Serb Chetniks Rescue U.S. Pilots during WWII

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Allied pilot rescues and Legion of Merit

The Chetniks rescued some 500 U.S. airmen who crashed over Yugoslavia in 1944-45. The Chetniks rescued German airmen and handed them over safely to the German armed forces

Due to the efforts of Major Richard L. Felman and his buddies President Harry S. Truman, on the recommendation of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, posthumously awarded Mihailović the "Legion of Merit", for the rescue of American Airmen by the Chetniks.

For the first time in history, this high award and the story of the rescue was classified secret by the State Department so as not to offend the communist government of Yugoslavia. Such a display of appreciation for the Chetniks would not be welcome as they switched sides to Tito's Partisans during the war.

Almost 60 years later, on 9 May 2005 Draza Mihailovic's daughter, Gordana has been presented with a decoration bestowed posthumously on Draza Mihailovic by President Truman in 1948

U.S. Embassy Press Release: http://belgrade.usembassy.gov/press/2004/040916.html

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