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Gov’t Archives Reveal Germans Turned Backs on Munich Victims Germany did not even make a “minimal effort” to save Israelis from the Munich Massacre, according to Israeli archives.

Why, I’m shocked. Had it been France, the government would have helped the terrorists even more.

Germans tacitly complicit in the killing of Jews? Wow, there certainly is no precedent for that, is there?

The Germans weren’t anywhere near ready for something like the Munich massacre. The results of that and the failed attempt to take down the terroists in the helicopters led to the creation of GSG-9, one of the world’s premier anti-terror units.

Willy Brandt was Chancellor of West Germany at the time......

Gov’t Archives Reveal Germans Turned Backs on Munich Victims Germany did not even make a “minimal effort” to save Israelis from the Munich Massacre, according to Israeli archives.

I don't think they did not want to do anything or turned their backs but they were caught off guard and this was pretty much an unprecedented attack ..just as 9/11 was to the the US.

German/Olympic authorities probably figured the hostages would be unharmed if demands would be met.

This is not particularly new news. On the other hand, the German disgrace at Munich (where some of the police actually refused to fire on the terrorists) caused them to do a wholesale rethink of how they responded to terrorist hostage taking.

Unbeknownst to the terrorists, GSG-9 had been following the aircraft, on board a modified Lufthansa 707, since it had landed in Cyprus . The "alert" 30-man group had been airborne soon after the German government learned of the airliner's destination. This group flew from Bonn to Cyprus then on to Ankara and back home after learning. A second 30-man unit, which included commander Ulrich Wegener, had meanwhile flown from Germany to Dubai. The cooperative Somali government permitted Wegener's GSG-9 flight to land. Upon arrival, the troopers were surprised to find that the Somali commandos had set up a security perimeter around the airport and were able to provide much-needed intelligence. Following procedure, GSG-9 deployed sniper and reconnaissance teams, and prepared to assault the plane immediately, in case such event dictated that such an emergency response was required. It was not, and along with the the recently arrived second element of GSG-9, planning began in earnest.

As the night wore on, officials came to the conclusion that, given Mahmoud's growing instability and having already proven his willingness to execute hostages, a rescue operation would be authorized. At 2315, sections of the assault element began their covert approach to the aircraft. Two SAS men, who had accompanied GSG-9 and were skilled in the use of "flash-bang" grenades, accompanied the assault teams. At 205, In an attempt to cause at least some of the terrorists to come to the cockpit (thereby establishing their whereabouts), the Somali commandos lit a bright signal fire a few hundred feet from the front of the plane. The reconnaissance team assigned to that section of the aircraft reported that in fact two of the terrorists, including "Captain Mahmoud", had gone to the cockpit and were confusedly observing the fire.

At the same time, GSG-9 commandos, using specially designed, rubber coated ladders, made entry through the aircraft doors. At 2:07, the emergency doors were blown open with explosive charges and the SAS operatives, who had managed to sneak undetected onto the wings, tossed their grenades inside. With this, GSG-9 entered the plane, ordering the hostages to the ground. Within seconds, three of the terrorists were killed, and the fourth severely wounded. The operation was officially over by 212, when all the hostages were retrieved unharmed, with one GSG-9 operative slightly injured by gunfire. The same could not be said for Schleyer, the German businessman abducted a month earlier whose body was recovered three days later.

It was basically the village cops providing ‘security’ at the 72 Munich games. Wholly unprepared for what then happened. ‘Dazed and confused’ comes to mind.

Hindsight is 20:20.

The Olympic committee are cowards and have no sense of decency to to something simple. Kind of reminds me of the movie, “School Ties” where the Jewish f-ball player told those who hated to meet him outside and no one went out and he called them cowards.