1976: Israelis rescue Entebbe hostages - BBC On This Day (35 yrs ago)

BBC ^ | July 4, 2011 | Staff

[abb]

Israeli commandos have rescued 100 hostages, mostly Israelis or Jews, held by pro-Palestinian hijackers at Entebbe airport in Uganda.

At about 0100 local time (2200GMT), Ugandan soldiers and the hijackers were taken completely by surprise when three Hercules transport planes landed after a 2,500-mile trip from Israel.

About 200 elite troops ran out and stormed the airport building.

During a 35-minute battle, 20 Ugandan soldiers and all seven hijackers died along with three hostages.

This operation will certainly be inscribed in the annals of military history, in legend and in national tradition.

Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli Prime Minister The leader of the assault force, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, was also shot dead by a Ugandan sentry.

The Israelis destroyed 11 Russian-built MiG fighters, which amounted to a quarter of Uganda's air force.

The surviving hostages were then flown to Israel with a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya, where some of the injured were treated by Israeli doctors and at least two transferred to hospital there.

Speaking at the Israeli Knesset (parliament) this afternoon, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who ordered the raid said: "This operation will certainly be inscribed in the annals of military history, in legend and in national tradition."

snip

[abb]

A great moment in history.

[mick]

Just as an aside....I was told they didn’t use Israeli made 9mm Uzi’s for fear of the round passing through the enemy and hitting the hostages. They used American made 45ACP Mac 10’s....because of the slower speed and knock down capability of the 45. Although I haven’t ever been able to confirm that all these yrs.

[silverleaf]

“The leader of the assault force, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, was also shot dead by a Ugandan sentry.”

A rather significant omission from the excerpt.

[silverleaf]

ooops, missed it!

[abb]

Not intentional, I assure you.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Plaque from the old terminal building

[SamuraiScot]

Another outrageous Israeli act of aggression.

Okay, that comes with a /sarc off from me. But if it happened today, wouldn't that be the exact reaction from Western Europe, Rev. Wright, US college campuses, and in some form, our own State Dept.?

In 1976, of course, no one at our liberal college campus had anything bad to say about the rescue. It was celebrated by liberal Dems and wide-eyed socialists alike. But the Left had not eaten as much of its own tail at that time. Leftism, being gnostic, has to keep moving its own ideological goal-posts unceasingly, lest anyone figure out that there are no principles at all to Leftism, only the compulsion to control one's followers.

In 1976, the Kampus Kommies still claimed to be "less anti-Semitic than thou." Now they are falling all over themselves to claim top honors for Jew-hating—not just Israel-bashing, but Jew-hating. And somehow, it's still in the name of justice and tolerance.

[Roccus]

Several years later, not long after the disastrous Operation Eagle Claw, I saw an interview with Moishe Dayan. He explained the difference in thinking between Israel and the US with regard to rescue operations. He said that the Israelis go in with the idea that all the hostages are “already as good as dead” thus giving the commanders on the ground a great deal of leeway in how to conduct the operation.

[tlb]

The finale of the movie ‘Raid on Entebbe’ (1977). Powerful scene.

English Translation:
How good and pleasant it is for
brothers and sisters to dwell as one, to live together in peace. ( From Psalm 133.)

Hine ma tov uma nayim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xHWk6gE444

[bunkerhill7]

The First Great Rescue Operation of 1,600 hostages

- USA was there-

One hundred and eleven days after Olenga's capture of Stanleyville, in the dawn hours of 24 November 1964 following a strike by CIA-piloted B-26s against Stanleyville Airport, 5 U.S. Air Force C­130s bearing 340 troops of the 1st Battalion, Belgian Paracommando Regiment, staged a combat assault to seize the airport.

The airborne assault was planned to coincide with the arrival in Stanleyville of a ground force composed of Belgian and U.S. Army officers, a small CIA element, and a contingent of the Congolese Army.

Once Stanleyville was secured, the Belgian paras staged another combat assault on Paulis, several hundred miles away, to rescue still more European hostages

The Dragon operations in the Congo-Dragon Rouge and Dragon Noir-were the first, and in many ways the most complex, hostage rescue missions of the cold war.

http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/resources/csi/odom/odom.asp

[Nip]

The raid on Entebbe had an immediate and long lasting impact on the American Military.

In spite of the often repeated statement that the recovery of US Special Operations started with the April 1980 failure in the Iran Desert the actual recovery began July 1976 and continued, at an admittedly slow pace, through November 1979.

Many of the long term investments in Special Operations began in the FY 1978 budget cycle. Included in that budget was the classified directed operational requirement for elements of the DOD to develop and maintain both an individual and joint counter-terrorist capability. This language and its accompanying funds for its execution started the rebuilding cycle.

Prior to Entebbe, DOD had declared that we would never have to fight another unconventional war. After Entebbe Congress said we had better start preparing for another unconventional war.

Proof of statement lies in the money trail and the training cycles. Without the jump start provided by Entebbe there is no way we could have put boots on the ground in the Iranian Desert April 1980, 5 months after the American Embassy in Tehran had been seized (which is BTW an act of war by all accepted international codicils).

[Alberta's Child]

It’s amazing how many new things you learn about events like this, even years later. I never knew that two of the four original hijackers on the flight from Athens were actually Germans.

[jmacusa]

Would make sense to me. The 45ACP isn’t called ‘’man-stopper’’ for nothing.

[ncfool]

I was very proud of Israel that day in 1976. Israel proved that they were a leader in fighting terrorism that day. as a 17 year old American Jew at that time I realized what Islamic terrorism was all about. Its true 35 years later. Nothing has changed.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks abb.

Speaking at the Israeli Knesset (parliament) this afternoon, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who ordered the raid said: "This operation will certainly be inscribed in the annals of military history, in legend and in national tradition."

[ncfool]

Always one of my favorites....

Hine ma tov uma nayim

[nwrep]

Prior to Entebbe, DOD had declared that we would never have to fight another unconventional war. After Entebbe Congress said we had better start preparing for another unconventional war.

In that case one must tip their hat to the foresight and patriotism of the overwhelmingly liberal Dem Congress of the time. It seems that they were less reflexively anti-Israeli back then.

[goat granny]

Made for TV **Raid on Entebbe** is a great movie. If you can catch it in reruns its well worth your time...

[abb]

There were two movies made, maybe more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Entebbe_%28film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_at_Entebbe