Shadows on the Mountain: The Allies, the Resistance, and the Rivalries that Doomed WWII Yugoslavia 1st Edition

From beginning to end "Shadows on the Mountain" is steeped in Yugoslavian history. Marcia Christoff Kurapovna, former Balkan Reporter, provides an excellent source of reading material for all OSS enthusiasts!

This exquisite work is accompanied by biographical vignettes of key figures whose undaunted heroism bring deep appreciation of who they were, what they accomplished in the preservation of a nation, and why insurgents revered and feared their very existence. The material may be a challenge for the novice but once entrenched, it is a tremendous aid for the reader to understand the culture and mindset of the Yugoslavian people and the antipathies that existed between the Croats (Partisans) and Serbs (Chetniks) long before the war with Germany.

Having set the stage, this book is a compilation of carefully documented clandestine operations of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Office of Strategic Service (OSS) in Yugoslavia during World War II. The author exposes an atmosphere of mistrust, deceit and internal political conflicts; a growing challenge that both agencies struggled with throughout the war while trying to achieve their objective.

In great detail Kurapovna reveals the missions that influenced the decision of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin at the Tehran Conference to sacrifice ties with the living legacy of Draza Mihailovic, leader of the Serbian Chetniks in exchange for the full support of the Communist Partisan movement of Josep Broz, an opportunist known by his nom de guerre as Marshall Tito. Churchill would later regret this total shift of support calling it "one of his biggest wartime failures." Kurapovna surmises it as "...one of the saddest chapters of miscommunication, subversion, and deceit in the history of the Allied cause during World War II."

In true journalistic form, this book provides unbiased accounts of the heroism of both Partisans and Chetniks and gives detail to the origin of their religious and political differences thereby clarifying the historic civil unrest that still exists today.

Of the brave women whose contributions often go unheralded, examples of fearless Partisan women are mentioned whose actions rivaled the best of men. Serbian women who fought with the Chetniks were few; however, none so surprising as the acceptance of an American woman, Ruth Mitchell. She was the daughter of a Wisconsin senator who would leave wealth and luxury to serve this guerrilla organization as courier and spy until her capture by the Germans. Her wit and determination enabled her to survive the duration of the war, bringing her through some of the most horrendous living conditions imaginable.

Recognition is given to the high caliber of personnel and joint efforts of both SOE and OSS, their daring successes as well as miscalculations, and the price someone, or at times entire villages, would pay for such endeavors. Undisputed are the primary efforts of the SOE who established the first joint missions to Mihailovic and Tito. Their operations, aided by the OSS and American military supplies, secured a fighting force in the Partisans under Tito, whose leadership ultimately rivaled Stalin himself, inhibiting his post war intentions with Yugoslavia.

Comments of high ranking German officers are brought into account as well as the demonic atrocities of Croatia's Ustase. Their attempts to euthanize the Serbian people brought to utter ruin two centuries of worthy efforts to unify a nation both politically and culturally.

While the author reveals the hostilities that intensified between Partisans and Chetniks, she also brings careful attention to the OSS agents who found themselves dropped into this quagmire of events, yet achieved remarkable success. One such agent, Major Linn "Slim" Farish crisscrossed the mountains of Serbia and Bosnia often on horseback to locate downed airmen. Admired by the American, British, and Yugoslavs, he was referred to as "Lawrence of Yugoslavia." Even OSS Director William J. Donovan, alias "Wild Bill", warned Farish of the risks involved. Farish refused to comply and would continue combing the Serbian Mountains. His relentless efforts, with the help of determined fellow mission personnel and Partisan soldiers, resulted in hundreds being rescued.

On the Chetniks side, and in spite of the quenching powers that be, the author expounds on "one of the most glamorous events of the war", the Halyard Mission. This historical rescue of downed American and Allied airmen gives account to the undisputed loyalty of Draza Mihailovic, the Chetniks and the local Serbian people. The author brings to light the undaunted courage against insurmountable odds that enabled the OSS to bring about the rescue of some 500 downed American airmen alone, hailing this event as one of the most significant missions in the history of the OSS.

Marcia Kurapovna reveals numerous thwarted surrender attempts by various plenipotentiaries of the German High Command. In one such attempt, twenty-nine German Divisions were offered to OSS McDowell via Mihailovic; however, early peace talks were stymied by Supreme High Command. While humor and disbelief can be found in the disarray of the Soviets preliminary missions, emotions are fanned into flame by the news of the non-stop Allied supplies that poured into Partisan camps which greatly aided in the dissemination of the Chetniks movement. And with disheartened detail the author reveals the betrayal of Mihailovic by his closest military associate, leading to his capture, post-war puppet trial and execution.

For decades the world didn't know much of Draza Mihailovic or the truth about the missions and sacrifices of so many in Yugoslavia. Considered an unsung hero, Mihailovic's posthumous Legion of Merit Award would be deemed "classified" until the intervention of an Illinois Congressman in 1967. In 2005 it would be presented to Mihailovic's daughter Gordana, then a 78 year old retired medical doctor. Whereas some closure may be given to those involved in the missions it is because of such splendid books as "Shadows on the Mountain," that the legacy and loyalty of the brave men and women involved will never be forgotten.

Wm S. Marsh ~ Mierzejewski

good read

Well written story of how communist influences within British government and even our State department sold down the river those who opposed their goal of Soviet domination. Think how they tried to romanticize Che Guiveria. This fellow was killed by the British in order to allow Tito to win then forgotten. Set in WWII for the most part the author does a very good job enlightening readers to little understood Serbia and the efforts of Milhailovic to hold off the Germans and Russian efforts at domination. She exposes the distortions put out by rival Toto and British sympathizers against the Chetniks. Good read!

Well researched book on a fairly obscure subject of little interest today. Worth a read though. Interesting parallels to central Asian countries today. The last article from the author in the WSJ is a load of garbage. The next 50 years will find the strong countries recolonizing the weak for raw materials. It's all about oil.

This is a scholarly yet highly readable book re the failed allied policy in Serbia during WWII which ultimately affected the entire European Continent. The in-depth research, with footnotes equally fascinating, recount the tragic consequences of the OSS-SOE manipulated intelligence that set off a series of events leading to the death of the innocent and the spread of Communism into Germany.

Within this dramatic series of events is also the story of the incredible rescue of 500 American airmen shot down by the enemy and rescued in the mountains of Serbia by Mihailovic and his men alone. This is an absorbing book, especially for the WWII aficionado and is highly readable. It's tragic ending on so many levels leaves the reader wary and wiser.

The harsh review by Pitcavage is yet another attempt by die-hard Tito-ites to undermine any objective effort to write about the situation in Serbia during WWII.
This masterful book, rich in detail and research has a broader theme, however: the failure of allies to sufficiently and effectively assess their sources and make well informed decisions in the time of crisis. As is noted, even Churchill called the shift from Mihailovic to Tito "one of his biggest wartime failures."

In addition, Kurapovna's book is written with authority and objectivity and elegance. An entire chapter is devoted to Tito and the efforts of the Partisans are reinforced and substantial throughout the book. In addition the the sources and footnotes (compelling reading on their own)provide assurance that the book is a serious, successful achievement and one of the best accounts ever written about this phase of the War.

After the war the soldiers, who for years, fought to defend Mihailovic's honor, who offered (but were denied) to appear at his trial in the Soviet Union, were motivated by their knowledge of the circumstances and their belief in Mihailovic. That he was executed by a firing squad in the SV and not in Yugoslavia is also interesting. Their 20 year effort to restore his name was finally granted when the United States awarded his Legion of Merit to his daughter in 1967.

And finally, it never fails to amuse me that when an objective view is presented, that is to say, when you aren't fawning over the left or right that there is always an "ulterior motive." It is impossible for the die-hards on either side to accept any degree of objectivity ever. Pitcavage needs to re-read the book.

Bravo for making readable and clear the story of the fighting in Yugoslavia during WWII. Most important, the story of the 500 US airmen rescued by Mihailovich, men who were grateful and wanted to help him after the war ended only to be rebuffed reads like a mystery novel. Kurapovna's research is meticulous -- a universal story for all the behind the scenes politicking, manipulations, rivalries and hidden agendas that accompany war outcomes. She wrote a clear and heartbreaking account well worth reading and thinking about.

Reads like a "Boys Own" comic book. Assuming the facts are all true (and I have no reason to doubt it) I was irritated by the writing style which made me wonder if it is propaganda. The author did no good service to her subject and I would expect that her heroes would wish that the book had been written by a real historian.