Thomas C. H. Townsend Kenneth M. Turnquist Sergije Valar (R) G. Vandervall (F) M. Vasquez A. P. Verdi Joe Verecher, Jr.

F. Vernon R. N. Vlachos R. C. Volk V. A. Volrath A. P. Waldschmidt James A. Walker M. W. Walker C. J. Walpusk R. M. Walton R. J. Weber Robert Weiss R. L. Wellborn N. C. Werner W. Whelan Richard P. White Glenmore R. Wick.u.m R. R. Wiese R. W. Williams Robert I. Wilson W. Wink Robert E. Winmill Harvey C. Witman Leslie Wolfe W. E. Wright D. Yaun A. Zion F. A. Zuerchet

Acknowledgments.

Writers always owe a huge debt of grat.i.tude to people who were willing to share their intensely personal stories with a stranger. I must thank the veterans involved in Operation Halyard for sharing their stories with me and allowing me to craft their memories into a singular narrative that portrays a bigger picture. George Vujnovich, in particular, was extremely helpful in walking me through the history of the OSS and Operation Halyard, not to mention the fascinating story of his own adventure in Yugoslavia with Mirjana. My thanks also go out to Arthur Jibilian, Tony Orsini, Robert Wilson, Clare Musgrove, and Nick Petrovich for taking the time to share their stories and for trusting that I would treat them with respect.

My research a.s.sistant, Drew Mosley, must be credited with much of the leg-work and background studies that help frame the stories of the men involved in Operation Halyard. Drew was a terrific a.s.set, and I appreciate his dedication to researching this story.

Mel Berger is exactly what every writer wants in an agent. Thank you, Mel. Thank you, Mark Chait, my editor, for your thoughtful input. My appreciation also goes out to the research a.s.sistants and staff at the Library of Congress, National Archives, and the Air Force Academy. My good friend Wes Hardegree made a significant contribution with his review of an early version of the book and by suggesting the t.i.tle.

Thank you, Caroline and Nicholas, for being at my side throughout this project. When I think of why stories like this matter, and why men and women throughout history have been willing to risk everything for those they love, I think of you.

-GAF

Notes.

A note about the Mihailovich name: Because of the vagaries of translating Balkan names to English, the name of Draza Mihailovich is found under various spellings, sometimes varying even within the same government doc.u.ment or press report. The most common usage is Mihailovich, but Mihailovitch, Mich hailovic, Michailovich, Michailovitch, Mikhailovic, Mikhailovich, Mikhailo vitch, Mahailovic, Mihajlovic, and Mihajlovich also have been used. For consistency, this book uses Mihailovich regardless of how the original source doc.u.ment spelled the name.

Chapter 2.

Page 11 "Soviet advances from the Ukraine" Baker, Addison Earl, Lloyd Herbert Hughes, John Louis Jerstad, Leon William Johnson, John Riley Kane. "Ploesti: When Heroes Filled the Sky." www.homeofheroes.com/wings/part2/09_ploesti.html Page 11 "seven major refineries, storage tanks, and related structures covering nineteen square miles" "Ploesti Oil Raid: Operation Tidal Wave." www.ww2guide.com/oil.shtml Page 11 "accounting for 40 percent of Romania's total exports" Ibid.

Page 16 "an ingenious piece of machinery" Kennedy, Joseph. "Sperry Ball Turret." freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~josephkennedy/sperry_ball_turret. htm

Chapter 4.

Page 46 "not just to herd the flock but also to keep the wolves away" Pesic, Miodrag D. Operation Air Bridge Operation Air Bridge: Serbian Chetniks and the Rescued American Airmen in World War II Serbian Chetniks and the Rescued American Airmen in World War II [English translation from the original Serbian]. Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Serbian Masters' Society, 2002, p. 171. [English translation from the original Serbian]. Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Serbian Masters' Society, 2002, p. 171.

Page 48 "they had bailed out much later and farther away than the other crew" The pilot and copilot of Wilson's B-17 were aided by a separate group of Chetniks but never joined up with the other crew. They made it out of Yugoslavia safely.

Page 48 "was a machine gunner on a B-17 when he bailed out over Yugoslavia on July 4, 1944" Pesic, p. 164. Mike McKool's story is a summary of the account he provided in Operation Air Bridge Operation Air Bridge, along with newspaper articles from 1946, in which he described his experience while campaigning to save Mihailovich.

Page 49 "was flying a borrowed plane" Oliver, Thomas. Unintended Unintended V Visit to Yugoslavia. Unpublished ma.n.u.script donated to the United States Air Force Academy, 1990, p. 1. Thomas Oliver's story is a summary of the account he provided in his unpublished ma.n.u.script. Unpublished ma.n.u.script donated to the United States Air Force Academy, 1990, p. 1. Thomas Oliver's story is a summary of the account he provided in his unpublished ma.n.u.script.

Page 50 "Another pilot blamed Dinah Sh.o.r.e when he found himself in trouble over Yugoslavia" Pesic, p. 164. Richard Felman's story is a summary of the account he provided in Operation Air Bridge Operation Air Bridge, along with multiple speeches he gave about his account, and various newspaper and magazine articles in which he described his experience.

Page 53 "Felman was immediately struck by Vasi's appearance" Ibid.

Chapter 5.

Page 63 "known as Captain Milankovic, spoke English" Pesic, p. 166.

Page 65 "afternoon on horseback, accompanied by three soldiers" Oliver, p. 2.

Page 74 "joined Mihailovich's forces in conducting sabotage against the Germans" Felman, Richard. "Mihailovich and I." Serbian Democratic Forum, October 1972.

Chapter 6.

Page 80 "Please advise the American Air Ministry that there are more than one hundred American aviators in our midst" Martin, David. The Web of Disinformation The Web of Disinformation : : Churchill's Yugoslav Blunder Churchill's Yugoslav Blunder. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990, p. 232.

Page 83 "Are you involved in trying to get them out?" These are not the exact words from Mirjana's letter, which is no longer available, but George Vujnovich recounts this version as the gist of what she wrote to him.

Page 83 "One agent reported finding a half-starved B-24 tail gunner who had been shot down in the first raid on Ploesti" Ford, Corey. Donovan of OSS Donovan of OSS. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1970, p. 205.

Page 94 "When Hitler first heard of the coup d'etat and the country's attempt to withdraw from the Axis, he thought it was a joke." Testimony of Her mann Goering at Nuremburg Military Tribunals, Proceedings of the International Military Tribunals at Nuremburg, Proceedings of the International Military Tribunals at Nuremburg, p. 344. p. 344.

Page 94 "Winston Churchill described what happened next" Winston Churchill, The Second World War, Volume 3: The Grand Alliance. The Second World War, Volume 3: The Grand Alliance. Boston: Mariner Books, 1986, p. 175. Boston: Mariner Books, 1986, p. 175.

Chapter 7.

Page 110 " 'It's Mrs. Goebbels!' " There is no way to verify that it actually was Magda Goebbels on the plane, but George and Mirjana Vujnovich both thought it was her and said that she acted as one would expect the powerful wife of a top n.a.z.i officer to act. George and Mirjana responded accordingly at the time and remained confident after the war that Magda Goebbels had saved them from a likely arrest.

Chapter 8.

Page 123 "individual commanders who were accustomed to working independently" Ford, Kirk, Jr. OSS and the Yugoslav Resistance 1943 OSS and the Yugoslav Resistance 1943-1945. College Station, TX: Texas A&M Press, 1992, p. 6. College Station, TX: Texas A&M Press, 1992, p. 6.

Page 124 "Mihailovich took a firm position that he could not expose the people of Yugoslavia to such risk unless the outcome was great enough to justify the inevitable deaths . . ." Ford, Kirk, Jr., p. 7.

Page 125 "chief of the Yugoslav prime minister's military cabinet and the former Yugoslav military and air attache in Was.h.i.+ngton" Knezevic, Zivan. Why the Allies Abandoned the Yugoslav Army of General Mihailovich, with Official Memoranda and Doc.u.ments, Why the Allies Abandoned the Yugoslav Army of General Mihailovich, with Official Memoranda and Doc.u.ments, First Part. Unpublished ma.n.u.script donated to the United States Library of Congress, 1945, p. 4. First Part. Unpublished ma.n.u.script donated to the United States Library of Congress, 1945, p. 4.

Page 126 "the deaths of seventy-eight thousand Serbians between the ages of sixteen and fifty" Ibid.

Page 127 "many of those joining the Partisan movement had no such dreams" Ford, Kirk, Jr., p. 8.

Chapter 9.

Page 130 " 'grand finale against the Axis' " Deakin, F. W. Embattled Mountain Embattled Mountain. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971, p. 152.

Page 131 "he announced that for every German soldier killed by Mihailovich, one hundred Serbs would be shot" Martin, p. 34.

Page 131 "In a telegram sent from Mihailovich on March 2, 1943 . . ." Knezevic, First Part: p. 7.

Page 134 "The English are now fighting to the last Serb in Yugoslavia" Knezevic, Second Part: p. 2.