“The Forgotten 500” by Gregory A. Freeman – Heroes that Preserve Lives

In 1944 most of the world was at war in Europe, trying to push back the Axis forces to whatever circle of hell they crawled out of. Though things were looking up quite well for the Allies by that point, the war was still far from being won, and neither side could really envy the other.

Needless to say, plenty of noteworthy and forgotten exploits were committed during that year, many of which we will sadly never learn about. 

However, one of the most important acts of bravery is slowly being forgotten and eaten away by history: the rescue operation behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia to bring back home more than 500 crashed pilots and airmen. 

Recently, the files surrounding the rescue became declassified, and Gregory A. Freeman jumped on the opportunity to offer a real and accurate account of the events, and so he did in his book titled The Forgotten 500.

Though the story is littered with factual accounts and dry details, Freeman makes an encouraging attempt at transforming this into a novelized story… but to be quite frank, I believe that the real deal in itself is already more than exciting enough to be a work of literature. 

We get to learn virtually all there is to about Operation Haylard, including how so many air force soldiers managed to get stranded in the first place, how the operation was prepared, all the hurdles they had to overcome (ranging from equipment shortages to psychological doubts), and of course, how it all went down. We aren’t spared from a single detail in this breathtaking recounting of the events that took place, even being transported into the minds of the story’s participants.

I have to say that for this type of historical account, Freeman did a fantastic job at making it feel as if you are reading an actual story, without ever forgetting that these events truly took place as described (or at least for the most part). Even the characters themselves feel very realistic and relatable, bringing an extra layer of drama to a plot that has more than enough of it.

All in all, The Forgotten 500 is not only an entertaining and educative novel, but it is also an important one from a cultural standpoint. We humans have always distinguished ourselves from other species, at least in part, by the way in which we treat our dead; rather than forgetting about them and moving on, we honor those who passed away, especially the heroes who sacrificed themselves so others could live. 

The story of these 500 air warriors and the ones who rescued them is being tragically forgotten (most schools don’t even glance on it), and I believe that we ought to honor their memories, rather than relegate them to the vast void of forgetfulness. I definitely recommend this book to those who real and factual accounts of grand operations that took place during World War II. 

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Gregory A. Freeman Personal site Gregory Freeman is an American author and journalist with more than twenty-five years of experience under his belt, being especially-renowned for his narrative non-fiction stories. It seems that his greatest talent resides in turning a factual book into a narrative that reads like a fiction story, a skill that can be seen in full action in his most renowned book to date, The Forgotten 500.