The Forgotten 500 The Untold Story of the Me Mission of World War II

Now in paperback?the ?amazing?( James Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of Flags of Our Fathers ) never-before-told story of the greatest escape of the Second World War. In 1944 the OSS set out to recover more than 500 downed airmen trapped behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia. Classified for over half a century for political reasons, the full account of this unforgettable story of loyalty, self-sacrifice, and bravery is now being told for the first time. From Booklist Bombing of the Ploiesti, Romania, oil refineries, a key German resource, started in 1942. Allied pilots sustaining damage frequently bailed out over Serbia in German-occupied Yugoslavia, where the resistance and others hid them. By 1944, more than 500 were stranded and slowly starving. The OSS concocted the daring Operation Halyard to airlift them, but they had to construct a landing strip without tools and without alerting the Germans or endangering local villagers, and then the rescuers had to avoid being shot down themselves. The operation's story is an exciting tale, but it was kept from general knowledge for decades; the resistance leader most responsible was a rival to Tito. Nazi-baited by a Stalinist mole in British intelligence, he was executed in 1946 with the consent of Britain and America, which thereafter refused to acknowledge having been snookered (the State Department kept many details classified more than 50 years). Evoking the rescuees' successive desperation, wild hope, and joy, and their gratitude to the Serbians who risked their lives to help, Freeman produces a breathtaking popular account. Murray, Frieda Review “Riveting.” —James Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of Flags of Our Fathers “Exciting…breathtaking.” — Booklist “Fascinating…full of romance, action, and adventure…told with skill and grace.” — America in WWII “A literary and journalistic achievement of the highest order, a book that illuminates [and] thrills… It will take your breath away.” —Gregg Olsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Deep Dark Formats : EPUB, MOBI