{"id":19613580,"date":"2026-09-03T10:47:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T23:01:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T21:01:33","slug":"operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/","title":{"rendered":"Operation Halyard: Rescuing Downed Airmen From Occupied Serbia"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color .15s}\n.mfsh-trigger:hover,.mfsh-trigger:focus-visible{background:#0F1720;color:#fff;outline:none}\n.mfsh-trigger svg{width:18px;height:18px;display:block;flex-shrink:0}\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-bottom{margin:8px 0 28px}\n.mfsh-meta{position:relative;padding-right:190px}\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta{position:absolute;right:0;bottom:0;margin:0;height:30px;padding:0 8.9px;font-size:13px}\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta svg{width:16px;height:16px}\n.mfsh-overlay{position:fixed;inset:0;background:rgba(15,23,32,.55);z-index:99999;display:flex;align-items:flex-end;justify-content:center;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s}\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open{opacity:1;pointer-events:auto}\n.mfsh-sheet{width:100%;max-width:520px;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;padding:18px 20px 28px;transform:translateY(24px);transition:transform .22s;box-shadow:0 12px 32px rgba(15,23,32,.25);font-family:inherit;max-height:92vh;overflow:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch}\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open .mfsh-sheet{transform:none}\n@media (min-width:640px){.mfsh-overlay{align-items:center}.mfsh-sheet{padding-bottom:20px}}\n.mfsh-head{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:space-between;margin:0 0 14px}\n.mfsh-head strong{font-size:18px;font-weight:800;display:flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;line-height:1}\n.mfsh-head strong svg{width:18px;height:18px}\n.mfsh-close{background:none;border:0;padding:6px;margin:0;cursor:pointer;color:#0F1720;line-height:0;box-shadow:none}\n.mfsh-close svg{width:18px;height:18px}\n.mfsh-preview{display:grid;grid-template-columns:96px 1fr;gap:12px;border:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:#F5F7FB;padding:10px;margin:0 0 12px;align-items:center}\n.mfsh-preview img{width:96px;height:72px;object-fit:cover;display:block;margin:0}\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-kicker{font-size:10px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5C91FF;margin:0 0 4px;line-height:1.2}\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-title{font-size:14px;line-height:1.3;font-weight:700;margin:0;display:block}\n.mfsh-list{display:grid;margin:0;padding:0}\n.mfsh-item{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:14px;height:50px;width:100%;border:0;border-top:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:none;padding:0 4px;margin:0;text-align:left;font-family:inherit;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;color:#0F1720;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;line-height:1}\n.mfsh-item:hover,.mfsh-item:focus-visible{background:#F5F7FB;outline:none}\n.mfsh-item svg{width:20px;height:20px;color:#5C91FF;flex-shrink:0;display:block}\n.mfsh-item small{margin-left:auto;color:#5B6674;font-weight:500;font-size:12px}\n.mfsh-item.mfsh-done svg{color:#1E9E5A}\n.mfsh-toast{position:fixed;left:50%;bottom:32px;transform:translate(-50%,10px);background:#0F1720;color:#fff;padding:10px 16px;font-weight:700;font-size:13px;font-family:inherit;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s,transform .2s;z-index:100000}\n.mfsh-toast.mfsh-show{opacity:1;transform:translate(-50%,0)}\n@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.mfsh-overlay,.mfsh-sheet,.mfsh-toast,.mfsh-trigger{transition:none}}\n<\/style>\n<svg width=\"0\" height=\"0\" style=\"position:absolute\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-share\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M12 3v12M8 7l4-4 4 4M5 12v8h14v-8\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-close\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"m5 5 14 14M19 5 5 19\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-wa\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M12 2a10 10 0 0 0-8.6 15.1L2 22l5.1-1.3A10 10 0 1 0 12 2Zm0 1.8a8.2 8.2 0 1 1-4.2 15.3l-.3-.2-3 .8.8-2.9-.2-.3A8.2 8.2 0 0 1 12 3.8Zm-3 4.4c-.2 0-.5 0-.8.4-.3.3-1 1-1 2.4s1 2.8 1.2 3c.1.2 2 3.2 5 4.4 2.5 1 3 .8 3.5.7.5 0 1.7-.7 2-1.4.2-.7.2-1.3.1-1.4l-.5-.3-2-1c-.3 0-.5-.1-.7.2l-.9 1.1c-.2.2-.3.2-.6.1-.3-.2-1.3-.5-2.4-1.5-.9-.8-1.5-1.8-1.7-2-.2-.4 0-.5.2-.7l.4-.5.3-.5v-.5l-.9-2.2c-.2-.5-.4-.5-.6-.5H9Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-x\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M17.8 3h3l-6.7 7.7L22 21h-6.2l-4.8-6.3L5.4 21h-3l7.2-8.2L2 3h6.3l4.4 5.8L17.8 3Zm-1.1 16.2h1.7L7.4 4.7H5.6l11.1 14.5Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-fb\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M13.5 22v-8h2.7l.4-3.2h-3.1V8.8c0-.9.3-1.6 1.6-1.6h1.7V4.4c-.3 0-1.3-.1-2.5-.1-2.5 0-4.1 1.5-4.1 4.2v2.3H7.4V14h2.8v8h3.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-li\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.5 8.5H3V21h3.5V8.5ZM4.8 3a2 2 0 1 0 0 4 2 2 0 0 0 0-4ZM21 13.4c0-3.4-1.8-5.2-4.5-5.2-1.6 0-2.7.8-3.2 1.7V8.5H9.9V21h3.4v-6.4c0-1.7.6-2.8 2.1-2.8 1.4 0 2 1 2 2.8V21H21v-7.6Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-rd\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M22 12.1a2.4 2.4 0 0 0-4.1-1.7 11.7 11.7 0 0 0-5.5-1.7l1-4.5 3.1.7a1.7 1.7 0 1 0 .2-1l-3.6-.8a.5.5 0 0 0-.6.4l-1.1 5.2a11.8 11.8 0 0 0-5.8 1.7A2.4 2.4 0 1 0 3 14.3v.5c0 3.4 4 6.2 9 6.2s9-2.8 9-6.2v-.5a2.4 2.4 0 0 0 1-2.2ZM7.5 13.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 3.4 0 1.7 1.7 0 0 1-3.4 0Zm8.9 4.5c-1.2 1.2-3.4 1.3-4.4 1.3s-3.3-.1-4.4-1.3a.5.5 0 0 1 .7-.7c.7.8 2.4 1 3.7 1s2.9-.2 3.7-1a.5.5 0 0 1 .7.7Zm-.6-2.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 0-3.4 1.7 1.7 0 0 1 0 3.4Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-tg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M21.9 4.6 18.7 19.9c-.2 1-.9 1.3-1.7.8l-4.9-3.6-2.3 2.3c-.3.3-.5.5-1 .5l.4-5 9-8.2c.4-.3-.1-.5-.6-.2L6.4 13.5 1.6 12c-1-.3-1.1-1 .2-1.5l18.8-7.2c.9-.3 1.6.2 1.3 1.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-mail\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"M3 6h18v12H3z\"\/><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"m3 7 9 6 9-6\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-link\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M10 14a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 0l3-3a4 4 0 0 0-5.7-5.7l-1.5 1.5M14 10a4 4 0 0 0-5.7 0l-3 3a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 5.7l1.5-1.5\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-more\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><circle cx=\"5\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"19\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/symbol>\n<\/svg>\n<span class=\"mfsh-top-slot\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger\" data-mfsh-placement=\"top\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button><\/span>\n<script>\n(function(){\n  if (window.__mfsh) return; window.__mfsh = true;\n  var SECTION = 'afterburner';\n  function meta(p){ var m=document.querySelector('meta[property=\"'+p+'\"]'); return m ? m.getAttribute('content') : ''; }\n  function pageUrl(){ var c=document.querySelector('link[rel=\"canonical\"]'); return (c && c.href) || (location.origin + location.pathname); }\n  function pageTitle(){ var h=document.querySelector('h1.entry-title'); return (h && h.textContent.trim()) || meta('og:title') || document.title; }\n  function slug(){ return location.pathname.replace(\/\\\/+$\/,'').split('\/').pop() || 'home'; }\n  function kicker(){ var c=document.querySelector('.et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category tag\"], .et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category\"], a[rel=\"category tag\"]'); return 'Afterburner' + (c && c.textContent.trim() ? ' \u00b7 ' + c.textContent.trim() : ''); }\n  function shareUrl(ch, placement){ return pageUrl() + '?utm_source=share&utm_medium=' + ch + '&utm_campaign=' + SECTION + '&utm_content=sheet_' + placement; }\n  function track(ch, placement, extra){\n    window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];\n    var ev = { event:'share', share_channel:ch, share_variant:'sheet', share_placement:placement, page_section:SECTION, content_id:slug() };\n    if (extra) for (var k in extra) ev[k]=extra[k];\n    window.dataLayer.push(ev);\n  }\n  var CH = [\n    ['whatsapp','WhatsApp','mfsh-i-wa',''],\n    ['x','X','mfsh-i-x',''],\n    ['facebook','Facebook','mfsh-i-fb',''],\n    ['linkedin','LinkedIn','mfsh-i-li',''],\n    ['reddit','Reddit','mfsh-i-rd','r\/aviation, r\/WarplanePorn'],\n    ['telegram','Telegram','mfsh-i-tg',''],\n    ['email','Email','mfsh-i-mail',''],\n    ['copy','Copy link','mfsh-i-link',''],\n    ['native','More','mfsh-i-more','Instagram, Signal, AirDrop']\n  ];\n  var overlay, toastEl, toastT, placement = 'top';\n  function build(){\n    overlay = document.createElement('div'); overlay.className = 'mfsh-overlay'; overlay.setAttribute('role','dialog'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-modal','true'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-label','Share');\n    var img = meta('og:image');\n    var items = CH.filter(function(c){ return c[0] !== 'native' || !!navigator.share; }).map(function(c){\n      return '<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-item\" data-mfsh-ch=\"'+c[0]+'\"><svg><use href=\"#'+c[2]+'\"\/><\/svg>'+c[1]+(c[3]?'<small>'+c[3]+'<\/small>':'')+'<\/button>';\n    }).join('');\n    overlay.innerHTML = '<div class=\"mfsh-sheet\"><div class=\"mfsh-head\"><strong><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share<\/strong><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-close\" aria-label=\"Close\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-close\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>'\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-preview\">' + (img ? '<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"'+img+'\" alt=\"\">' : '<span><\/span>') + '<div><div class=\"mfsh-kicker\">'+kicker()+'<\/div><span class=\"mfsh-title\">'+pageTitle()+'<\/span><\/div><\/div>'\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-list\">'+items+'<\/div><\/div>';\n    document.body.appendChild(overlay);\n    toastEl = document.createElement('div'); toastEl.className = 'mfsh-toast'; document.body.appendChild(toastEl);\n    overlay.addEventListener('click', function(e){\n      if (e.target === overlay || e.target.closest('.mfsh-close')) { close(); return; }\n      var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-item'); if (b) act(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-ch'), b);\n    });\n    document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e){ if (e.key === 'Escape') close(); });\n  }\n  function open(p){ placement = p || 'top'; if (!overlay) build(); overlay.classList.add('mfsh-open'); track('open', placement); }\n  function close(){ if (overlay) overlay.classList.remove('mfsh-open'); }\n  function toast(m){ toastEl.textContent = m; toastEl.classList.add('mfsh-show'); clearTimeout(toastT); toastT = setTimeout(function(){ toastEl.classList.remove('mfsh-show'); }, 1600); }\n  function act(ch, btn){\n    var url = shareUrl(ch, placement), t = pageTitle(), enc = encodeURIComponent;\n    if (ch === 'copy') {\n      var done = function(){ toast('Link copied'); btn.classList.add('mfsh-done'); setTimeout(function(){ btn.classList.remove('mfsh-done'); close(); }, 900); };\n      track(ch, placement);\n      if (navigator.clipboard && navigator.clipboard.writeText) navigator.clipboard.writeText(url).then(done, done); else done();\n      return;\n    }\n    if (ch === 'native') {\n      track(ch, placement, { share_result:'opened' });\n      navigator.share({ title:t, text:t, url:url }).then(function(){ track('native', placement, { share_result:'completed' }); close(); }).catch(function(){});\n      return;\n    }\n    var target = {\n      whatsapp: 'https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=' + enc(t + ' ' + url),\n      x:        'https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=' + enc(t) + '&url=' + enc(url) + '&via=MiGFlug',\n      facebook: 'https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=' + enc(url),\n      linkedin: 'https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=' + enc(url),\n      reddit:   'https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=' + enc(url) + '&title=' + enc(t),\n      telegram: 'https:\/\/t.me\/share\/url?url=' + enc(url) + '&text=' + enc(t),\n      email:    'mailto:?subject=' + enc(t) + '&body=' + enc('Thought you would like this, from Afterburner, MiGFlug\\'s magazine:\\n' + t + '\\n' + url)\n    }[ch];\n    track(ch, placement);\n    if (target) { if (ch === 'email') location.href = target; else window.open(target, '_blank', 'noopener,width=680,height=560'); }\n    close();\n  }\n  var mq = window.matchMedia('(min-width:981px)');\n  function place(){\n    var t = document.querySelector('.mfsh-trigger[data-mfsh-placement=\"top\"]'), slot = document.querySelector('.mfsh-top-slot');\n    var meta = [].slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('.et_pb_title_meta_container, .et_post_meta_wrapper .post-meta, .single .post-meta')).filter(function(m){ return m.offsetParent !== null; })[0];\n    if (!t || !slot) return;\n    if (meta && mq.matches) { meta.classList.add('mfsh-meta'); t.classList.add('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== meta) meta.appendChild(t); var a = meta.querySelector('a'); if (a) { var pr = document.createElement('span'); pr.style.cssText = 'display:inline-block;width:0;height:0;vertical-align:baseline'; a.appendChild(pr); var base = pr.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; pr.remove(); var fs = parseFloat(getComputedStyle(a).fontSize) || 14, mb = meta.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; t.style.bottom = Math.max(0, mb - (base + fs * 0.12)) + 'px'; } }\n    else { t.classList.remove('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== slot) slot.appendChild(t); }\n  }\n  if (document.readyState === 'loading') document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', place); else place(); window.addEventListener('load', place); if (document.fonts && document.fonts.ready) document.fonts.ready.then(place); window.addEventListener('resize', place);\n  if (mq.addEventListener) mq.addEventListener('change', place); else mq.addListener(place);\n  document.addEventListener('click', function(e){ var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-trigger'); if (b) { e.preventDefault(); open(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-placement') || 'top'); } });\n})();\n<\/script><!-- \/mfsh:top -->\n\r\n\r\n<p>By the summer of 1944 the Fifteenth Air Force had lost 350 bombers over the Ploiesti oil fields, and a great many of the men who fell out of them came down in occupied Serbia. They were not captured. They were hidden &mdash; in barns, in hayricks, in villages where the Germans hanged people for far less.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The problem was what to do next. There were hundreds of them, scattered across the hills, being fed by peasants who had almost nothing to give. And the only way out was up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>What followed was the largest airlift rescue of Allied airmen from behind enemy lines in the Second World War, and one of the least known.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px 22px;margin:24px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.8\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:600;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Operation:<\/strong> Halyard, run by the OSS Air Crew Rescue Unit (ACRU #1)<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Dates:<\/strong> team parachuted in 2\/3 August 1944; final flight 27 December 1944<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Main airstrip:<\/strong> Galovica field near Pranjani, central Serbia<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> C-47 Skytrains of the 60th Troop Carrier Group, flying from Brindisi, Italy<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Numbers flown out:<\/strong> archival flight records total 417 people, 343 of them American airmen; a 1946 OSS summary and most popular accounts give 512<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Hosts:<\/strong> Serbian villagers and Chetnik forces under Gen. Draza Mihailovic<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A runway dug by hand<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>On the night of 2 August 1944, three men dropped into the hills near Pranjani: 1st Lieutenant George Musulin of the OSS and two enlisted men, one of them a U.S. Navy radio operator named Arthur Jibilian. Jibilian would stay for the entire operation, from the first night to the last.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>What Musulin found was a strip on a narrow mountainside plateau, far too short for a loaded C-47. So the villagers made it longer. Around 300 workmen and sixty ox carts widened and extended the dirt runway to roughly 1,800 by 150 feet, working largely at night. It was still, by any reasonable standard, marginal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/galovica-field-pranjani-halyard-commemoration.jpg\" alt=\"Galovica field near Pranjani, Serbia\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Galovica field at Pranjani. This unremarkable stretch of Serbian farmland was the runway. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Lexy Washburn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>There was no radar, no approach lighting and no diversion airfield. For the first night lift the runway was marked with kerosene lamps; for the daylight lifts, with strips of parachute silk. The men who flew it knew exactly what they were being asked to do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;extremely hazardous &hellip; the utmost in flying skill and teamwork&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>War Diary, 10th Troop Carrier Squadron<\/strong> &mdash; 60th Troop Carrier Group, USAAF, 1944<\/div><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The first night<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Six C-47s left Italy on the evening of 9 August 1944. Two turned back with engine trouble. The remaining four found the field, landed on the dirt, loaded twelve men apiece and left. Six more came at dawn on 10 August, and another six an hour after that, this time taking up to twenty men each.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Twenty-five <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/p-51-mustang\/\">P-51 Mustangs<\/a> escorted the morning wave, strafing targets in the area so the whole thing would read to German ears as a routine air strike rather than an evacuation. It worked. Not one aircraft was lost across the entire operation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/george-musulin-oss-halyard-1943.jpg\" alt=\"George Musulin, OSS officer, photographed in 1943\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">George Musulin, photographed in 1943. He jumped into Serbia to organise the evacuation and commanded the first weeks of it. Photo: Office of Strategic Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What the villagers gave<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The airmen were not hidden by an army. They were hidden by farmers. That distinction is the heart of the story, and the men who came home never stopped saying so.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;If there was one slice of bread in the house, or one egg, it went to the American. If there was one blanket or one bed, it went to the American while our Serbian host slept on the bare ground. Many of the peasants were tortured, tortured to death, because they would not tell the Germans where we were.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Maj. Richard L. Felman, USAF (Ret.)<\/strong> &mdash; B-24 navigator, 415th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group, Fifteenth Air Force; evacuated from Pranjani, 10 August 1944. Speaking at the 50th anniversary of Operation Halyard, Chicago, 1994<\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>The lifts continued through the autumn from two further strips, and the last two C-47s came in on 27 December 1944, escorted by sixteen P-38 Lightnings, landing on ground frozen just hard enough to take the weight. One of them was flown by Colonel George Kraigher, who commanded the rescue unit and chose to fly the final trip himself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">How many, exactly<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>This is where the story gets slippery, and it is worth being straight about it. The archival flight records used by the official <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-states-air-force\/\">U.S. Air Force<\/a> history and by a 1977 Air War College study total 417 people flown out: 343 American airmen, 8 British airmen, and 66 others &mdash; civilians who had escaped German labour camps, plus French, Italian and Yugoslav personnel.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>A 1946 OSS summary gives 512, made up of 432 Americans and 80 other Allied personnel, and that is the figure repeated in most books, on memorial plaques and in U.S. government commemorations. Both numbers are honestly sourced. Neither is a fabrication. The lower one comes from the loading records; the higher one from a wartime intelligence tally.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The best-known documentary account of the operation is below.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EiSyEg5Kwwg\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p>The politics afterwards were ugly. Mihailovic was executed by the postwar Yugoslav government in 1946. President Truman awarded him the Legion of Merit in 1948, but the citation was classified and was not handed to his daughter until 2005. The airmen he sheltered spent decades campaigning for that recognition.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>A longer treatment, with veteran interviews, follows.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GgGP3is4PLI\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p>And the field itself is still there, in the hills above Pranjani, looking like nothing at all.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oa0SnbB1kQ0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was Operation Halyard?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">An OSS operation between August and December 1944 that used C-47 transports to fly Allied airmen out of German-occupied Serbia. The men had been shot down mostly over the Ploiesti oil fields and were being hidden by Serbian villagers and Chetnik forces under General Draza Mihailovic.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many airmen were rescued in Operation Halyard?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">It depends which record you use, and both are legitimate. The archival flight records used by the official U.S. Air Force history total 417 people flown out, 343 of them American airmen. A 1946 OSS summary gives 512, made up of 432 Americans and 80 other Allied personnel, and that is the figure repeated in most books and on memorials.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where did the aircraft land?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On a hand-dug strip at Galovica field near the village of Pranjani in central Serbia. Around 300 workmen and sixty ox carts lengthened it to roughly 1,800 by 150 feet. Two further strips were used later in the operation.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Were any aircraft lost during the operation?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No. Not a single aircraft was lost across the entire operation, despite landing loaded C-47s on a dirt strip on a mountainside plateau inside occupied territory.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How was the first evacuation kept secret?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">It was disguised as an air strike. Twenty-five <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/p-51-mustang\/\">P-51 Mustangs<\/a> escorted the morning wave of 10 August 1944 and strafed targets in the area, so that German listeners would read the activity as a routine attack rather than an evacuation.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What happened to General Mihailovic afterwards?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">He was executed by the postwar Yugoslav government in 1946. President Truman awarded him the Legion of Merit in 1948, but the citation was classified and was not handed to his daughter until 2005. The airmen he sheltered campaigned for that recognition for decades.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was Operation Halyard?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"An OSS operation between August and December 1944 that used C-47 transports to fly Allied airmen out of German-occupied Serbia. The men had been shot down mostly over the Ploiesti oil fields and were being hidden by Serbian villagers and Chetnik forces under General Draza Mihailovic.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many airmen were rescued in Operation Halyard?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"It depends which record you use, and both are legitimate. The archival flight records used by the official U.S. Air Force history total 417 people flown out, 343 of them American airmen. A 1946 OSS summary gives 512, made up of 432 Americans and 80 other Allied personnel, and that is the figure repeated in most books and on memorials.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where did the aircraft land?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On a hand-dug strip at Galovica field near the village of Pranjani in central Serbia. Around 300 workmen and sixty ox carts lengthened it to roughly 1,800 by 150 feet. Two further strips were used later in the operation.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Were any aircraft lost during the operation?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. Not a single aircraft was lost across the entire operation, despite landing loaded C-47s on a dirt strip on a mountainside plateau inside occupied territory.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How was the first evacuation kept secret?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"It was disguised as an air strike. Twenty-five P-51 Mustangs escorted the morning wave of 10 August 1944 and strafed targets in the area, so that German listeners would read the activity as a routine attack rather than an evacuation.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What happened to General Mihailovic afterwards?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"He was executed by the postwar Yugoslav government in 1946. President Truman awarded him the Legion of Merit in 1948, but the citation was classified and was not handed to his daughter until 2005. The airmen he sheltered campaigned for that recognition for decades.\"}}]}<\/script><p><em>Sources: William M. Leary, Fueling the Fires of Resistance, Air Force History and Museums Program, 1995; Cdr. Thomas T. Matteson, Air War College study, 1977; U.S. Department of Defense \/ DVIDS; Fifteenth Air Force Association.<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-tidal-wave-ploesti-raid-1943\/\">Operation Tidal Wave: The Ploesti Raid<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-jericho-mosquito-amiens-prison-raid\/\">The Raid That Blew Open a Gestapo Prison<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franz-stigler-charlie-brown-b-17-mercy-1943\/\">He Couldn&rsquo;t Shoot Them Down<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1944 C-47s landed on a hand-dug Serbian hillside strip to fly out hundreds of downed Allied airmen hidden by villagers. Operation Halyard was the largest such rescue of the war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":19612960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19613580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Operation Halyard: The WWII Airlift Rescue in Serbia | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 1944 C-47s landed on a hand-dug Serbian hillside to fly out hundreds of downed Allied airmen hidden by villagers. The story of Operation Halyard.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Operation Halyard: The WWII Airlift Rescue in Serbia | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 1944 C-47s landed on a hand-dug Serbian hillside to fly out hundreds of downed Allied airmen hidden by villagers. The story of Operation Halyard.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-03T08:47:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-02T21:01:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pranjani-ceremony-september-1944-halyard.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"950\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"636\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tamika Johnson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tamika Johnson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tamika Johnson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d\"},\"headline\":\"Operation Halyard: Rescuing Downed Airmen From Occupied Serbia\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-03T08:47:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-02T21:01:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1238,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/pranjani-ceremony-september-1944-halyard.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/\",\"name\":\"Operation Halyard: The WWII Airlift Rescue in Serbia | MiGFlug\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/pranjani-ceremony-september-1944-halyard.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-03T08:47:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-02T21:01:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"In 1944 C-47s landed on a hand-dug Serbian hillside to fly out hundreds of downed Allied airmen hidden by villagers. The story of Operation Halyard.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/pranjani-ceremony-september-1944-halyard.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/pranjani-ceremony-september-1944-halyard.jpg\",\"width\":950,\"height\":636,\"caption\":\"American airmen and Chetnik fighters at a joint ceremony in Pranjani, Serbia, 6 September 1944\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Operation Halyard: Rescuing Downed Airmen From Occupied Serbia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d\",\"name\":\"Tamika Johnson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tamika Johnson\"},\"description\":\"Tamika Johnson tells the human stories of aviation \u2014 the pilots, pioneers and characters behind the machines.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/author\\\/tamikajohnson\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Operation Halyard: The WWII Airlift Rescue in Serbia | MiGFlug","description":"In 1944 C-47s landed on a hand-dug Serbian hillside to fly out hundreds of downed Allied airmen hidden by villagers. The story of Operation Halyard.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Operation Halyard: The WWII Airlift Rescue in Serbia | MiGFlug","og_description":"In 1944 C-47s landed on a hand-dug Serbian hillside to fly out hundreds of downed Allied airmen hidden by villagers. The story of Operation Halyard.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-09-03T08:47:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-02T21:01:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":950,"height":636,"url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pranjani-ceremony-september-1944-halyard.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tamika Johnson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tamika Johnson","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/"},"author":{"name":"Tamika Johnson","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d"},"headline":"Operation Halyard: Rescuing Downed Airmen From Occupied Serbia","datePublished":"2026-09-03T08:47:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-02T21:01:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/"},"wordCount":1238,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pranjani-ceremony-september-1944-halyard.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/","name":"Operation Halyard: The WWII Airlift Rescue in Serbia | MiGFlug","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pranjani-ceremony-september-1944-halyard.jpg","datePublished":"2026-09-03T08:47:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-02T21:01:33+00:00","description":"In 1944 C-47s landed on a hand-dug Serbian hillside to fly out hundreds of downed Allied airmen hidden by villagers. The story of Operation Halyard.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pranjani-ceremony-september-1944-halyard.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pranjani-ceremony-september-1944-halyard.jpg","width":950,"height":636,"caption":"American airmen and Chetnik fighters at a joint ceremony in Pranjani, Serbia, 6 September 1944"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-halyard-1944-airmen-rescue-pranjani-serbia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Operation Halyard: Rescuing Downed Airmen From Occupied Serbia"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d","name":"Tamika Johnson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tamika Johnson"},"description":"Tamika Johnson tells the human stories of aviation \u2014 the pilots, pioneers and characters behind the machines.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/author\/tamikajohnson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19613580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19613580"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19613580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26217020,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19613580\/revisions\/26217020"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19612960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19613580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19613580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19613580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}