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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 Audiobook

The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II Audiobook, by Gregory A. Freeman Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Patrick Lawlor Publisher: Tantor Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 7.17 hours at 1.5x Speed 5.38 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: October 2007 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781400175222

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

21

Longest Chapter Length:

50:19 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

11:48 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

30:30 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

2

Other Audiobooks Written by Gregory A. Freeman: > View All...

Publisher Description

The astonishing, never-before-told story of the greatest rescue mission of World War II—when the OSS set out to recover more than 500 airmen trapped behind enemy lines...

During a bombing campaign, hundreds of American airmen were shot down in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia. Local Serbian villagers risked their own lives to give refuge to the soldiers, and for months the airmen lived in hiding, waiting for rescue.

In 1944, Operation Halyard was born. The risks were incredible. The starving Americans in Yugoslavia had to construct a landing strip—without tools, without alerting the Germans, and without endangering the villagers. And the rescue planes had to make it through enemy airspace and back—without getting shot down themselves.

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. The Forgotten 500 is the breathtaking, behind-the-scenes look at the greatest escape of World War II.

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""The Forgotten 500" is a remarkable story of a little known event during World War II when literally hundreds of Allied airmen (mostly American) were trapped behind enemy lines in the rugged hills of Yugoslavia. More than a tale of courage and a nearly impossible rescue that the United States somehow pulled off, the books goes into detail about the social, political, and religious landscape of the Balkans. The OSS, the precursor of the modern day CIA, played no small role in this event and it was interesting to read how this organization came about during the Second World War. Learning about the conflicts between Yugoslavian military leaders Tito and Draza Milhailovich and all the hazy and cloudy political shapeshifting was a real eye-opener for me. This book has it all -- the daring airmen, British spies and moles, Communists and Nazis, the OSS, the State Department, Presidents Eisenhower and Truman and so much more. For anyone interested in American history, especially the stories that are rarely told, this is the perfect book."

— Larry (4 out of 5 stars)

Quotes

  • “Evoking the rescuees’ successive desperation, wild hope, and joy, and their gratitude to the Serbians who risked their lives to help, Freeman produces a breathtaking popular account.”

    — Booklist
  • A master storyteller

    — Doug Stanton, bestselling author of In Harm's Way

The Forgotten 500 Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.9047619047619047 out of 53.9047619047619047 out of 53.9047619047619047 out of 53.9047619047619047 out of 53.9047619047619047 out of 5 (3.90)
5 Stars: 13
4 Stars: 15
3 Stars: 11
2 Stars: 3
1 Stars: 0
Narration: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 (5.00)
5 Stars: 2
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 (5.00)
5 Stars: 2
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    — VERY DISAPPOINTED, 5/12/2017
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    — Tim Stenson, 1/12/2017
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Excellent. Hard to beat non-fiction about the lives of heros. A remarkable story of human compassion. "

    — Laurie, 2/11/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " this book tells an interesting, but not well-known story of bravery, and kindness and injustice, of WWII. As the US and the allies keep bombing the Axis oil refinement factories, more and more airmen get downed in Yugoslavia. The people of the countryside help these downed airmen deliberately against the Germans, and a risky rescue mission is set up under all odds. "

    — Dante, 2/11/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I found this book interesting as it told a story I was unfamiliar with about World War II. However it was a little to much of a non-fiction book and not enough of a story to make me fall in love with it. "

    — Tina, 2/4/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I very much enjoyed reading this story of the airmen who were stranded in Yugoslavia. The details of the rescue were riveting. It is never easy to detail happenings in different parts of the world that are occurring at the same time but Author Freeman was able to skip back and forth seamlessly without losing my interest. "

    — Ron, 1/12/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Unexpectedly Awesome! I never did know what was going on with Serbia (former Yugoslavia) and now I not only understand that, but also more of WWII history as well. I highly recommend this book. "

    — Rebecca, 1/7/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This is a great book about the courage and sacrifice of all the people involved. "

    — Mary, 12/31/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Fascinating yet surprisingly unkwown story detailing the US rescue of over 500 downed pilots from German occupied Czech Republic. Also provides great insight into the foundation of the Cold War struggle between US and USSR starting with the Czeck civil war in the 1940's. "

    — Gregg, 12/26/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I loved the parts of the story that dealt with the escape from Nazi territory, but the political rhetoric was more than I bargained for ... or wanted in this story. "

    — Amy, 12/16/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " A combination of individual and national heroism combined with international political failure. Who knew that Great Britain and the U.S. unintentionally handed Yugoslavia directly to the communists? Interesting history and a decent read. "

    — Dale, 11/30/2013

About Gregory A. Freeman

Gregory A. Freeman is an award-winning writer with over twenty-five years in journalism. He has won more than a dozen awards for his writing, including the coveted 2001 Sigma Delta Chi Award for Excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists. He received his degree from the University of Georgia in Athens and has worked for the Associated Press in Atlanta. He has since become a freelance writer and continues to write for a number of publications, including Reader’s Digest, Rolling Stone, World War II, American History. He is the author of Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It. He lives in Roswell, Georgia.

About Patrick Lawlor

Patrick Lawlor, an award-winning narrator, is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. He has worked extensively off Broadway and has been an actor and stuntman in both film and television. He has been an Audie Award finalist multiple times and has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and many starred audio reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.