On This Day in History

[dragoon500ly]

July 4th, 1976, this day saw the famous Entebbe rescue mission.

And a well earned salute to the gallant rescue team!

[Matt Wiser]

Probably the best long-range rescue ever mounted. And ever since, no airliner going to or from Israel has been hijacked. Even the bad guys know the IDF will come for them....retrieve the hostages, and leave their bodies behind. And it spawned three movies (two made-for TV movies here in the States, and the Israeli made Operation Thunderbolt).

The greatest rescue has to be the Los Banos raid in the Philippines, on 23 Feb 45. All 2,147 civilian and military prisoners (the latter were 11 U.S. Navy Nurses captured in Manila on 2 Jan 42) rescued by the 11th Airborne Division and Filipino Guerillas at a cost of two rescuers and two guerillas killed. Overshadowed, though, by the Iwo Jima Flag raising, which took place the same day.