[tegbridges]

Dear Srecko:

My father's circumstance was different than the other pilots rescued from Yugoslavia because he was not shot down over Yugoslavia. He was a POW in Hungary until the Germans occupied Hungary in March 1944. He -- along with the other Allied POWs in Hungary -- were transferred to Dulag 172 in Zemun, across the Sava River from Belgrade. He and four others escaped from there and were fortunate to find shelter with the Partisans until their rescue three months later. I doubt my father is on any list of rescued pilots since he wasn't shot down over Yugoslavia.

The night my father was rescued, the Germans were nearby. In fact, they had an armored train that fired shells at the landing ground in the woods.

I am still hopeful to speak to an old pilot or get a pilot's account of what it was like to rescue downed airmen or escaped POWs in Yugoslavia.