[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 45 (Monday, March 16, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E670]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING GEORGE VUJNOVICH FOR HIS PARTICIPATION IN THE HALYARD MISSION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSEPH CROWLEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 16, 2009

  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I am joined by the co-chairs of the 
Congressional Serbian Caucus, Representatives Melissa Bean of Illinois 
and Dan Burton of Indiana, in honoring a treasured constituent of mine 
and one of the unsung heroes of World War II, retired Major George 
Vujnovich. Major Vujnovich, a proud Serbian-American, was instrumental 
in ``Operation Halyard'' and one of the last surviving members of that 
successful wartime mission.
  In the summer of 1944, Americans and Allied airmen flew hundreds of 
sorties over Europe with the aim of disrupting the Ploesti oil complex, 
Adolf Hitler's most important oil pipeline. During their treacherous 
journey from Italian bases to the Romanian oil complex, 1,500 of our 
brave men were forced to bail out over Yugoslavia. Scores of American 
crewmen were trapped behind enemy lines and dependent on Serbian 
villagers to hide them from the Germans.
  Although Yugoslavia was enemy territory at the time, much of the 
country's Serbian regions remained under the control of Yugoslav 
guerilla resistance leader General Draja Mihailovich and his Chetnik 
forces. General Mihailovich remained loyal to the Allies, and under his 
orders the Serbian people shielded these airmen and protected them from 
capture and imprisonment by German troops.
  General Mihailovich passed information about the downed American 
airmen to the United States authorities. The Office of Strategic 
Services (OSS) put together Operation Halyard, a daring mission to save 
the men without drawing the attention of the Nazis. The mission 
entailed flying and landing C-47 cargo planes into enemy territory, 
picking up the downed airmen, and flying back to allied territory. 
Before the mission could go forward, however, the Allied forces cut 
ties with General Mihailovich and no longer had specific information 
about the location of the American airmen. Major George Vujnovich, the 
OSS operation chief stationed in Bari, Italy, discovered that 
Mihailovich was hiding the airmen near his headquarters in the city of 
Pranjani. He informed U.S. officials of their location and Operation 
Halyard progressed.
  As the mission advanced, Major Vujnovich's experience and expertise 
were indispensable. Major Vujnovich was responsible for selecting 
members of the Halyard Mission, and orchestrating the initial parachute 
drop into the area. The rescue plans hinged on his direction and the 
ability of local Serbs to build an airstrip without any modern tools 
and without German detection.
  Operation Halyard took place between August and December 1944 and was 
a complete success. Hundreds of men were rescued behind enemy lines and 
no lives were lost in the mission. The Halyard Mission was a success 
thanks to the brave men and women of the OSS and the courageous Serbian 
locals who risked their lives to safeguard American airmen. Thanks to a 
keen mind and tactical expertise, Major Vujnovich demonstrated the 
courage and selflessness that mark him as an American hero.
  Major George Vujnovich was born to Serbian parents in 1915. In 1934 
he received a scholarship from the Serb National Federation and left 
his home in New York to attend college in Belgrade. While living in 
Belgrade, Mr. Vujnovich met and married his wife, Mirjana. Their life 
was disrupted in 1941, when the German Luftwaffe bombed Belgrade in 
Operation Punishment. Mr. Vujnovich was a first-hand witness to the 
bombing, nearly losing his life when a falling bomb destroyed a nearby 
streetcar. After the bombing, Mr. and Mrs. Vujnovich fled Yugoslavia, 
and he accepted a job in Ghana as assistant airport manager while 
Mirjana moved to Washington, DC to work at the Yugoslav Embassy. When 
the US entered the war, Mr. Vujnovich received a commission as a second 
lieutenant and assumed command of an airbase in Nigeria. While working 
at the airbase, he was recruited by the OSS for the clandestine 
services, and was later sent to the OSS post in Bari, Italy. From this 
post he saved the lives of his fellow servicemen and earned the title 
of hero. I am honored to have this opportunity to acknowledge Major 
Vujnovich's contribution to the Halyard Mission.

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