His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander II attended this evening the official opening of the exhibition on the 70th anniversary of Operation Halyard, the biggest Allied airlift operation behind enemy lines during World War II. This exhibition is organized under auspices of HE Mr Tomislav Nikolic, President of Republic of Serbia, and in cooperation with Ministry of Defense of Republic of Serbia and the United States Embassy in Belgrade.
The official opening was also attended by Professor Dr. Oliver Antic, special representative of the President of Serbia, who addressed the gathering, as well as the President of Halyard Foundation Lt. John Cappello and Mr. Gordon Duguid,Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States of America Embassy in Belgrade. Among guests were General Ljubisa Dikovic, Chief of Staff of the Army of Serbia and many other distinguished guests.
In a picture displayed there are American pilots, Serbian soldiers and villagers and priests celebrating together the birthday of HM King Peter II of Yugoslavia in 1944.
During Operation Halyard in 1944, from an improvised airstrip in the Village of Pranjani near Gornji Milanovac, several hundred United States pilots and several dozen British pilots, together with air crews from Russia, France and other allied countries were taken to freedom in a joint operation conducted by Serbian villagers, Yugoslav Army in the Homeland under command of General Dragoljub Mihailovic and the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS).
President Harry S. Truman decorated posthumously General Dragoljub Mihailovic with the Legion of Merit for his support to Allied forces and contribution to victory in World War II.