ISRAEL

Entebbe (1976)

Ben-Porat, Yeshayahu, et al. Entebbe Rescue. New York: Delacorte, 1977.

McRaven, William H. [ADM/USN] Special Operations -- Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice. Novato, CA: Presidio, 1995.

See Craig Whitlock, "Adm. William McRaven: The Terrorist Hunter on Whose Shoulders Osama bin Laden Raid Rested," Washington Post, 4 May 2011.

Renken, MI 23.2, says that this is "an excellent book for special operators and the intelligence personnel who support them." McRaven "examines eight classic special operations in fascinating detail": the rescue of Mussolini (1943); the prisoner of war rescue at Cabanatuan (1945); Son Tay (1970); the Israeli rescue at Entebbe (1976); and raids on Fort Eban Emael (1940), Alexandria (1941), Saint Nazaire (1942), and the Tirpitz (1943). This is "good history, plus an analytical approach worth thinking about."

For Johnson, Parameters 27 (Autumn 1997), the author's application of his framework for analysis makes Special Operations "a breath of fresh air and a genuine joy to read and study.... McRaven's theory of special operations states, 'special operations forces are able to achieve relative superiority over the enemy if they prepare a simple plan, which is carefully concealed, repeatedly and realistically rehearsed, and executed with surprise, speed, and purpose'.... Practitioners and students of special operations would do well to examine the utility of the author's analytical device as a possible planning tool. It appears to be more than adequate."

Southworth, Samuel A., ed. Great Raids in History: From Drake to Desert One. New York: Sarpedon Publishers, 1997.

Eggenberger, History 26.2, finds that "[o]n the whole,... the stories are well done and make for interesting reading." Included in the 19 raids discussed are Lawrence of Arabia, Otto Skorzeny, the Canadians at Dieppe, the Chindits in Burma, and the U.S. hostage-rescue raids on Son Tay and in Iran. Additionally, in a concluding chapter on the future of such raids, the Israeli raid at Entebbe is "well discussed."

Stevenson, William. Ninety Minutes at Entebbe. New York: Bantam, 1976.

Israeli rescue of hijacked airplane passengers at Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's older brother was killed on this mission.

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