European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 20, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The olympic lesson by Otto Doelling associated Pressw est Germany s Victory at Mogadishu was rooted in the bitter defeat at Munich five years before. At Munich during the 1972 olympic games West Germany bungled the at tempted Rescue of israeli athletes taken hostage by Arab guerrillas. The toll of Munich s bloody tuesday was 11 israelis one West German policeman and five terrorists. The intervening five years have brought a turn about on the part of a government that previously shunned spectacular martial displays fearing they might reawaken the Specter of German militarism. The germans who organized the 1972 olympics were so traumatized by their country s prussian and nazi past that they adopted an unduly Low Security profile. Police were Clad in Friendly pastel coloured uniforms. Guns were kept out of sight. Munich was to be the Light hearted games in contrast to the 1936 Berlin olympics that the Germany of Hitler s Day tried to make into a showcase for the nazi concept of a master race. West Germany s preoccupation at Munich with image Cost it dearly. Arabs of the Black september Section of Plo chair Man Yassir Arafat s Al Fatah terrorists easily scaled a Fence around the olympic Village and raided building 31, which housed the israeli athletes. Two israelis were killed resisting and nine others were taken hostage. Twenty seven years after the ovens at Auschwitz had cooled millions of television viewers watched to see How the new Germany would save the lives of jews. The agonizing task fell upon ill prepared local police. This was another consequence of Germany s nazi past. The new Germany wanted no part of a Strong centralized police Force. Memories of Hitler s dread Gestapo and Security service were still too fresh. Police Powers were delegated to West Germany s 10 Federated states. Where the Mogadishu raid followed a Well prepare plan the Munich operation was characterized by improvisation and confusion. Later critics said that there had been too Many politicians and too few sharpshooters at Firstenfeld Bruck air base outside of Munich where the Day of terror reach edits bloody Climax. The police marksmen initially killed Only two of the Arab guerrillas leaving six others to Slaughter the israe Lis. The hostages were strapped aboard two helicopters that had carried them from the olympic Village to fuer Stengel Dubruck. A guerrilla s grenade was tossed into one of the chop pers setting it aflame. Meanwhile Conrad Ahlers a former paratrooper who was West German spokesman at the time obliviously was telling a nationwide television audience that the israeli hostages had been rescued in an operation carried out with military precision. It was the very Lack of precision that prompted Bonn to order the paramilitary Federal Border guard to train a special Antiterrorist squad. Tuesday morning s Light Ning assault at Mogadishu was its baptism by fire. A West German government spokesman could boast this time that the action provided a very serious lesson for some people around the world on How to Deal with terrorism. Rescue Gsg-9 and flight by Alexander g. Higgins associated Pressw est Germany s crisis staff apparently started planning the commando raid almost immediately after Lufthansa flight 181 was commandeered in route from Majorca to Frankfurt. From government statements news reports and hos tages accounts the associated press pieced together the following account of the activity of the Gren Schutz Gruppe-9 Border guard group 9 or Gsg-9. It was the first anti terrorist deployment of this 175-Man elite unit assembled after the Munich olympics massacre of 1972. Thursday oct. 13. Almost As soon As word of the plane s seizure by four armed arabic speaking hijackers reaches Bonn West German leaders summoned by Chan cellar Helmut Schmidt agree an Entebbe style raid is the Only possible response. The unit ready to be deployed on 15 minutes notice prepares for action. At its Headquarters in Angelar near Bonn the unit begins practising with a Boeing 737 jetliner storming the aircraft identical to the plane commandeered on the flight from the Spanish offshore Island to Frankfurt. Two squads of 32 men each Fly to Cyprus where the hijacked plane is heading by now on its Way from a Stop in Rome. But the unit s presence is Given away by cypriot officials who declare they oppose its use. Friday oct. 14. From Cyprus to Mogadishu there Are conflicting reports on the movement of the Comman Dos. The Bonn government says the unit spends the night in Turkey and returns to West Germany. But other reports say the commandos Trail the hijacked plane to Dubai and leave for Turkey after Arab officials say their own troops can handle the raid. Saturday oct. 15. The Bonn government makes a show of the unit s return to Cologne apparently to reas sure the hijackers. Sunday oct. 16. Little is known about the unit s activity As the hijacked plane flies from Dubai to Aden South Yemen. Schmidt s chief negotiator Hans Jurgen Wischnewski is refused permission to follow the Hijack ers from Dubai to Aden. He Waits in Jidida saudi Arabia. Monday oct. 17. The hijacked aircraft flies to Mogadishu Somalia Early in the Day. Wischnewski arrives and reopens his negotiations. The commandos Boeing 707 lands at Crete for refuelling but greek authorities Are told it carries medics and technicians. An israeli radio Monitor says the plane is overheard telling Frankfurt it has scrapped plans to land in Djibouti because officials there Are asking too Many questions about what s on Board. The plane lands at Mogadishu arriving about 7 30 . In near Complete darkness. The plane lands with partial Landing lights and houses is drawing by Lou Johnson them after touching Down on the the ill lit runway. The hijacked 737 is facing the commandos plane As it lands but the 707 coasts past and pulls up about 500 Yards directly behind the 737. The hijackers cannot see it. Tuesday oct. 18. Tower officials manage to draw All four hijackers into the cockpit for negotiations by 3 . Local time As three commandos slip up to the rear door of the plane. The commandos open the doors and explode newly developed Flash grenades which immobilize adversaries for up to 10 seconds with a loud noise and Bright Flash. This gives the three attackers time to Spring into the plane while 25 others open emergency doors Over the wings. The first few commandos to enter cover hostages with their bodies and continuously shout lie  t  Many passengers slide almost instantly under their seats and keep still As the other commandos Rush for Ward and shoot the four hijackers killing three of  fourth is seriously wounded. At first the hostages Are so Frozen they fail to respond to Calls to come on out. But by 3 07 ., the first Passen Ger emerges from the rear door by an emergency slide. The Job is finished Wischnewski tells Schmidt by Telephone at 3 12a.m. Is by Jim Cole casual Gsg-9 commandos Back in Bonn led by Leader Ulrich Wegener. The by de Blanche associated press Page 14 the stars and stripes the West German anti terrorist squad that stormed a hijacked Lufthansa jetliner in Mogadishu used a secret stun grenade developed by Brit ish troops that immobilized the gunmen before they could open up on their captives according to military sources in London. The Mogadishu assault is believed to be the first time the stun grenades have been used in anti terrorist operations. The grenade appears to have Given authorities the weapon they need to overcome the greatest obstacle they face in Hijack situations How to Knock out gunmen before they shoot their captives. A military sources said the grenades Are like Gigantic knockout drop. They make a lot of noise and produce a big hash that stuns Hostiles for up to 10seconds time enough to immobilize them and pre vent them killing hostages while they Are either Cap tured or  three of the four terrorists were killed by the German assault team in Mogadishu but none of the hostages were reported harmed in the attack. However the source made Clear that the grenades almost certainly stunned the captives As Well As the  grenades give you time for accuracy when incomes to incapacitating hijackers in a fast developing situation the source said. Two British special air services Sas officers were sent to join the German squad on the personal orders of British prime minister James Callaghan. The sources reported the Sas men flew into Mogadishu aboard the Jet carrying Hans Jurgen Wischnewski the personal representative of German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt who directed the storming of the plane. They were there in an advisory role the British de sense ministry said. There was nor indication they took part in the actual storming of the plane. The Sas which is the British equivalent of . Army s Green berets has been Active in cloak and Dagger counter insurgency operations in North Ern Ireland As Well As the far and Middle East. It was the second time this year that authorities have confirmed that Sas men have been involved in helping foreign governments in Hijack crises. Two or three Sas officers last june helped dutch authorities plan the assault on a train and a school near Assen in which moluccan terrorists held scores of hos tages. There were reports the British made available classified anti terrorist weapons to the dutch but so far As is known these were not used. The Sas is shrouded in secrecy but As terrorism has increased units of the regiment founded in world War ii for deep penetration sabotage and assassination behind enemy lines have been trained at the regimental base North of London in counter terrorist techniques. The regiment has a 100-Man unit operating in Northern Ireland combating Irish Republican  guerrillas and their protestant terrorist rivals. A unit sent into the province s turbulent South Armagh Border area 18 months has been a major Factor in quelling Ira activity there by intercepting terrorist infiltration  Sas have also been Active in anti terrorist operations and exercises in London and at the British capital s Heathrow Airport. The frail of terror inc. By Arthur l. Gashon associated Pressa Allied intelligence men see the failed Hijack of a Lufthansa Airliner and subsequent suicide of West German red  faction leaders As a setback certainly not an end to the global activities of a Loose knit terrorist inter National. The Western world is going to have live with terrorism and indeed More terrorism in the years ahead Richard e. Clutterbuck a retired British major general told an interviewer recently. With 35 years of military experience behind him Clutterbuck now a lecturer at Essex University said the men of violence can be Defeated but Only by hard Dili gent persistent precautions that must be taken by All meaning by individuals As Well As state authorities. At the Center of the terrorist International which uses Paris As one of its several secret base areas Are revolutionaries from West Germany Ireland the Arab world latin America Japan Italy and other countries. Officials familiar with the Security affairs of nato report one major concern today is that members of the global terrorist network can count on Active Aid from Sev eral Radical governments. An analysis of the extent to which some Radical govern ments have become involved with International terror ism recently was prepared for nato. A copy of the document disclosed 0 the terrorist International can count in specific situations on Sanctuary support training and materiel1 from Iraq Syria Libya South Yemen Algeria Cuba and Palestine liberation organization Plo Camps in Lebanon. 0 the network appears to have easy Access to supplies of East european manufactured . For instance the soviet made Reg 7 rocket launcher has been used in Northern Ireland. One Point made in the analysis prepared by nato s counter subversion committee was that the activities of the terrorists whatever their own motives or intentions often work to the advantage of the soviet Union. One example the 8-year-old Northern Ireland insurrection has pinned Down 15,000 British troops thus thinning out nato s defences in Europe. � for six years a world treaty to outlaw hijacking has been stalled largely because of certain countries in the United nations. A terrorist or Hijacker in the eyes of westerners often becomes a Freedom fighter the moment he lands his hostages on the Friendly Tarmac of a third world state. Thus Only about 70 member countries off the . Have ratified the anti hijacking treaty. Officials of nato countries report the terrorist inter National has no generally agreed name. In the Mideast it is referred to As the  of the Arab revolution with Carlos Martinez born Ilich Ramirez Sanchez in Venezuela 28 years ago a key operative. Carlos sometimes called the jackal is thought to have been lately in Europe. In latin America the International sometimes is called the Junto de coordination revolution aria. Special meetings of a variety of revolutionary move ments Are known to have been held periodically in Paris. They have included representatives of the Baader mein Hof gang of West Germany s red  faction Japan s United red  based in part on the Bushido tradition which works closely with Arab world terror groups the Irish Republican  terror squads from lands As Dis Tant As Turkey is from Argentina Bolivia and Uruguay. First hard evidence that the terrorist International exists came mid-1975 in a Paris shootout. A lebanese terrorist turned informer Michael Mou Karbel led French counter intelligence men to a hideout used by Carlos. Carlos escaped but not before shooting the two French sleuths and Moukarbel once paymaster to the International. The Trail that then opened up led to terrorist caches in London and elsewhere to death lists and plans for future missions. Thursday october 20, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 15