Operation Thunderbolt: Flight 139 and the Raid on Entebbe Airport, the Most Audacious Hostage Rescue Mission in History by Saul David
Written by an Israeli author, this detailed account of the 1976 raid provides a no holds barred narration of the events leading up to and the assault on the terrorists holding Israeli hostages in Entebbe, Uganda. The historic raid is nearly universally seen as the epitome of hostage recovery operations and provides an inside look at the collaboration required between intelligence and operational forces in order to craft and implement bold and daring operations. It is also notable that three of the Israeli’s greatest leaders were personally involved.
On June 27, 1976, an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris was hijacked by a group of Arab and German terrorists who demanded the release of 53 terrorists. The plane was forced to divert to Entebbe, in Uganda–ruled by the murderous despot Idi Amin, who had no interest in intervening.
Days later, Israeli commandos disguised as Ugandan soldiers assaulted the airport terminal, killed all the terrorists, and rescued all the hostages but three who were killed in the crossfire. The assault force suffered just one fatality: its commander, Yoni Netanyahu (brother of Israel’s current Prime Minister.) Three of the country’s greatest leaders: Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin planned and pulled off one of the most astonishing military operations in history.
Recommended by Sid Heal in Episodes 1 & 2
