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GeorgeVujnovich
GeorgeVujnovich,whohasdiedaged96,wasknowntofriendsinNewYorkasamildmanneredbusinessmanwhosuppliedpartsto airlinecompaniesthen,in2007,itwasrevealedthathehadledOperationHalyard,oneofthemostdaringrescueoperationsofthe SecondWorldWar.

GeorgeVujnovich Photo:AP

5:45PMBST27May2012

OperationHalyardevolvedinthewakeoftheAlliedbombingcampaigntodestroyGermanysnetworkofpetroleumresourcesineasternEurope.These focusedonfacilitieslocatedatPloesti,Romania,whichsupplied35percentofGermanyspetroleumneeds.BeginninginApril1944,bombersofthe FifteenthAlliedAirForcebeganarelentlessseriesofattacksonPloestiinanattempttostopproductionaltogether. ByAugustthatyearthetownwasvirtuallydestroyed,butintheprocess350bombershadbeenlost.ManyairmenhadbailedoutoverNazicontrolled easternSerbia,anareapatrolledbythemonarchistChetnikguerrillasunderGeneralDrazaMihailovich.Mihailovichorderedhistroops,aswellasthe localpeasantry,tohelptheairmenbytakingthemtoChetnikheadquartersinPranjani,Serbia,forevacuation. ThegeneralsfirstattemptstoalertAmericanauthoritiestothesituationfailedtoproduceaction,butnewsfilteredthroughtoMirjanaVujnovich,aSerb employeeoftheYugoslavembassyinWashington,whocontactedherhusbandGeorge,acaptainintheAmericanOfficeforStrategicServices(OSS), stationedinBari,Italy. VujnovichmadeithismissiontogettheairmenhomeandenlistedthesupportofNathanTwining,commandinggeneraloftheFifteenthAirForce.The twomenagreedthatarescuecouldbeaccomplishedonlybymakingcontactwithMihailovichandarrangingforthementobeairliftedfromPranjani. Sincetherewasnoairstripthere,theywouldhavetocreateone. Fromtheoutset,though,theplanranintooppositionfromtheBritish,whohadinitiallysupportedMihailovichbuthadlostpatienceoverhisreluctanceto callforageneralantiNaziuprisingacrossYugoslavia.MihailovichwassaidtofearGermanreprisalsagainstciviliansandhadalsoengagedinanill advisedpublicrantagainsttheBritish. Churchill,whowasalsomindfulofkeepingtheSovietUniononside,ledtheAlliestothrowtheirsupportbehindtheCroatcommunistleaderJosipBroz Tito,whosepartisans,inadditiontofightingtheNazis,wereconductingabrutalinternalcivilwaragainstanticommunistgroups,includingtheChetniks. TheBritishbitterlyopposedVujnovichsrescueplan,bynowcodenamedHalyard,becauseitwouldmeancollaboratingwithMihailovich. ResistancefromboththeSOEandtheStateDepartmentultimatelyforcedtheOSSsdirectorWilliamWildBillDonovantogostraighttoPresident Roosevelt.ScrewtheBritish!Letsgetourboysout!Donovanisreportedtohavesaid. Rooseveltagreed,andtheBritishwereorderedtocooperatebutVujnovichsplanstoleadtheOSSteamhimselfwerescupperedbyatelegramfrom theWhiteHouse,whichread:FormernavalpersonobjectstoGeorgeVujnovichgoingintoMihailovichsheadquarters.Thereforehewillnotbesent. FormernavalpersonwascodeforWinstonChurchillwhohad,itseemed,learnedofVujnovichsproMihailovichviews.

Tobeginwith,theBritishwereplacedinchargeoflogistics,butthefirstsixattemptstoinsertateamtocoordinatetherescuehadtobeaborted. GeorgeMusulin,theleaderofathreemanOSSsquadtrainedbyVujnovich,begantosuspectsabotagefromcommunistmolesintheSOEwhen, duringoneattempt,hediscoveredthatthedropcoordinatesgiventothepilotlayinPartisanterritory.Subsequently,Musulindemandedthatplanning shouldbetransferredtotheAmericans. OnAugust21944theteamsuccessfullyparachutedintoSerbiawhere,withinafewdays,theyhadhelpedvillagersandstrandedairmentocarvea makeshiftrunwayforrescueplanes.OnAugust9thefirstinasuccessionofAmericantransportplanesmadethehazardousjourneyfromItaly,and fromthenuntilDecember271944atotalof512airmen,mostofthemAmericans,wereflowntosafetywithoutasinglecasualtyorthelossofasingle aircraft.Eventhoughlaterflightsweremadeduringdaylighthours,theGermansneverdiscoveredtherunway. Earlyin1946GeneralMihailovichwascapturedbyTitosPartisansandputontrialforallegedwarcrimes.Outraged,manyrescuedairmenmounteda publiccampaigntoclearhisname,writingtonewspapers,lobbyingCongressandprotestingoutsidetheYugoslavconsulateinNewYorkCity,butallto noavail.MihailovichwasexecutedbyfiringsquadonJuly171946,andburiedinanunmarkedgrave. In1948hewasposthumouslyawardedtheLegionofMeritbyPresidentTruman,butastheAmericanandBritishgovernmentsbecamemore concernedaboutmaintainingtheirrelationshipwithTitosYugoslaviaduringtheColdWar,theawardsatinaStateDepartmentdrawer,andbothitand OperationHalyardremainedclassified. Abreakthroughcamein1997,whentheBritishdocumentsonOperationHalyardweredeclassifiedandthecitationforMihailovichsLegionofMeritwas releasedfromtheAmericanNationalArchives.Themedalitself,however,wasnotdelivereduntil2005,whenVujnovichandotherveteransofOperation HalyardpersonallypresentedittoGordanaMihailovich,thegeneralsdaughter. OperationHalyardremainedrelativelyobscureuntilthepublicationofTheForgotten500byGregoryFreemanin2007.In2010Vujnovichwasformally recognisedforhispartintheoperationwiththeawardofaBronzeStar. Whataggravatedmemorethananythingelse,Vujnovichsaidin2008,isthatwecouldntgetthetruthout.Everythingwascoveredupfrombeginning toend. GeorgeManeVujnovichwasbornonMay311915inPittsburgh,thesonofimmigrantsfromSerbia.AfterleavingschoolheworkedforaHeinzvinegar factoryfor$1aday,ajobfromwhichhewasrescuedbynewsthathehadwonascholarshiptostudyMedicineattheUniversityofBelgrade.Itwas therethathemethisfuturewife,MirjanaLazich. HewasstillinBelgradeinApril1941,whentheLuftwaffebeganbombingthecity.Herecalledseeingastreetcarobliteratedbyabomb:Thestreetcar andthedozensofpeopleinsideexplodedinabloodymessofbodypartsandmetal,limbsflyingthroughtheairandlandingallaround,herecalled. HeandMirjanathenfledtoTurkey,Jerusalem,CairoandfinallyGhana,whereVujnovichtookajobwithPanAm,whilehiswifeproceededtotheUnited States.SubsequentlycommissionedintotheUSArmy,hisknowledgeofYugoslaviasoonledtohisrecruitmentbytheOSS. Afterthewar,VujnovichandhiswifesettledinNewYorkCity,wherehewentintobusinessasasupplierofaircraftparts.Hesoldthebusinessinthe 1980sbutcontinuedtoworkasaconsultantintohisnineties. GeorgeVujnovichswifediedin2003.Heissurvivedbytheirdaughter.

GeorgeVujnovich,bornMay311915,diedApril242012

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