Entebbe: The Most Daring Raid of Israel's Special Forces (The Most Daring Raids in History) by Simon Dunstan

Raid #2

by Simon Dunstan

The Israeli Special Forces’ operation at Entebbe goes down in history as one of the most audacious counter-terrorist assaults ever conducted. On 27 June 1976, four terrorists – two of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and two of the German Baader-Meinhof terrorist group – highjacked a passenger jet and forced a landing in Entebbe, Uganda. Here they were met by reinforcements, and – although releasing a few hostages – transferred all the Jewish and Israeli prisoners to the terminal building. As Idi Amin’s assistance to the terrorists became increasingly clear, the Israeli government began preparations for a military assault. The element of surprise was crucial; never before had such a large-scale raid at such a long distance been successfully undertaken. This is the incredible story of how the Israeli Special Forces defied radar for over 2,000 miles, masqueraded as a tyrant in a Mercedes and captured uniforms, and defeated an army in brutal combat, in a triumph of sheer audacity and nerve. A compelling book chronicling an incredible moment in history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, Military Fiction

Library Binding

First published September 22, 2009

Reviews

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice look at a well executed raid. I was not familiar with this raid until the book came out and on top of the excellent artwork, the first hand accounts provided add a lot.

[Brian Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look at the hijacking of an Air France flight by Palestinians, and the rescue mission that was undertaken to rescue them by the Israeli Defence Force.
As usual for Osprey books, this is a short book that manages to get all of the relevant information across. Looks at the reasons for the hijack, the IDF plan and the main people involved.
Well illustrated with photographs and maps to show how it unfolded.

[Jack Hwang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty good with lots of details from the revealed data in recent years. For example, the 99 minutes raid vs 90 minutes raid.

[Robert Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping read

This book is detailed enough to give the specifics, but also written in a good narrative form to where it's exciting and hard to put down. I also learned a lot from the overview of patterns of hijacking and terrorism at the time, and how it related to Israel's response. This is undoubtedly one of the best examples of effective counter terrorism in action, and I feel this book did it justice.