Operation Halyard
| Halyard Mission | |
|---|---|
| Part of World War II in Yugoslavia | |
Joint US/Chetnik military ceremony in Pranjani September 6, 1944: Capt. Nick Lalich (OSS), Gen. Dragoljub Mihailovic (Yugoslav Army in the Homeland), and Col. Robert McDowell (OSS).
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| Type | Airlift/Special operation |
| Location |
Near Pranjani, Serbia 44°02′09″N 20°10′41″E / 44.03583°N 20.17806°ECoordinates: 44°02′09″N 20°10′41″E / 44.03583°N 20.17806°E |
| Commanded by |
 Maj. Gen. William J. Donovan Gen. Nathan Farragut Twining Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker Gen. Dragoljub Mihailovic
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| Objective | Rescue of U.S airmen |
| Date | 2 August–27 December 1944 |
| Executed by |
Mediterranean Allied Air Forces
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| Outcome | Mission success |
Office of Strategic Services Chetniks
Operation Halyard (or Halyard Mission), known in Serbian as Operation Air Bridge (Serbian: Операција Ваздушни мост), was an Allied airlift operation behind enemy lines during World War II. In July 1944, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) drew up plans to send a team to Chetniks led by General Draža Mihailović in the German-occupied Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia for the purpose of evacuating Allied airmen shot down over that area. This team, known as the Halyard team, was commanded by Lieutenant George Musulin, along with Master Sergeant Michael Rajacich, and Specialist Arthur Jibilian, the radio operator. The team was detailed to the United States Fifteenth Air Force and designated as the 1st Air Crew Rescue Unit. It was the largest rescue operation of American Airmen in history. According to historian Professor Jozo Tomasevich, a report submitted to the OSS showed that 417 Allied airmen who had been downed over occupied Yugoslavia were rescued by Mihailović's Chetniks, and airlifted out by the Fifteenth Air Force. According to Lt. Cmdr. Richard M. Kelly (OSS) grand total of 432 U.S. and 80 Allied personnel were airlifted during the Halyard Mission.
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