The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II

I’ve always been fascinated by history (probably mostly thanks to my mom’s love of the subject!), and when I needed an audiobook recently and came across this title, I downloaded it right away. This was a fascinating story—and not entirely what I was expecting when I first got into the book!

This book is about an incredible rescue mission, but it’s also a lot more. The way it’s written, you feel like you’re flying with the men who eventually had to escape their failing planes—hoping to limp back to base, but knowing that’s likely an impossibility. This is also an exploration of Yugoslavian politics, both pre- and post-World War II. In some ways, it’s also a defense of Draza Mihailovic, a military general who led one of show more the two main factions in Yugoslavia during the war. Having never heard of him before, it was interesting to get to know him through the eyes of the airmen who had contact with him—and also see how truth can be twisted or corrupted to fit different goals.

If you enjoy history and/or adventure stories, I’d recommend you check out this book. It’s an unusual one, but I enjoyed getting to know another piece of the things different people faced through the war, and the courage and heroism that can be required even to provide basic hospitality sometimes. A fascinating read.

CW: Some language. A couple of times, people try to seduce others. show less

I was fascinated to read the description that this is the unknown story of over 500 airmen who were rescued from capture in WWII. You bet I'd never heard of any such initiative so got a great deal on Kindle for the book.

The USAAF airmen were lost on the many raids on Ploesti in Rumania. These oilfields were Hitler's main abundant source of fuel so it was a prize for the Nazis to keep and the allies to destroy. Once Italy was invaded the trip was easier for the Americans, but certainly not easy or close, and many raids were made on the facility at considerable loss to the US - as most heavy bombings were. Many aircrew bailed out and landed in Yugoslavia - which at the time while fighting the Nazis were also involved in a civil war show more between Tito's communist partisans and Milhailovich's royalist democrats. The latter and dirt poor peasants in the mountains tended to the American airman moving them around the mountains ending up in one mountain top hideout, giving them their last clothes and meagre rations.

While this was happening traitors in the Britsh forces loyal to communism (think Philby etc.) kept the news quiet and discredited and eventually convinced the Brits, and then the Americans, that Milhailovich were Nazi collaborators. Eventually brave and dogged OSS operators in Italy dug the story out and landed in Yugoslavia to mount a rescue operation. This involved peasants clearing a mountain top runway where in the summer of 1944 C47s landed one night and took out 48 of then over 200 Americans. The next morning US fighters came over the attacked a nearby Luftwaffe air base while more C47s took out the remaining airmen. By the time Italy was pacified 542 airmen were rescued with no loss of allied life. Remarkable.

But what was equally remarkable but depressing was how it was kept a secret - to save British and overall allied embarrassment on how they'd supported delivering Yugoslavia into communist and Stalin's hands. Pres. Truman awarded Milhailovich the highest non-American medal he could in 1948 after lobbying by numerous OSS vets of Yugoslavia but it was kept quiet. Meanwhile, Milhailovich was already dead after being executed by Tito in 1946.

in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of V-E Day US vets returned to the mountain top they'd left from and were honoured by 50 000 Serbians. Who honoured the Serbs though? It makes one weep.

A great and important book and beautifully written, A quick read but no means short on content. Too bad about the ending but it is N/F.

@GregoryAFreeman show less

Wow, this is a great untold tale of WW II that someone needs to make a movie out of. Hundreds of American airmen shot down in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia where Serbian villagers risked their own lives to give refuge to the soldiers. Then 1944 and Operation Halyard with enough inherent risks with British Allies and American command elements actively working against rescue due to the greater efforts of the Cambridge Spy Ring, specifically James Klugmann. Despite all this; hunkered airmen sending wireless requests for rescue and villagers making a landing field on a mountainside without much more than bare hands. All this to be suppressed, even to the point of not revealing the Order of Merit to Serbian guerilla General Draza Mihailovich who show more perpetrated this under the noses of the occupying Germans. show less

"The Forgotten 500" provides interesting insights into Nazi-occupied Yugoslovia in WW II, while telling a little known story of a rescue of hundreds of downed airmen behind enemy lines. The book may not be quite as "breathtaking" as the book jacket implies, but the details of the airmen rescued and the Serb people who helped protect them at their own peril is an excellent story. Freeman also includes details of other behind the scenes players, and discusses how poor political decisions led to Allied forces being duped into believing that General Draza Mihailovich was collaborating with German forces, and therefore abandoning support for him in favor of Communist leader Tito. The results of that decision had long lasting implications in show more post-war Yugoslovia. All in all, "The Forgotten 500" tells a good story, shows what dedicated people can do to overcome bureaucratic bungling and poor political decisions, and also provides background on the ethnic rivalry and diversity in the Balkan region. show less

Allied air forces started bombing the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania in 1942. They really stepped up the campaign after they took Italy which made the flights to Romania shorter. However, the Germans defended the oil fields with 100's of fighters and 1000's of antiaircraft guns. The losses for the Allies were high and many planes were able to flee the oil fields badly damaged but they could not climb over the mountains to Italy. Many airmen bailed out over Yugoslavia and were rescued and hidden from the Germans by the Chetniks. The Allies would not recognize that possibly a 100 men were being hidden. When they finally became convinced, they set up a air rescue which eventualy brought out over 500 men.
The other theme in the book is show more how the British and Americans backed the Tito Partisans rather than the Mihailovich Chetnicks and lost Yugoslavia to the Communist Block after the War. The way the Allies treated Milailovich still rankles the men who were rescued by his men. The Serbian people shared their meager rations with these soldiers and to this day have happy memories of the the American airmen they protected.
Reading this is like reading a fictional adventure story. I could not put it down. show less

This is the wonderful story of how General Mihailovich risked his life to save over 500 airmen who bailed out over Yugoslavia during WWII on missions to bomb the oil fields in Ploesti. It is also the story of the Serbian people who risked their lives to help these airmen, and how many of them lost their lives as retaliation when they were suspected of aiding the airmen. These people died rather than give the airmen up. It is also the story of how Churchill supported Tito and the partisans and called Mihailovich the enemy. The OSS had recruited men, many of them communists, to work in the service. Later, it turned out these communists were working to sabotage their efforts to rescue the men. This book was very good and easy to read. I show more thoroughly enjoyed learning a little history while reading this true story some unknown heroes. It read just like a novel. show less

This book covers two different topics: operation Halyard to rescue hundreds of stranded allied airmen who had bailed out over occupied Yugoslavia; and the Serb general Draža Mihailović, and his relationships with the various parties.

The coverage of operation Halyard is interesting, as there's not much else in print on this topic. But the writing style is a bit simplistic and sometimes repetitive.

The coverage of Draža Mihailović seemed very one-sided. It seems he can do no wrong, and is misunderstood and attacked by all sides. There may be a need for a revision of the allies' treatment of Mihailović; but this isn't the way to do it.