German GSG 9 , Special Forces

German GSG 9 - Mogadishu Hijacking, 1977

"Terrorists held 86 hostages in a plane for five days. GSG 9 ended it in seven minutes."

STORY: October 1977. Palestinian terrorists hijacked Lufthansa Flight 181, holding 86 passengers hostage across multiple countries. The plane landed in Mogadishu, Somalia, after the pilot was murdered. For five days, negotiations went nowhere. Germany's newly-formed GSG 9 flew to Somalia with British SAS advisors carrying new "flash-bang" grenades. At midnight, Somali soldiers lit a fire on the runway to distract the terrorists. GSG 9 positioned assault ladders at emergency exits in darkness. At 2:05 AM, they blew open the doors simultaneously. Flash-bangs exploded through the cabin, blinding and deafening the terrorists. In the chaos of light and sound, GSG 9 moved through the cabin with surgical precision. Seven minutes. Three dead terrorists. One wounded. Every hostage alive. The operation was so flawless it became the template for counter-terrorism units worldwide.