In 1941 when the Axis invaded Yugoslavia, King Peter II formed a Government in exile in London, and in January 1942 the royalist Draža Mihailović became the Minister of War with British backing. But by June or July 1943, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had decided to withdraw support from Mihailović and the Chetniks he led, and support the Partisans headed by Josip Broz Tito, even though this would result in "complete communist control of Serbia".* The main reason for the change was not the reports by Fitzroy Maclean or William Deakin, or as later alleged the influence of James Klugmann in Special Operations Executive (SOE) headquarters in Cairo or even Randolph Churchill, but the evidence of Ultra decrypts from the Government Code and Cipher School in Bletchley Park that Tito's Partisans were a "much more effective and reliable ally in the war against Germany".Cripps, p.238; introduction Nor was it due to claims that the Chetniks were collaborating with the enemy, though there was some evidence from decrypts of collaboration with Italian and sometimes German forces.
Contact with Yugoslavia Given the intensity of 'Operation Punishment' and quick collapse of Yugoslav defence, some SOE agents made their own way to Istanbul or the Middle East, while others followed the fleeing Yugoslav government all the way to Montenegrin coast.Williams, p.36 Their plans to block the Danube and disrupt German oil and grain supplies from Romania by blowing up a large quantity of rock into the Kazan gorge, or sinking cement-laden barges at Greben narrows or the Sip canal mostly failed. In the end, the river was impassable for between three and five weeks without major impact on the enemy.
At the same time, SOE and the British government lost contact with the agents on the ground and it was August 1941, when Mihailović's radio signals were picked up by the British naval monitoring station in Malta.Williams, p.45 In the confusion of the initial reports, received via agents arriving overland to Istanbul, refugees, and Yugoslav Government-in-Exile (YGE) sources about the situation in the country, alleged persecutions and massacres, as well as pockets of resistance, British government had arranged for direct missions to the region.Williams, pp.39-44 They mostly consisted of British SOE agents, W/T operators and Yugoslav army officers and had a similar brief: "to discover what was happening in Yugoslavia and co-ordinate all forces of resistance there".Williams, p56
Some of the most prominent missions are listed in table below. DateCode NameMethodDepartureLandingMembersRemarks20/09/1941Operation BullseyeWilliams, pp.53-59Submarine ()MaltaPetrovac (Montenegro) Col D.T. Bill Hudson
Maj Mirko Lalatović
Maj Zaharije Ostojić
Sgt Veljko Dragičević (W/T)The very first SOE mission sent with the objective to discover what was happening in Yugoslavia and co-ordinate all forces of resistance there "regardless of national, religious or political belief".Williams, p. 57 Due to issues with his radio, Hudson's broadcasts stopped on 19th Oct 1941. but resumed in May 1942.Williams, p. 6426/01/1942Operation HennaWilliams, p.65Submarine ()AlexandriaIsland of Mljet (Croatia)Lt(R) Stanislav Rapotec Sgt Stevan Sinko (W/T)Aimed to report on "Slovene patriotic organizations". Sinko was sick and left on Mljet, while Rapotec travelled widely meeting various resistance groups and leaders before surfacing in Turkey on 2 July 1942.Williams, p.6904/02/1942Operation HydraSubmarine ()AlexandriaPetrovac (Montenegro)Maj Terence Atherton Lt R Nedeljković
Sgt Patrick O'Donovan (W/T)Aimed to report on situation in Montenegro. Met with Tito and the partisan HQ in Foča on 19th Mar 1942. but left on 16 April 1942 to find Mihailović and Bill Hudson.Williams, p. 67 Atherton sent a letter to Mihailovic on 22nd Apr 1942. confirming that he was alive, but both he and O'Donovan were killed shortly afterwards by Spasoje Dakic.Deakin, pp.172-17504/02/1942Operation DisclaimAirborneSokolac (Bosnia)Maj Cavan Elliot 2Lt Pavle Crnjanski
Sgt Petar Miljković
Sgt William Chapman (W/T)Almost immediately picked up by Domobrans and handed over to the Germans in Sarajevo28-29/04/1942AirborneBetween Berane and Novi Pazar (Montenegro)Sgt Milisav Bakić Sgt Milisav SemizSent without the knowledge or agreement of the YGE. Arrested by the local quisling militia and given to the Germans.Aug 1942Operation Bullseye (ext.)AirborneSinjajevina (Montenegro)Lieut Lofts Two W/T operatorsSignals party, arrived at Mihailović's HQ in order to establish a war station, enabling Bill Bailey to co-ordinate all SOE activities in the region (including Albania, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria) and help Hudson and Mihailović have more secure and regular links with Cairo.Williams, pp.91-93Deakin, p. 150Sep 1942AirborneCapt (RYAF) Nedeljko PlećašParachuted with radio sets for Mihailović and Trifunović-Birčanin, initially to link them to Cairo but later to Istanbul and finally to Algiers (in May 1944) to evade the British SOE.Williams, p. 7725/12/1942Operation Bullseye (ext.)AirborneGornje Lipovo (Montenegro)Col S.W. (Bill) Bailey W/T operatorHead of SOE Balkan section. Joined D.T. Bill Hudson at Mihailović's HQ.Williams, p. 91 To report on the military value of the chetnik movement as a whole and to persuade Mihailović to undertake active sabotage. Study its political intentions and propose how British policy of creating a united resistance front could be implemented.Deakin, p. 177mid-Feb 1943AirborneGornje Lipovo (Montenegro)Maj Kenneth GreenleesJoined Bailey and maintained routine contact with Mihailović when his relationship with Bailey deteriorated.Deakin, p.182mid-Apr 1943 and 21/05/1943Mission Greenwood-RoothamWilliams, p. 137AirborneHomolje (Eastern Serbia)Maj Erik Greenwood Maj Jasper Rootham
Sgt W Anderson (W/T)
Sgt C E Hall (RAF) (W/T) Lieut E (Micky) Hargreaves
Royal Yugoslav Army (RYA) officer code-named "Arlo".Sub-mission to Mihailović's regional headquarters, strategically important location, able to monitor and disrupt shipping on Danube (transporting Romanian oil crucial for the war effort), Belgrade-Salonika railway (used for supply of German troops in North Africa) and Bor copper mines (the largest in Europe).Rootham, pp. 9-10Rootham, p. 2620-21/04/1943Operation Hoathley 1Williams, pp. 134-146AirborneDerna (Libya)Near Šekovići (Eastern Bosnia)Stevan Serdar George Diklić
Milan DružićAll three were miners from Quebec, whose experience with explosives was considered useful.Street, p. 4020-21/04/1943 and
18-19/05/1943Operation FungusAirborneDerna (Libya)Near Brinje (Croatia)Alexander Simić-Stevens Petar Erdeljac
Paul PavlićPicked up by local peasants and passed onto partisan HQ for Croatia. Erdeljac was recognised by his old comrade from Spain, Ivan Rukavina, while Simić-Stevens had to be vetted by Vladimir Bakarić.18-19/05/1943Operation Fungus (ext.)AirborneDerna (Libya)Near Brinje (Croatia)Maj William Jones Capt Anthony Hunter
Sgt Ronald JephsonThe first 'uniformed' mission to partisans - sabotage team to disrupt railway lines used to transport Axis war material and petrol.27/05/1943Operation TypicalDeakin, pp. 216-217AirborneDerna (Libya)Crno Jezero (Montenegro)Col William Deakin Capt William F Stuart
Sgt Walter Wroughton (W/T)
Sgt Peretz 'Rose' Rosenberg (W/T)
Canadian-Yugoslav Ivan ('John') Starčević (Translator)
Sgt John Campbell (RM – bodyguard)The first British mission fully assigned to Yugoslav partisans HQ and Marshall Tito.03/07/1943AirborneNikola Kombol (aka Nicola King)Welcomed as an interpreter for several British liaison missions in Bosnia and Serbia. Parachuted for the second time in Sep 1944 to Macedonia, and crossed the Adriatic by RN motor gunboat for the third entry into Yugoslavia, in early 1945.MacLaren, pp. 150-15115/08/1943Operation Typical (ext.)Williams, p. 146AirbornePetrovo Polje (Bosnia)Flight-Lieut Kenneth Syers Maj Ian Mackenzie (RAMC)Fl-Lieut Syers (RAF) was a SIS officer, replacement for Capt W F Stuart who was killed on 09/06/1943 at Sutjeska. He had worked for the British Council in pre-war Yugoslavia. Maj Mackenzie was an experienced surgeon at the Royal Army Medical Corps. His operations on the wounded while under constant enemy activity earned him and the British mission high moral credit.Deakin, p. 10916/08/1943Mission DavidsonWilliams, p. 148AirbornePetrovo Polje (Bosnia)Major Basil Davidson Sergeant William Ennis Sergeant Stanley Brandreth (wireless)Davidson was the Acting Head of SOE Yugoslav Desk in Cairo and was sent to Bosnia in order to continue the journey and reach Hungary, where he had been posted just before the war.Williams, p. 16521/08/1943Operation Typical (ext.)AirbornePetrovo Polje (Bosnia)Capt Melvin O Benson (OSS)Melvin (Benny) Benson was the first American representative assigned to Yugoslav partisans HQ and Marshall Tito. He was under Deakin's command and shared British radio communications infrastructure. He stayed in the region for four months.Deakin, p. 111Aug 1943Neronian MissionWilliams, p. 166Liet-Col CopeCope became a British Liaison Officer (BLO) to the local chetnik leader Maj Radoslav Đurić.Williams, p. 193Aug 1943BallinclayDrvarThe mission reported on battles between the Partisans and chetniks in Drvar area, and the death of Jovo Plećaš, local chetnik commander and collaborator.Sep 1943Maclean Mission (Macmis)Williams, p.220AirborneBizerta (Tunisia)Mrkonjić-Grad (Bosnia)BGen Fitzroy Maclean Maj Vivian Street
Maj Linn "Slim" Farish
John Henniker-Major
Peter Moore
Donald Knight
Mike Parker
Gordon Alston
Robin Whetherly
Sgt DuncanThe first British mission to Yugoslav partisans with full authorisation and personal message from Winston ChurchillMaclean, pp. 280-281Maclean, pp. 294-305Nov 1943Mulligatawny MissionAirborneEast of Lake Ohrid (Macedonia)Maj Mostyn Davies Maj Frank Thompson (later)SOE mission attempting to get in touch with the Bulgarian partisans. Both Davies and Thompson were to perish in the attempt to organise Bulgarian resistance.Williams, p. 178Nov 1943Mission RogersSeaSouthern ItalyIsland of VisMaj Lindsay Rogers Sgt William (Bill) Gillanders
RAF Sgt Ian McGregor.Mission Rogers was a World War II Special Operations Executive (SOE) medical and military expedition to Yugoslav Partisans in Dalmatia, western Bosnia and Slovenia. 28/11/1943Monkeywrench MissionAirborneEastern SerbiaMaj DugmoreSOE mission to Yugoslav partisans, sent to prepare the area for the British break with Mihailović.Williams, p. 195Dec 1943Clowder MissionAirGlamočPeter Wilkinson Maj Alfgar Hesketh-Pritchard Maj Charles VilliersFocused on escalating the fighting in Slovenia in order to cut off the German connections and resupply links to Northern Italy as well as incursion into Austria.Williams, pp. 233-237Feb 1944Operation BungholeThree Waco-CG4 glidersBariMedeno Polje (Bosnia)Lieut-Gen Nikolai Korneev Capt Cornelius TurnerThe first official Soviet mission to Yugoslav partisans and the first RAF daytime glider landings inside the occupied Europe.12/05/1944Mission DafoeAirborneBariČanići (Eastern Bosnia)Maj Colin Scott Dafoe Sgt Frank
Sgt ChrisMission Dafoe was a World War II Special Operations Executive (SOE) medical and military expedition to Yugoslav Partisans in Eastern Bosnia.14/05/1944Mission LindsayAirborneBrindisiSemič, SloveniaMajor Franklin Lindsay Lieutenant Gordon Bush,
Lieutenant Schraeder - the weather officer
Corporal James Fisher - the radio operator