Podcast Episode #48 - The Halyard Mission: Rescuing American Airmen in Serbia with John Capello

Описание: Podcast Episode #48 - The Halyard Mission: Rescuing American Airmen in Serbia with John Capello

Operation Halyard was an OSS-led mission to rescue more than 500 downed airmen behind enemy lines during World War II.

Many of the stranded airmen were shot down during bombing runs on the Ploesti oil fields in Romania. The airmen evaded capture by German forces until they were taken in by Serbian families all over the region, who sheltered them. The airmen were moved around frequently to keep them out of the hands of German forces, at great personal risk to the families protecting them.

Three OSS men, all immigrants from the region themselves, parachuted into the area and made contact with General Draža Mihailović, who led resistance forces. Together they built a clandestine airstrip, gathered the airmen, and arranged for dozens of flights which ferried the men out a dozen at a time.

But the mission was put at risk not just by German forces, but by a Soviet spy in the British government who did everything he could to steer allied support away from General Mihailović and towards Josip Broz Tito, a Yugoslavian partisan leader who was the Soviets’ preferred choice for the future leader of Yugoslavia.

For episode 49 of the Spycraft 101 podcast, I spoke with John Cappello, founder and President of the Halyard Mission Foundation. We discussed the tremendous obstacles that were overcome to spirit hundreds of downed airmen out from enemy territory, and the risks taken by OSS personnel, and ordinary Serbian citizens alike. Even decades later, the mission is still well-known in the region, and the descendants of all participants are still connected by their shared history.

Halyard Mission Foundation website: https://www.halyardmission.org/

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