Summaries

Synopsis

The movie begins with an insert from the documentary "The last Hero of Halyard", where we see the testimonies of the participants of the rescue operation and the rescued airmen, as well as authentic photos and videos from that period.In the spring of 1944, led by Americans, the Allies were in the midst of preparations for the invasion of Normandy. On the Eastern front, the Red army strongly pushed the German military force and forced it to retreat... On the Balkan battlefield, besides resistance to the German invaders, a civil war was raging - all against all, aiming to determine the fate of the future Yugoslav state. The end of WWII was in sight.In the meanwhile, in Serbia, ZVONKO VUCKOVIC, captain of the Royal Yugoslav Army in Fatherland, rides with a group of his officers across the slopes of Mount Suvobor, noticing that an American B-17 bomber has been hit and is losing altitude. Vuckovic gives orders to the young second lieutenant MIRKO JOVIC and his men TEOCINAC and MRSAVI to reach the aviators whose parachute domes are already seen in the distance and rescue them before the Germans find them.The situation is dramatic inside the bomber, damaged by a German anti-aircraft fire in Romania, where the bomber was on the mission. As aircraft engines fail, the crew captain commands evacuation. We see young aviators HARDY, JOHN, DANNY, CHRISTOPHER and EDWARD. One of them is seriously wounded. The airmen are jumping out of the plane.In the village of Pranjani, members of the Jovic family, KOSTA with his son ILIJA, daughter RADMILA and old father MILOS, are having a rest from the field work. The bomber roars over their heads and crashes into the mountain above the forest with a powerful detonation. They run through the forest in search of the surviving pilots. Kosta and Ilija manage to find Christopher and the badly wounded Polly, as Radmila finds Edward who has seriously injured his leg.While transporting them to the village in an ox cart, they notice German soldiers rushing towards the site of the aircraft crash. From an ambush, members of the Royal Yugoslav Army in Fatherland, led by Mirko, enter into a combat with the Germans. American airmen, amazed and in shock, eyewitness the fight for their own lives. In those dramatic moments, the aviator Polly, with his head in Radmila's lap, dies.That night, Mirko appears at his family house in the village of Pranjani. He meets his older brother SRETEN JOVIC, a communist and a Partisan, hidden in the barn. The encounter of the brothers after a long time is cordial. However, the difference between their ideologies and beliefs, leads them into a fight, suddenly interrupted the youngest brother, Ilija.The next day in the village of Gojna Gora, haughty British General Armstrong, the head of the British military mission, joins the celebration of General Draza Mihailovic's birthday. Captain Rakovic and Commander KALABIC accuse the Allies for not sending any military aid to the Royal Army in the Fatherland for a long time, redirecting everything to the communists.Back in Jovic's house, Dusanka, the Kosta's wife, discovers a drawing of Radmila with her bare back under Edward's pillow, as well as a photo of him with his wife and a child. Angry and frightened for her daughter, Dusanka scolds Radmila.In the meantime, Mirko's father Kosta is with hundreds of other peasants in the quarry, digging the stone necessary for the building of the runway at the improvised airfield at in Pranjani. Side by side with his father, Ilija works hard until, suddenly, a big rock comes loose and hitting and covering him with a big crash. Ilija, injured and unconscious, is being transported to the village hospital. In despair, Kosta returns home and informs the family about Ilija's condition. Ilia's mother Dusanka faints after receiving the news.The next day, we hear a loud screeching of a truck engine in Jovic's yard. Afraid of the Germans coming, Dusanka hides all her family members. Scared for Edward, Radmila, who is already in love with him, cries. Her mother berates her and tells her that Edward is married and has a baby. Instead of the expected German raid, Ilija, who is still in a coma, is being brought back home.At the airfield of the US First Air Force's Fifth Bomb Group in the Italian city of Foggia, everything is buzzing with action. Bombers are taking off and landing. They are flying over the Adriatic Sea and Yugoslavia and bombing the oil fields around the town of Ploesti in Romania, targeting oil refineries, the main energy supply for Hitler's army on the Eastern Front and in Europe.Immediately after the landing of the plane from Cairo, British major HAILEY arrests two majors of the Yugoslav Royal Army, BACEVIC and LUKACEVIC, under the accusation of fraudulently and withdrawing of huge sums of money and other valuables from the treasury of the refugee Yugoslav Government in Cairo. The captain of the American intelligence service OSS, George VUJNOVICH, tries in vain to get the commander of the Fifth Bombardment Group of the American Air Force - Colonel Lauer to obtain the release of two majors, stressing that the act of arresting the Yugoslav officers is a great injustice to the Serbian people and Draza Mihailovic who is an ally of the USA. Despite great sacrifices, he saves American and other allied airmen, who, due to severe damage to their bombers, are forced to jump over Serbia, and whose evacuation is being extensively prepared in the operation called "Halyard".At Galovica field, Vuckovic and Captain MUSULIN are supervising the final construction works. They find Chief Engineer VERKIC arguing with the British Captain Connell. Verkic assures them that the runway would be ready in three days, while Connell claims that there are no conditions for even a glider to land, and that General Armstrong believes that the evacuation should take place in the territory controlled by the Partisans.May 29th, 1944. Night. The runway is ready for the planes to land. The excitement among the army and the people who came to watch the beginning of the evacuation is great. Vuckovic and Musulin, followed by Mirko and many other officers, are watching with delight the first landing of the Douglas Dakota C-47 transport planes. Everyone hopes that they are full of weapons, military and medical aid. However, they find the planes completely empty, uncovering only Majors Lukacevic and Bacovic, arrested in Foggia before, who indignantly ask for urgent reception with Commander Mihailovic, in order to convey to him the shame and humiliation they were exposed to by the British. Trying to resolve an issue, General Armstrong makes a promise that immediately after landing in Italy, he will send back all the confiscated things, money and diplomatic mail. Although his promises do not seem convincing, Vuckovic makes the decision to allow the Englishmen to board and take off.And so, the evacuation of airmen begins. Before entering the plane, Vuckovic greets Armstrong expressing his hope of fulfilling the promise. The last to enter is Captain Musulin, who parted with Vuckovic in a sincere and friendly manner. Knowing the truth about the righteous struggle of Serbian people, he promises to convey it to where and whom is needed. He is predetermined to return to Serbia, because the Halyard Mission has only just begun.The next day in the village of Gornja Dobrinja, Vuckovic reports to the general on the beginning of the Halyard Mission. Leaving the Headquarters, he finds the Commander MILADIN BRKIC dragging on chained and beaten prisoner with a sack on his head, claiming he caught certain communist who brutally killed a father and a son because of a single calf. After they take the sack off prisoner's head, a stunned Mirko recognizes his brother Sreten.The same night, under the cover of darkness, Mirko neutralizes the guard and releases his imprisoned brother Sreten from the cellar. He handles him a gun and gives him instructions on where to run. Hidden in the dark, someone is witnessing this rescue by accident.A few days later, a new group of airmen gathered at Galovica field. They play American football, waiting for the arrival of the next plane. Among them are the members of Edward's crew, Chris, Danny, Hardy and John. At the same moment, Vuckovic notices that a group of horsemen is riding across the runway on Galovica field, finding out that it is the Commander Miladin Brkic, furiously roaming the villages looking for the traitor who freed his prisoner. The same day, Mirko Jovic comes home to see the children and his pregnant wife, Milica, and to escort the pilot Edward to the airfield.Another night at Galovica field. Fires are lit again pointing the way for the planes to land. Edward stares at crowded Serbian people with admiration, admitting he wouldn't mind staying there as long as needed.Until late night, Vuckovic, Mirko, Verkic, Janko, Railic and a crowd of soldiers and people wait for the plane to land, but in vain. Vuckovic becomes fully aware that the British have betrayed them. He orders Mirko to report to Captain Rakovic's corps for a new war schedule, fearing that, even though the end of the war is near, the freedom for Serbia and Serbian people is still far away. The Allies are giving up General Mihailovic and Serbian commanders seem to be waging their private wars. He informs Mirko that he saw Brkic angry because someone freed his communist imprisoner. Mirko tries not to react, ordering his men to put out the fires.The next day, Village Chief Janko enters the Jovic family house, along with a military clerk and three other American pilots. Americans should be accommodated with Jovic Family again, which makes Kosta angry, as well as the fact that the military clerk insists on putting his youngest son Ilija on the mobilization list. At the same time, back at the house, Ilija, who has been lying unconscious all this time, opens his eyes and wakes up from the coma. He slowly gets up and leaves the house. In the courtyard, the argument stops when they see Ilija approaching them. Suddenly, he mounts his horse on the steep meadow above the house and gallops away. Everyone feels joy and relief over Ilija's sudden recovery.At the same time, there is a great turmoil in the village of Brajici. In the very centerof it is Dusanka and Kosta's middle son Mirko and his men, accused for the release of Brkic's prisoner. Behind the village school, Commander Miladin Brkic gives order for the shooting of Teocinac and Mrsavi. Fortunately, commander Rakovic interrupts Mirko's shooting. In the middle of the conflict, Captain Vuckovic arrives, bringing an eyewitness to the release of the Communist. It is Gojko Crazy who nods his head when they point out Mirko, denying his saw him the other night.A few days later, Rakovic comes to visit Mirko, who was seriously injured during the arrest. He talks to Kosta on the porch stressing out that the war is coming to an end, that Hitler is giving in on all fronts, and that he hopes that the Allies will begin landing in Greece after Normandy. Rakovic informs Mirko that his corps is leaving at dawn for Kopaonik to stop the Communists' penetration from Sandzak and that he should join them only when he recovers. Ilija listens to the conversation and offers to take his brother's place of during the battle.The planes that would take the remaining pilots to Italy are to land on Galovica field. That very night, Mirko leaves in secret, saying goodbye only to his wife, explaining her that he needs to join the army for a decisive battle and save his family reputation. At the same time, Edward appears under Radmila's window. Ilija steals a hidden gun from the the barn, unties his horse and leaves the house. Milica gives birth to a healthy child.The next morning, we see Ilija riding the horse. Along the way he comes across a body of a murdered man lying in a mountain stream. After coming closer he finds out it is the corpse of Commander Miladin Brkic. He continues fearfully towards the battle of Kopaonik.Captain Rakovic's assault corps, with Mirko shooting from a machine gun, suffers heavy losses. In the middle of the battle and the terrible cross mortar fire, Ilija appears on a galloping horse and gets shot. Witnessing that, Mirko runs through the cross fire. Ilija dies in his arms.A foggy morning dawns at the village cemetery. Mirko lights a candle at Ilija's grave. His brother Sreten comes along, takes off his cap and kisses the cross. Both speechless, visibly broken, stand over the grave paying their respects to the fallen brother. It dawned. A white dove lands on the cross as if to greet them, and then flies high into the sky where another rescue plane flies across.THE ENDFrom May do December 1944, from improvised airfields in Pranjani, Svileuva near Koceljeva and Boljanic near Doboj in today's Republika Srpska, under the command of the Royal Yugoslav Army in fatherland, headed by General Dragoljub Draza Mihailovic, more than 500 American and Allied airmen were evacuated and saved from certain death...This film was inspired by those events and is dedicated to the heroism, humanity and kindness of the Serbian people, who, with enormous sacrifices, carried out on their shoulders OPERATION HALYARD, considered one of the most successful missions to rescue pilots behind the enemy lines in the history of world aviation...