Operation Thunderbolt: Flight 139 and the Raid on Entebbe Airport, the Most Audacious Hostage Rescue Mission in History - Hardcover

David, Saul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316245410 ISBN 13: 9780316245418

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2015

Synopsis

*By the historical consultant to the major motion picture Seven Days in Entebbe*
The definitive account of one of the greatest Special Forces missions ever, the Raid of Entebbe, by acclaimed military historian Saul David.
On June 27, 1976, an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris was hijacked by a group of Arab and German terrorists who demanded the release of 53 terrorists. The plane was forced to divert to Entebbe, in Uganda--ruled by the murderous despot Idi Amin, who had no interest in intervening.
Days later, Israeli commandos disguised as Ugandan soldiers assaulted the airport terminal, killed all the terrorists, and rescued all the hostages but three who were killed in the crossfire. The assault force suffered just one fatality: its commander, Yoni Netanyahu (brother of Israel's current Prime Minister.) Three of the country's greatest leaders: Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin planned and pulled off one of the most astonishing military operations in history.

About this title

About the Author:

Saul David is a military historian and broadcaster. He is the author of The Indian Mutiny, which was shortlisted for the Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature, Military Blunders, Zulu: the Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year) and Victoria's Wars.

Review:

USA Today "New and Noteworthy"
Vanity Fair "Hot Type" pick
"Book of the Year": The Spectator Magazine, BBC History Magazine, The Mail on Sunday
"Best History Books of 2015": Amazon UK
"What will most likely be the definitive work on the subject.... This is the achievement of a masterly, first-rate historian."―Alan Furst, New York Times Book Review

"Saul David has nimbly woven a breathless romp across Europe, the Middle East and Africa...a suspenseful read. 3.5 stars out of 4."
―USA Today


This gripping tale has already been told in numerous books, feature films and documentaries...But David's version, which cuts back and forth between the key players and reads like a film script, should prove definitive."
―The Boston Globe

"Thrilling....Dozens of books and movies have tried to capture the menace and the romance of the operation....In Operation Thunderbolt, British historian Saul David relies on extensive interviews with the captors, kidnapped and rescuers to retell the story in a tick-tock trek from Tel Aviv bunkers to the airport in Entebbe. The effect is heart-racing."
―Jordan Handler Hirsch, Wall Street Journal

"He brings thrilling detail to one of the most dramatic rescue missions in recent history--and highlights the key roles played by Israeli leaders Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin."―Jane Ciabattari, BBC.com

"[The story] has been told many times on page and screen. But never better than British historian Saul David does in this meticulously researched, vivid account. He has a knack for making the reader feel he is right there."
―Martin Rubin, Washington Times

"This book is an enthralling, minute-by-minute retelling of the hijack and the dramatic rescue using new sources and material."―Max Hastings, author of Inferno

"David, who has authored a number of books on wars in the 19th and 20th centuries, brings his excellent skill as a professor of war studies at the University of Buckingham to this story.... Operation Thunderbolt is written in an informed and colorful fast-paced way."
―Jerusalem Post


"Totally thrilling, totally poignant. Bringing the greatest special forces operation of modern times blazingly to life, David's book, full of new revelations, written with the excitement of an action movie, the authority of a historian, is great drama, superb storytelling--and yet tells us much about the Middle East today."―Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0316245410
• ISBN 13: 9780316245418
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 464