Word: schmidts
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Bonn, West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, backed by his Cabinet and by opposition leaders, alerted Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (G.S.G. 9), the elite commando unit of West Germany's Border Protection Force. Thirty members of the unit left immediately for Cyprus aboard a Lufthansa 707, Flight 1231. But Flight 1231, in a near miss, arrived at Larnaca just as Flight 181 was taking off. Flight 1231 flew to Ankara to await further instructions, while the hijacked plane flew on to Bahrain and Dubai...
...Schmidt also sent his chief troubleshooter, State Secretary Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski, 55, to the Middle East. Aboard Wischnewski's 707-code-named Oscar X Ray-were 31 additional troops of G.S.G. 9 as well as the unit's commander, Ulrich Wegener. At dawn Saturday, Wischnewski reached Dubai and went to the control tower to talk with the hijackers by radio; he had no success...
Among the European leaders who called Schmidt to offer their support as well as their sympathy was British Prime Minister James Callaghan; Schmidt gladly accepted the offer. Accordingly, the British provided the West Germans with 1) special, highly sensitive listening devices for locating the terrorists within the plane and 2) a supply of British "stun grenades," which explode without scattering metal fragments, but can immobilize an enemy for about six seconds with their sound and flash. The stun grenades-along with two experts from Britain's crack Special Air Service regiment-were soon en route to Dubai...
...Southern Yemen authorities. If landing permission given, clarify that negotiations will include development plans for Southern Yemen. Major development plans and funds for Yemen. Did you understand?" Southern Yemen still refused, and Wischnewski flew on to Jidda in Saudi Arabia. Before landing he received another urgent message from Schmidt: "The minister [Wischnewski] has a free hand in all the negotiations with all countries. Is that clear?" This may have been a coded advisory that West Germany had made the final decision to use force against the terrorists...
Next morning, with Co-Pilot Jürgen Victor, 35, at the controls, Charlie Echo flew on to Mogadishu, capital of Somalia. It was followed by Wischnewski's plane from Jidda. For a full hour, Chancellor Schmidt talked by telephone with Somalia's President Siad Barre, who finally agreed to permit a rescue operation to take place. Both Bonn and Mogadishu have denied reports that the Germans gave Somalia cash or promised assistance. But the Somalis, involved in a desert war with Ethiopia (TIME, Oct. 24), unquestionably need military...