I am too young to have lived through it, so in reading about the failed attempt to rescue the hostages in Iran in 1980, the first thing that struck me was: the US only sent eight helicopters? Why wasn't more force used to recover 50 American hostages? I'm sure there are political reasons, but as I didn't live through it, it would be helpful to have some perspectives of what it was like at the time. Was the intent to make a clean pick-up and avoid an entangling conflict?
Iran hostage crisis revisited
- Thread starter pau17
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The force sent to pick up the hostages was newly created. They trained for the conditions, but some of the geographical/topological features were impossible to recreate again. There was also a mis-analyzation on the landing spot, so the team was forced to take a bus hostage to keep the operation quiet from it's very beginning. Eight helicopters and the two planes would've been enough to take the hostages if the operation did suceed though. In the end, it was the conditions that ruined the mission, not the lack of resources.
And yes, the idea was a clean pick-up, not to start a shooting war that could potentially have the hostages killed.
And yes, the idea was a clean pick-up, not to start a shooting war that could potentially have the hostages killed.
I see. How do we know it wouldn't have turned into a Black Hawk Down/Somalia type of thing where you get swarmed by the enemy?
It failed in part because of internal politics in the Pentagon. Air Force helicopter pilots were trained for that type of mission. Marine pilots at the time were not. But because the helicopters had to use a ship, the Navy insisted on Marine pilots.
Marines pilots were trained to short in and out missions, Air Force pilots were better trained for long deep penetration, poor weather and visibility, and night flying.
So the why of the failure was part bad conditions that were not properly trained for, part people who had the wrong core training to begin with, and part human error.
Marines pilots were trained to short in and out missions, Air Force pilots were better trained for long deep penetration, poor weather and visibility, and night flying.
So the why of the failure was part bad conditions that were not properly trained for, part people who had the wrong core training to begin with, and part human error.
But say that they had made it there; are we sure it would have been a clean in-and-out with that little of a force?
Most likely. They were on firmer ground on that end. The Iranians were not well organized at the time and a commando attack in the middle of the night was not something they were prepared for.
