Dear Editor:

In “Tito’s War” (November 2011 issue), author John Brown’s account of General Draza Mihailovich’s capture and trial for alleged war crimes and collaborating with the enemy, omits a few important details, such as President Harry S. Truman having awarded The Legion of Merit on March 29, 1948, to General Draza Mihailovich for the rescue of over 500 downed American airmen in what was known as Operation Halyard, the largest ever rescue of Allied forces behind enemy lines. The fact that even the existence of the award was kept secret for 20 years for fear of offending Tito, and not officially presented to General Mihailovich’s daughter until 2005, is evidence of the political distortions associated with Yugoslav history.

Major Richard Felman, with whom I spoke two weeks before his death, was one of the aviators who was shot down over Yugoslavia. Their target was the Astro Romano oil refinery at Ploesti, Romania. In his “An Open Letter to our troops in the Former Yugoslavia,” written in 1999 in opposition to U.S. policy in the Balkans, Major Felman wrote: “If there was one piece of bread in the house, or one egg, it went to the American airmen while the Serb went hungry. If there was one bed or one blanket, it went to us while the Serb slept on the bare ground. No risk or sacrifice was too great to insure our safety and well-being. One experience which is forever seared in my memory is the time a village with 200 women and children was burned to the ground by the Germans because the Serbs would not tell them where they were hiding us. To this day, I can smell the terrible stench of their burning flesh. One does not forget such things.

“The most incredible part of our rescue was that before each mission, our bomber crews were briefed by the highest levels of American intelligence that if shot down over Yugoslavia, we were to stay away from the Serbian people as they were collaborating with the Germans and cutting off the ears of American airmen before turning them over. Only after we were shot down did we find out the amazing thoroughness with which the truth about the Serbs was being distorted.… Further complicating this distortion is the fact that while the Serbs were our allies in World War II, Croatians and Muslims [whom we are favoring today] were allies of the Nazis, shooting at us and responsible for killing many of our fellow American fliers.”

As to the charges of Chetnik collaboration with the Germans, in a Washington Times commentary of June 11, 1985, Milt Copulos wrote, “Information contained in documents [previously classified OSS files and Nazi documents] now makes it clear that the leader of Yugoslavia’s nationalist forces [Chetniks], Gen. Draza Mihialovich, was the victim of an active campaign of subversion conducted by James Klugman, a highly placed communist agent in British intelligence and close associate of master spy Kim Philby…. Surprisingly, Gen. Mihailovich remained loyal to the Allied cause to the end, and held no bitterness toward the United States. He chose to remain behind after the war, and was eventually caught, imprisoned, and executed by Tito for collaboration, a charge which had been fabricated by Tito’s mole in Cairo” (“State Shuns Heroic Ally,” The Washington Times).

Because of Allied perfidy, the Serbs were condemned to live under Tito’s communist rule for almost 50 years. A fate they did not deserve.

It may have been “Tito’s War,” but the real hero of the war who fought against both the Germans and the Communists, was General Draza Mihailovich, executed on July 17, 1946.

George Jatras, Col. USAF (Ret.)
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

Anachronism: CPR

Dear Editor:

Just received your November 2011 issue and, as always, excellent. That said, I do have one correction. On page 41 of the article “Delaying Action at Hosingen” in describing the actions of Private Sansom treating a mortally wounded comrade in December 1944, the author writes, “In response, he started CPR.” While there have been various forms of resuscitation practiced throughout history, CPR did not come into use until the 1960s. The first use of mouth-to-mouth (pulmonary) resuscitation on adult patients was by Dr. James Elam in 1954. (Cardiac) chest massage was introduced in the 1960s. The two methods were then combined to form CPR.

While Private Sansom obviously rendered intense medical aid to the wounded soldier, it would not have been CPR.

Rodney Millner
Laurel, Maryland

Replacing the BAR

As a user of the weapons described, I must correct SSG McKee. The Bar used a 20-round magazine not 30. The M60 was not its replacement. The M14 was originally the replacement for the M1 rifle, carbine, and BAR. The M14 was available in both semi and full auto mode. Also used a 20- round magazine. A BAR version of the M14 had a heavier barrel and straight stock, but was never adopted as far as I know. The M60 replaced the Browning light machine gun. Other than the minor differences mentioned, pretty good article. P.S. I had additional duty as Training NCO, instructed my unit on the M14 and M60 when they were issued to our unit sometime in 1963-1964.

Thomas J Mokrzycki, CWO, USAR, Ret.

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