Operation Hydra (Yugoslavia) facts for kids

Operation Hydra was a secret mission by the British during World War II in Yugoslavia. It happened in February 1942. The goal was to connect with the Partisans, a group of fighters led by Josip Broz Tito, in Montenegro.

The Secret Mission Begins

On February 4, 1942, three agents landed in Montenegro. They came ashore from a British submarine called HMS Thorn. Their landing spot was Perazića Do, near the town of Petrovac.

The agents were:

• Major Terence Atherton, a former journalist and a secret agent.
• Lieutenant Radoje Nedeljković, an officer from the Royal Yugoslav Air Force.
• Sergeant Patrick O'Donovan, who was the radio operator.

These agents were part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). This was a special British group that carried out secret missions during the war.

Why the Mission Failed

Operation Hydra did not go as planned. The Partisans, led by Tito, became suspicious of the British agents. This was partly because Lieutenant Nedeljković was a Yugoslav officer. His presence made Tito think the British might be secretly working with the royalist Chetniks. The Chetniks were another group of fighters in Yugoslavia, but they were rivals of the Partisans.

Because of this suspicion, the mission failed to achieve anything helpful. The British agents soon left Tito's group. They disappeared shortly after, along with a large amount of gold and Italian money they were carrying.

Investigating the Disappearance

Duane "Bill" Hudson was a British officer working with Mihailović, a leader of some Chetnik groups. Hudson asked Mihailović to investigate what happened to the Atherton mission.

A report on the investigation was sent to the SOE office in Cairo. The report suggested that a Chetnik leader named Spasoje Dakić was likely responsible for Atherton's death.

Atherton and O'Donovan were last seen on April 22, 1942. They were leaving a village called Čelebić and were escorted by Dakić for part of the way. After that, they were never seen again. Dakić was later seen with Atherton's binoculars and wearing his boots. It was believed that Dakić had murdered both men and stolen the gold they were carrying.

Even though Dakić was only loosely connected to Mihailović's Chetniks, Hudson felt that Mihailović might have known something about the disappearances. Mihailović later tried to spread a false story. He told London that the British agents had been killed by the Partisans. He even claimed this was why he was starting "open warfare" against the Partisans. However, at that time, both Mihailović and the British in Cairo had reasons to believe Atherton was still alive.