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The Forgotten 500: The Halyard Mission

Presenter: John Cappello

A Hidden WWII Rescue, Rediscovered by a Hudson Valley Diplomat. 

During World War II, more than 500 American airmen were shot down over Nazi-occupied Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina while bombing the Ploesti oil fields—the backbone of the German war machine. What followed was one of the most successful rescue missions in U.S. military history. Serbian villagers and resistance fighters risked everything to shelter, feed, and protect the pilots, ultimately building a secret airstrip and evacuating every airman without a single loss. Despite its extraordinary success, the Halyard Mission was largely forgotten and erased from history. The Communist regime later executed the local resistance commander who led the rescue, and Cold War politics suppressed the story for decades. In 2007, John Cappello, an American diplomat from Suffern in New York’s Hudson Valley, serving at the U.S. Embassy in Serbia, was instrumental in advancing the recognition of the mission through diplomatic and public engagement in the Balkans and the United States. 

This story reflects a remarkable act of courage and the power of reclaiming buried history. Through individual leadership and moral responsibility, it reconnects American families with those in the Balkans who once saved them, demonstrating how shared history can foster understanding, dialogue, and lasting international relationships.

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