Overview

The first comprehensive English-language history of GSG 9, tracing its origins, daring missions, and evolution into an elite counterterrorism force. In October 1977, an unknown German police unit made global headlines by storming a hijacked Lufthansa airliner in Mogadishu, Somalia. Operatives of GSG 9 freed eighty-six hostages, eliminated three of the four terrorists, and emerged with a near-total victory. This daring rescue left the world in awe, including the US military. President Carter asked, ""Do we have the same capability as the West Germans?"" The answer was no--and it was this realization that impelled the creation of Delta Force. This gripping book is the first comprehensive English-language history of GSG 9, tracing its roots back to the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre, which exposed the world's unpreparedness for modern terrorism. Formed in the aftermath, GSG 9 quickly evolved from a fledgling unit housed in makeshift barracks to an elite force. Author Martin Herzog draws from extensive research, German and international archives, and interviews with GSG 9 veterans and active members, including recent commander Robert Hemmerling. This deeply researched narrative chronicles GSG 9's humble beginnings, the vision of its founder Ulrich Wegener, and the evolving strategies that have made the unit one of the best in the world.

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Martin Herzog was born in Aachen, Germany, in the summer of 1972, mere weeks before the fatal terror attacks on the Olympic Games in Munich that eventually led to the inception of GSG 9. When they accomplished their great feat in Mogadishu five years later, Martin was still not particularly interested in Germany's first counterterror force. That changed after he finished studying philosophy, politics, and history in Cologne and started working as journalist and producer for public broadcasters and national media outlets, specializing in historical subjects. He has covered the history of GSG 9 time and again for various historical radio and TV programs. In 2022, he published the first complete history of this elite police unit, GSG9-ein deutscher Mythos. Martin lives in Cologne with his partner and cat. In his spare time, he can be found in his kitchen stirring pots, scuba diving off some remote island, sailplaning at his local airfield, or in the rehearsal room with his amateur acoustic pop combo. P. J. Ochlan, an Audie Award-nominated and multiple AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator, has recorded close to 200 audiobooks. His acting career spans more than thirty years and has included Broadway, the New York Shakespeare Festival (under Joseph Papp), critically acclaimed feature films, and regular roles in television series. Along the way, he's worked with countless icons, including Jodie Foster, Clint Eastwood, Robin Williams, Al Pacino, and Garry Marshall.

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