SAS: Police used 'wrong guns' at Munich

[2RHPZ]

Police used 'wrong guns' at Munich

Owen Bowcott
Wednesday January 1, 2003
The Guardian

German police intervened too late and used the wrong weapons in their attempt to free Israeli athletes seized by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics, according to an SAS report.

The five page document, preserved in a cabinet sub-committee's minutes, provides a rare insight into Britain's anti-terror tactics and the military preparations of the Special Air Services Regiment.

Link (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,867183,00.html)

[Macs.]

The problem was that germany had, to this time point, no experience with terrorist, neither did we have any anti-terror-units, so "normal" policemen had to do the job.

The direct result of this event, was the creation of the GSG-9.

[Kitsune]

As if the guns had been the problem. The tactics of the Bavarian Police are a schoolbook case. One can learn a lot of them. Because I don't think they left a mistake out.
A classic was the first attempt of policemen to close in to the terrorists in the Olympic village. Only that they forgot that a media crew was filming the scene...and was transmitting them, so that the terrorists could see that live and in color on their television set. :cantbeli:
It goes without saying that this attempt had to be broken off.
Overall the number of mistakes made and the amount of incompetence displayed was staggering.

Because of Munich the loss of face for the German police was immense. To prevent that from happening again GSG-9 was founded, the first dedicated counter terror outfit worldwide. And in record time one must say.
And it hasn't happened again. So far at least.

[PrincessRAR]

its not called a gun...

[Roaming East]

its not called a gun...

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare9/fmj/full_metal_jacket_r4MyGun01.jpg
rofl

[bluffcove]

the snipers on the tower overlooking the runway were also firing directly toward the snipers on the runway wtching the tower (remember teh boathouse at Hereford!) and the lights from the tower also silhoutted the terrorists and blinded the runway snipers making target identification nigh on impossible.

The snipers were volunteer policemen with firearms expereince not marksmen -IIRC the German government wasnt allowed to deploy its army offensively (or something else related to beauracracy - due to the poltical climate at the time) The police group inside the aircraft downed tools and fled when they realised that they had insufficient training to subdue armed terrorists in the confines of the plane.

All in all a bit of a clusterduck!

[Yosy]

The mistakes of Munich did more for counter-terrorism forces than anything else. Up to Munich only Israel and the UK had counter-terrorist units (Sayeret Matkal and the SAS) and very little hostage rescue capabilities. After Munich most european countries started forming counter terrorism teams among its police and military forces.

[Macs.]

The mistakes of Munich did more for counter-terrorism forces than anything else. Up to Munich only Israel and the UK had counter-terrorist units (Sayeret Matkal and the SAS) and very little hostage rescue capabilities. After Munich most european countries started forming counter terrorism teams among its police and military forces.

afaik the GSG-9 was the first CT dedicated unit.

[Zerodivider]

Watch this, excellent documantary:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000059H77/qid=1118047146/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-5027252-2860069?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846

[Minardiau]

I think at this point in time any law enforcement agency or Special Forces group would of made the same mistakes.

[Tim Nice But Dim]

The mistakes of Munich did more for counter-terrorism forces than anything else. Up to Munich only Israel and the UK had counter-terrorist units (Sayeret Matkal and the SAS) and very little hostage rescue capabilities. After Munich most european countries started forming counter terrorism teams among its police and military forces.

22 SAS is not a dedicated CT/HRU unit. It performed, before Munich, a role much like US Army SF, the “Green Berets”, although perhaps to a higher standard. Before Munich I think that 22 SAS had look into adding a CT/HR capability (I think that the proposal was called something like “Pagoda” or “Pandora”). After Munich this proposal was accepted and the CRW wing was formed, with squadrons rotating through periodically.

I think at this point in time any law enforcement agency or Special Forces group would of made the same mistakes.

Perhaps, perhaps not. In the UK the SBS had developed techniques in the late 1960s which allowed them to retake Oil- and Gas-Rigs in the North Sea which were viewed as targets for Soviet Naval Spetsnaz. In short they trained to re-take the Rigs, rescue the crew and defeat the Spetsnaz. After Munich they reportedly had very little trouble re-tasking as a CT/HRU.

[JoaMei]

Did anybody read that article???

They are writing about a sileced .22 to be used!!

Given the ranges they had at the Airfield this is just BS!

[Tim Nice But Dim]

Did anybody read that article???

They are writing about a sileced .22 to be used!!

Given the ranges they had at the Airfield this is just BS!

Maybe, maybe not.

German snipers ambushed them at Munich airport. In the gun battle, all of the hostages were killed as well as five terrorists and a policeman.

"Too many personalities/ agencies became involved in the handling of the affair," the captain wrote. "German police discarded a valuable option by their refusal to consider a swift, determined, close assault as a means of 'springing' the prisoners.

"This left them with one alternative, namely, at some stage in the proceedings to get involved in a fire-fight from a distance.

"The wrong weapon was used by the police. A more suitable weapon would have been a silenced .22 specialist sniping rifle. This would have helped achieve surprise..."

After the first shots (which I recall either missed or only wounded) a firefight developed. If the first shots were taken with suppressed weapons this may not have been the case, as the element of supprise would still be with the German Police.

Edit...

Also I think that whilst most of the Police snipers were in and around the control tower, some of the Police snipers were much closer at ground level and may have had a better chance to use a suppressed .22 weapon in the initial stages of the rescue attempt.

[Kilgor]

Yes.. one day in september is a excellent award winning doco.

aparently a very poor choice of guns were available. The whole olympic area and cops were disarmed before the terrorist attack, to give the public confidence about it being "a new peaceful germany"