OPERATION “THUNDERBOLT”. Based on True Events

Operation “Thunderbolt” presents the background and course of one of the most spectacular military operations of the 20th century. A French airliner departs from Tel Aviv to Paris. During a stopover in Athens, two members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and two leaders of the German terrorist organization Revolutionary Cells board the plane. The terrorists order the pilots to first fly to Libya to refuel and then to Uganda. With the consent of President Idi Amin, the plane lands at Entebbe Airport, where other Palestinian militants join the hijackers.

Passengers holding Israeli passports are taken as hostages, while the others are allowed to leave. The terrorists demand the release of forty Palestinians held in Israeli prisons; if their demands are met, they will release the hostages. Otherwise, they will murder two Israelis every hour. The Israeli government has no intention of meeting the hijackers’ demands and organizes a secret commando mission led by General Shomron. This really happened: on June 27, 1976, a combined force of Palestinian and German terrorists hijacked a plane flying from Israel to France with 248 passengers and 12 crew members on board and diverted it to Uganda.

The hijackers threatened to kill all the Israelis if their demands were not met. The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, initially agreed to the terms but just a few days later, on July 4, carried out Operation Entebbe (aka Thunderbolt). It involved sending a commando unit to Uganda to rescue the hostages. In the operation, a total of 45 Ugandan soldiers, 7 hijackers (including Revolutionary Cells leaders Wilfried Böse and Brigitte Kuhlmann), 4 hostages, and one Israeli soldier, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan “Yonni” Netanyahu (older brother of future Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), were killed. In his honor, the mission was later renamed Operation Jonathan.

Film and television producers quickly realized that the daring operation by Israeli armed forces was perfect material for the screen. As early as December of the same year, the American network ABC aired Victory at Entebbe (1976) by Marvin J. Chomsky, starring Burt Lancaster, Anthony Hopkins, and Kirk Douglas; a few weeks later, NBC viewers could watch Raid on Entebbe (1977) by Irvin Kershner, featuring Peter Finch, Charles Bronson, and Yaphet Kotto (both films were shown in European cinemas). The Israelis also made their own version: Menahem Golan (director, co-producer, co-writer), Ken Globus (co-writer), and Yoram Globus (producer). Operation Thunderbolt was made with the support of the Israeli government and military, premiered in local cinemas in March 1977, and was a major success, receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and opening the door to Hollywood for Golan and Globus.

The creators aimed to give the film an almost documentary feel. The control tower and terminal at Entebbe Airport were meticulously recreated, replicas of MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighters were built, and even three of the four Hercules transport planes used in the actual operation were employed. Characters speak in the languages of their respective countries (Hebrew, French, German, and Arabic), and although Operation “Thunderbolt” undoubtedly has a propagandistic tone, none of the individuals involved—victims, soldiers, or hijackers—are overly idealized or demonized.

They all appear as flesh-and-blood human beings. This is especially true of Böse, who, in Klaus Kinski’s compelling performance, comes across as a conflicted terrorist reluctant to kill hostages. He is certainly not a positive figure, but neither is he a clichéd, one-dimensional villain. For this role—as well as for the dynamic action and attention to realism—Operation “Thunderbolt” is well worth watching.