Review of The Forgotten 500

Book Review of The Forgotten 500 by Gregory A. Freeman (2007). This is the full account, using recently declassified information, of the OSS mission, Operation Halyard, which rescued more than 500 downed fliers in Yugoslavia during WWII. It is a book of heroism and persistence at its best. It tells the story of some of those US fliers who were shot down and rescued; the roles of key individuals in the OSS who organized and carried out the rescue mission; and the important role Draza Mihailovich and the Chetniks in saving the more than 500 downed US fliers. Honestly, I knew very little about what happened in Yugoslavia during WWII before reading this book. It gives the reader an insightful overview of the history of the OSS and the reasons and consequences of the fateful political decision by the Allies to support Tito’s partisan forces rather than the Chetniks led by Draza Mihailovich. If you like to read about WWII, this is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.