Richard L. Felman
Encyclopedia
Richard L. Felman was a distinguished officer in the United States Air Force
who flew combat missions during World War II
and the Korean War
, receiving 27 awards and decorations over the course of his military career.
Felman was born in the The Bronx, New York City. He was the son of American-born David and Dora, a Jewish immigrant from Poland
. He had one brother, Irwin, born six years earlier. At the age of 21, Felman enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps
on July 24, 1942 and became a master navigator.
In early 1944 he was assigned to the 415th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force
stationed in Lecce
, Italy
as a Second Lieutenant flying B-24s
. His "Liberator" bomber, "Never a Dull Moment", would live up to its name. In July 1944, Felman's B-24 was hit by German ME-109s and 10 of the eleven-man crew bailed out from 18,000 feet over the Yugoslav
hills. Felman was later awarded the Purple Heart
for his service during the plane crash.
The Americans, led by Felman, landed in central Serbia
. Serbia, at the time, was a Nazi Germany
-occupied territory, but controlled by the Chetniks
, a resistance movement led by Draža Mihailović
. The Chetniks protected them from the Germans, despite the fact the Germans burned the nearby village of Pranjani in retaliation, killing around 200 women and children. Felman and his men stayed safe with the Chetniks, and were airlifted
out of Serbia on August 10, 1944. Felman became friends with Mihailović and his Chetniks, as did the other Allied airmen who had been gunned down over Serbia in the same year. Over 500 downed US airmen survived because of assistance from the Chetniks.
At Felman's stay in Serbia, he was embraced and then carried about 500 yards to a cabin. He was given fruit, flowers and slivovitz
(Serbian national drink) which Felman described as "160 proof Serbian plum brandy." Felman was then offered a crutch and taken to the Serbian Orthodox church
in the village by an elderly man. Both men prayed in the small Serbian Orthodox church. Felman described the scene:
Felman was personally decorated twice by King Peter II of Yugoslavia
. Felman's friends were Constantine Fotich, Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović, Milutin Devrnja, Vojvoda Momčilo Đujić, Slobodan Jovanović
, Zvonko Vučković and many other prominent men in the diaspora.
The Chetniks were defeated by the end of the war. Due to unrelated war crimes, Draža Mihailović
was accused by the Partisans
in 1946. Felman and 21 others in April 1946 petitioned Harry S. Truman
and the U.S. Government to be allowed to go, at their own expense, to Belgrade
and present their testimonies to the jury on Mihailović's trial.
They were denied by the State Department, because the U.S. had befriended the Communist Partisans in the latter stages of the war, and did not want to disrupt their relations with the Communist Yugoslav government that was created post war. Despite Felman's insistence, he was not able to reach Belgrade. Mihailović was found guilty of high treason, executed and buried in an unmarked grave on July 17, 1946.
Because of his efforts, Mihailović and his organization, on the recommendation of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
, were posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit
by President Truman for their contributions to the Allied victory and the rescue of American airmen from behind enemy lines. The Legion of Merit
is the highest award the U.S. can give a foreign national,
Felman continued arguing that Mihailović and his Chetniks should be honored for their rescue of US pilots. In 1970, he went on the Congressional Record
pressing for legislation for a statue on Capitol grounds honoring General Mihailović. In 1976 and in 1977, the bill was introduced into the Senate by Strom Thurmond
and Barry Goldwater
. However, the legislation died in the House because of the aforementioned U.S. policy towards Yugoslavia. It was reintroduced over the next decades several times, but failed each time.
Richard Felman retired from the United States Air Force
in 1968.
In 1995, for the 50th Anniversary of the VE Day, Major Richard Felman returned to Serbia after 50 years, accompanied by his wife Mary Anne as well as Captain Nick Lalich
and Lt. Col. Charlie Davis. He was met on the mountain of Ravna Gora
by 50,000 Serbian people
who gave him a thunderous ovation.
Felman died at the age of 78. He was survived by his wife Mary Anne and his brother Irwin. He had no children. On November 13, 1999 he was interred at the "All Faiths Memorial Park" in Tucson, Arizona
.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
who flew combat missions during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, receiving 27 awards and decorations over the course of his military career.
Felman was born in the The Bronx, New York City. He was the son of American-born David and Dora, a Jewish immigrant from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He had one brother, Irwin, born six years earlier. At the age of 21, Felman enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
on July 24, 1942 and became a master navigator.
In early 1944 he was assigned to the 415th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
stationed in Lecce
Lecce
Lecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Puglia...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as a Second Lieutenant flying B-24s
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
. His "Liberator" bomber, "Never a Dull Moment", would live up to its name. In July 1944, Felman's B-24 was hit by German ME-109s and 10 of the eleven-man crew bailed out from 18,000 feet over the Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
hills. Felman was later awarded the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
for his service during the plane crash.
The Americans, led by Felman, landed in central Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. Serbia, at the time, was a Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
-occupied territory, but controlled by the Chetniks
Chetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
, a resistance movement led by Draža Mihailović
Draža Mihailovic
Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was a Yugoslav Serbian general during World War II...
. The Chetniks protected them from the Germans, despite the fact the Germans burned the nearby village of Pranjani in retaliation, killing around 200 women and children. Felman and his men stayed safe with the Chetniks, and were airlifted
Operation Halyard
Operation Halyard, also known as the Halyard Mission, was the largest Allied airlift operation behind enemy lines during World War II. A total of 512 allied airmen who had been downed over Nazi-occupied Serbia were rescued by Serbian Chetniks, led by General Draža Mihailović...
out of Serbia on August 10, 1944. Felman became friends with Mihailović and his Chetniks, as did the other Allied airmen who had been gunned down over Serbia in the same year. Over 500 downed US airmen survived because of assistance from the Chetniks.
At Felman's stay in Serbia, he was embraced and then carried about 500 yards to a cabin. He was given fruit, flowers and slivovitz
Slivovitz
Slivovitz or Slivovitsais a distilled beverage made from Damson plums. It is frequently called plum brandy, and in the Balkans is part of the category of drinks called rakia...
(Serbian national drink) which Felman described as "160 proof Serbian plum brandy." Felman was then offered a crutch and taken to the Serbian Orthodox church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
in the village by an elderly man. Both men prayed in the small Serbian Orthodox church. Felman described the scene:
- "It was their chapel. We both knelt in humble prayer and gave thanks. Though separated by language, country and religion, the brotherhood of man was never more in meaningful evidence."
Felman was personally decorated twice by King Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...
. Felman's friends were Constantine Fotich, Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović, Milutin Devrnja, Vojvoda Momčilo Đujić, Slobodan Jovanović
Slobodan Jovanovic
Slobodan Jovanović was one of Serbia's most prolific jurists, historians, sociologists, journalists and literary critics. He distinguished himself with a characteristically clear and sharp writing style later called the "Belgrade style"...
, Zvonko Vučković and many other prominent men in the diaspora.
The Chetniks were defeated by the end of the war. Due to unrelated war crimes, Draža Mihailović
Draža Mihailovic
Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was a Yugoslav Serbian general during World War II...
was accused by the Partisans
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
in 1946. Felman and 21 others in April 1946 petitioned Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
and the U.S. Government to be allowed to go, at their own expense, to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and present their testimonies to the jury on Mihailović's trial.
They were denied by the State Department, because the U.S. had befriended the Communist Partisans in the latter stages of the war, and did not want to disrupt their relations with the Communist Yugoslav government that was created post war. Despite Felman's insistence, he was not able to reach Belgrade. Mihailović was found guilty of high treason, executed and buried in an unmarked grave on July 17, 1946.
Because of his efforts, Mihailović and his organization, on the recommendation of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, were posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
by President Truman for their contributions to the Allied victory and the rescue of American airmen from behind enemy lines. The Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
is the highest award the U.S. can give a foreign national,
Felman continued arguing that Mihailović and his Chetniks should be honored for their rescue of US pilots. In 1970, he went on the Congressional Record
Congressional Record
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...
pressing for legislation for a statue on Capitol grounds honoring General Mihailović. In 1976 and in 1977, the bill was introduced into the Senate by Strom Thurmond
Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...
and Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
. However, the legislation died in the House because of the aforementioned U.S. policy towards Yugoslavia. It was reintroduced over the next decades several times, but failed each time.
Richard Felman retired from the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in 1968.
In 1995, for the 50th Anniversary of the VE Day, Major Richard Felman returned to Serbia after 50 years, accompanied by his wife Mary Anne as well as Captain Nick Lalich
Nick Lalich
Nick Lalich is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since October 2008, representing the electorate of Cabramatta...
and Lt. Col. Charlie Davis. He was met on the mountain of Ravna Gora
Ravna Gora, Serbia
Ravna Gora is a highland in central Serbia, at the mountain of Suvobor. It is renowned as the birthplace of the modern Chetnik movement under the leadership of Dragoljub Mihailović in 1941. Ravna Gora was the site of a celebration marking the 50th anniversary of VE day in 1995. Among others, the...
by 50,000 Serbian people
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
who gave him a thunderous ovation.
Felman died at the age of 78. He was survived by his wife Mary Anne and his brother Irwin. He had no children. On November 13, 1999 he was interred at the "All Faiths Memorial Park" in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
.
External links
- Sandy Marquette Tribute to Major Richard L. Felman
- Draža Mihailović and the Rescue of US Airmen during World War II
- Felman, Richard L., Major, U.S.A.F., Retired. Mihailovich and I. Tucson, AZ: self-published by author, copyright, Richard L. Felman, 1964. Publication: Serbian Democratic Forum, October, 1972; Neven Publishing, Milwaukee, WI, 1986; Perun Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 1994. Web link: http://www.generalmihailovich.com/2008/04/mihailovich-and-i-by-richard-l-felman.html
- IN MEMORIAM Richard J. Felman (Major, USAF Retired). Died in 1999