2. Operation Eagle Claw
During the Iran hostage crisis, the American people yearned for a way to free the Americans who were being held against their will in the overrun American Embassy. President Carter approved an ambitious plan by Special Forces to move in by helicopter and resuce the US citizens, and everything seemed OK on paper. But this rescue operation went down as one of the biggest failures in military history.
The plan was to move in to a part of the Iranian desert that was uninhabited. They would then board 6 helicopters to move in toward the Embassy, grab the hostages and get out. Things started to go wrong right from the get go. The desert was not uninhabited, as there was a road near to the landing site. Soon enough, a bus went by full of Iranians, which had to be stopped with the Iranians being taken hostage. Then an oil tanker drove by, prompting one trigger happy Special Forces soldier to fire a rocket at it, blowing it up and alerting everyone nearby to their presence.
They were still waiting for the 6 helicopters to arrive, but only 4 made it through a sandstorm. They needed at least 5 to carry all of the hostages, so they had no choice but to abort. The Rescue team then got back on the aircraft that brought them into the desert, and prepared to take off. This is when the real tragedy occurred.
One of the remaining helicopters crashed into the plane while taking off, causing a massive explosion and killing eight. The survivors backed away but the evidence of the US’s plan remained in the desert and was the cause of much humiliation for the US.
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