Summary of The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II

As the numbers of stranded airmen grew, so too did the urgency for a rescue. Out of this desperation, Operation Halyard was born. Conceived in secrecy, it called for the impossible: the Americans and their Serbian protectors would carve a landing strip out of the earth, long enough for C-47 transport planes, using only hand tools, sweat, and sheer determination. Every step carried danger. The Germans could discover them at any moment, and the villagers faced certain death if caught aiding the enemy. Yet side by side, hungry airmen and impoverished farmers transformed fields into runways under the cover of night.

When the day came, American cargo planes braved enemy skies to land in this hidden haven, gathering the stranded fliers and lifting them to safety. Against staggering odds, not one soldier was left behind, and not one rescue plane was lost. More than five hundred men were spirited away from behind enemy lines in what became the largest rescue of downed airmen in the entire war.

For decades, the operation’s details were buried, suppressed for political reasons during the shifting alliances of the Cold War. The bravery of the Serbian villagers and the scale of the rescue remained largely unknown outside a handful of survivors’ memories. Now told in full, the story shines a light on extraordinary courage, sacrifice, and loyalty—proof that in the darkest hours, humanity’s quiet heroism can alter the course of history.