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The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All For the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II
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List Price: $23.95
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Manufacturer: NAL Hardcover
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5421971
Format: Bargain Price
Label: NAL Hardcover
Manufacturer: NAL Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: 2007-08-28
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
Studio: NAL Hardcover
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Editorial Reviews:
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An astonishing, never-before-told story of the Second World War, based on newly declassified documents and exclusive interviews. In 1944 the OSS set out to recover more than 500 airmen trapped behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia. Classified for over half a century for political reasons, the full account of this unforgettable story of loyalty, self-sacrifice, and bravery is now being told for the first time.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: great adventure turned into a political pamphlet by author
Comment: Even if one ignores the fact that the book tries to rewrite history and is unbelievably biased towards Chetniks there are a lot of errors, incorrect claims, etc. The author simply doesn't do a favor to this operation because writing in this fashion puts big question marks over all the facts in the book even those that might be true. The reader simply cannot distinguish facts from fiction or chetnik propaganda.
I'll simply list couple of problems ranging from simple ones to very questionable ones:
- The author should have consulted the map. About 80% of the names of places in the book are misspelled. Some of the places are misplaced. According to author except for Belgrade all other places were small villages (e.g. Novi Sad - prosperous town and capital of Vojvodina is a small village according to author as are all the others)
- I wonder if author ever consulted a map or is aware of the fact that North is up on maps. So, the north of Yugoslavia he constantly refers to would put happenings in Slovenia or northern parts of Croatia not in Serbia, east to southeast part of Yugoslavia where it actually happened.
- Military forces and factions operating in Yugoslavia are misplaced all over the place. So, author puts Croatian ustashe in Serbian Belgrade of all places. This is hilarious actually.
- Wrong airplane descriptions and how turrets operate
- Unnecessary and invented reflections of airmen while suspended under canopy. Anyone who ever tried to jump out of an airplane, even worse bail out, knows that things are happening so fast and are so intensive that one simply goes into automatic mode of saving life not contemplating nature and political questions while ground and 50/50 chance of braking limbs or dying are coming at you very fast.
- During WWII the largest free territory in all occupied countries in Europe was in Tito's (partisans) hands stretching over large parts of Yugoslavia. There was even Allied airfield from which British Spitfires operated on island of Vis. Again, taking a look at the map would reveal a fact that all those airmen could have simply marched over to Tito's forces and would be out of Yugoslavia quickly. That is if Mihalovich would allow them or transfer them to Tito's forces instead of using them as bargaining chips with Allies.
- The book constantly treats readers as idiots trying to revision history by claiming that author knows facts better than British or American military of that time and all this by quoting pro chetnik sources exclusively. This simply kills the joy and fun of reading about one spectacular operation. If he stuck and more thoroughly researched technical and military aspects of the operation instead of writing political pamphlet it could have been a good book
- There are many more issues in the book like Mihailovich collaborating with Nazis against partisans, not quoting relevant and official military sources of that time, claiming that all the Serbs were chetniks,etc., etc., taking sides and making arguments instead of giving us facts and letting the reader be a judge and draw conclusions
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Formerly Hidden History
Comment: It's such a shame that this book had to be delayed nearly 60 years in the interests of national security. If it had been released in the 1980s, many more Americans would have been able to form opinions about the mess in the Balkans we experienced in the 1990s.
Customer Rating:
Summary: True-life Adventure
Comment: This is a great historical story that had been kept under wraps until recently because of international relations concerns. Read about some of your country's finest, the selfless help they received from peasants caught between the Nazis and a developing civil war, and the bravery of the Americans who would not let their countrymen perish or end up in a Nazi concentration camp. This is one of those histories that no one could make up; it had to be true.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An awesome read.
Comment: I was a bit sceptical as to how accurate this book would be especially after having read earlier reviews. However, not having any knowledge of types of planes, this incorrect fact didn't distract from the story. What mattered to me was the way in which this book was written bringing back to life those who have since past and youth into those that are still with us. It brought to life a piece of history which so many have distorted and tried to cover up. Like so many children who were born in the UK during the 60's and 70's with parents of Yugoslavian roots, my grandfather was part of the Chetnik movement. He too kept a picture of the late Draza Mihailovic in his home. I recall as a child only some of the stories he would tell me of the battles fought against the Nazis and the Croatian Ustase, of the lack of food and suffering especially through the harsh winters, of the long walks through snow without shoes, of fleeing former Yugoslavia with his division because of reprisals by Titos partisans. But, mostly, I recall the injustice he felt the Yugoslav people had suffered by the betrayal of the British Government of Draza Mihailovic. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away over 25 years ago but reading this book brought back to life the stories he used to tell me of the hardships he, his fellow comrades and Serbian villagers loyal to Draza Mihailovic and the Chetnik movement, had suffered but feeling it would be all worth it because they were fighting for a honourable, just and right cause. It is such a shame that this book is not readily available in the UK and can only be ordered via the USA.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great true story, even if you don't think you like military history
Comment: This is a very moving story, even for someone (like me) who doesn't usually read military or political history. It is told from the personal perspective of the soldiers who risked life and limb to aid the Allied effort in WWII, and the Yugoslavian peasants who risked their lives to save the soldiers who were shot down in their country. It is a true story of courage, determination, heroism, tragedy, overcoming challenges, and being changed by the whole experience. It is a story that was suppressed for many years and is now coming to light through the survivors who want their experiences to be known by future generations. It's a marvelous story, and a quick read. Once you read it, you'll probably want to tell your friends and family about it, and get them to read it too! My 95-yr-old grandmother tells everyone how much she loves this book! Just try it... I bet you'll like it too!
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