OPERATION HALYARD MOVIE
WHEN SERBS SAVED OVER 500 US PILOTS FROM NAZI HANDS
Here is a story you probably have never heard of even though you probably should have if you are an American! Back at the end of World War 2 Serbs saved more than 500 American and Allied pilots in the biggest individual rescue mission in the history of air forces. Serbian National
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The film is expected sometime in 2023, series as well
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Broadcaster is currently preparing a massive war epic on it titled
OPERATION HALYARD and simultaneously a mini TV series titled
AIR BRIDGE. Beside a big number of Serbian actors, the cast will also include
Carl Wharton, Nikola Kent, Stephen Moore, Adam Davenport and
Jadran Malkovich under the helm of director
Radosh Bajich.
OPERATION HALYARD DRAMA
is inspired by the largest single rescue operation in the history of world aviation of about 508 American and other Allied pilots behind enemy lines, which took place at an improvised airport in the village of Pranjani at the foot
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The film follows a father who has to send both his sons to war
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of Serbian mountain Suvobor with the logistical support of the Yugoslav Royal Army in 1944 known by the code name "Operation Halyard".The story, based on historical facts, has members of the Jović family as its main protagonists.
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Air Bridge TV series version will air in six episodes
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Two brothers from that family are in the conflicting armies, Mirko is in the Chetniks and Sreten is in the partisans. Their father is trying to protect his youngest son from joining any army. The story of Halyard is actually an apotheosis of heroism, friendship, charity, nobility and patriotism.
DEZZY'S HISTORY LESSON
The aim of the action was the evacuation of Allied airmen shot down over the Nazi occupied kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was the largest rescue operation of American Airmen in history with grand total of 432 U.S. and 80 Allied personnel airlifted during the heroic mission during which Serbian fighters
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The situation in Nazi occupied Yugoslavia was very complicated as Chetniks, the members of Serbian Royal Army were in conflict with Tito's communist Partisans, even though both fought against the Nazis
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and ordinary people risked their lives for the lives of pilots in the middle of the Nazi infested land. The rescued pilots were bombing Nazi targets over South East Europe, especially oil fields and refineries. Since almost half of their
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More than one hundred actors have taken part in the production
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aircrafts were shot down during these missions, hundreds of pilots ended up in Serbia. The Germans offered cash to the local Serbian population for the capture of Allied airmen, but Serbian peasants accepted the airmen into their homes, risking the wrath of the Nazis, and fed them for months without any
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The preparations for the shooting took three years, with two more years just for the shooting in two separate rounds
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Allied help. Operation Halyard had the purpose of locating and rescuing all these men. It is interesting that the US has 'thanked' Serbia by killing more than 5,000 innocent Serbian people in their bombing air strikes on Serbia which lasted for over three months day and night back in 1999.
