DAS WUNDER VON MOGADISCHU {MIRACLE AT MOGADISHU} {GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES} (TV)
Summary
This documentary is about the hijacking of a Lufthansa "Landshut" flight headed to Frankfurt from Mallorca and features dramatized footage as well as interviews with many of those involved. The Boeing 737 was flown by pilot Jorgen Schumann and co-pilot Jurgen Vietor on October 13, 1977. Vietor recalls telling Schumann that the coffins they had onboard were bad luck. Stewardess Gabriele Dillmann remembers one pushy passenger wanting to be served immediately. That man, Zohair Akache, a.k.a. "Martyr Mahmud," and three other Palestinian terrorists -- two of them women -- soon sprung from their seats to hijack the plane. From there, a "murderous odyssey" began as it deviated from its flight pattern. Bonn entered a state of emergency. The terrorists were attempting to free their Red Army Faction cohorts from prison. Eventually, Landshut landed in Rome. The German government implored the Italian government to prevent the plane from taking off again. Lufthansa created a crisis team to handle the situation, headed by Rudeger Lutzau, Dillmann's boyfriend. Soon, the plane took off again, headed for Cypress. A PLO representative tried to communicate with Mahmud, though ultimately distancing themselves from the hijacking. Eventually, not only did Palestine distance itself from the hijacking, but numerous Middle Eastern countries refused to allow the plane to land. Ultimately, the plane landed without permission in Dubai at 8:51 a.m. on October 14 due to a lack of gas. The emirate's defense minister demanded that women and children be released. As the gas ran out, the air conditioning shut off and the plane became 140 degrees. Dillmann details how disgusting and unsanitary it became on the plane. Next, victimization began taking place as the terrorists targeted anyone that appeared Jewish. Vietor was targeted for having what appeared to be a Star of David on him. Vietor recalls thinking he was on the verge of being shot. By early in the morning on October 15, Germany's "Special Envoy" landed in Dubai, Hans-Jurgen Wischnewski. Wischnewski recalls trying to negotiate with the terrorists. In order to try and get more gas, Mahmud began threatening hostages. However, before Mahmud shot the hostages, the tower offered him the gas. Next, the plane flew to Aden, the capital of South Yemen, Mahmud's planned final destination. However, Aden refused to accept the hijacked plane, blocking the runway and forcing it to come in for an emergency landing. Surviving the landing, the hostages were brought closer together. Once on the ground, the plane was greeted by armed Yemeni soldiers. Vietor recalls Mahmud being shocked that Yemen would not accept him. Meanwhile, Bonn was trying to unite with other governments in order to save the plane. In Aden, Schumann inspected the plane after the crash landing, then disappeared. The pilot was actually negotiating with Yemeni officials, trying to save his passengers. Mahmud called Schumann a traitor. Once the pilot returned to the plane, Mahmud shot him dead in front of the passengers. Vietor was then forced to take off by himself for the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, though the plane was showing numerous problems due to sand sucked into the engine. There, on October 17, Mahmud asked if any German government representatives were present. Michael Libal of the German embassy recalls being nervous to speak with "a man at the end of his rope." Then, Wischnewski arrived. A tactical maneuver was suggested by Somali forces to surreptitiously board the plane. The German government agreed to go along with the joint operation. At this point, Mahmud issued an ultimatum to have his demands met. Dillmann eventually took over Mahmud's radio to implore the Germans to do something lest everyone die. Then, passengers were bound and sprinkled with alcohol, fearful of being burned alive. Wischnewski prepared one decisive message to be delivered to Mahmud, claiming that the prisoners were being liberated as he wished. However, Wischnewski was actually lying in saying the prisoners were being brought to Mogadishu for a swap. Mahmud announced to the hostages that everything would now be all right since his demands were being met. Meanwhile, GSG 9 elite counterterrorism forces headed toward Mogadishu. German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt had already prepared a letter of resignation should the mission fail. However, the GSG 9 quickly infiltrated the sealed plane, immediately facing fire from Mahmud and his cohorts. The GSG 9 prevailed, taking out the terrorists, killing three of them, and leading all the hostages to safety. Footage shows the hostages being rescued. Wischnewski called back to Bonn to tell Schmidt that the mission had been accomplished. Dillmann recalls the happy moment when she was reunited with Lutzau. The good news would quickly sweep the world. However, the terror wasn't quite over yet, as the RAF then executed German hostage Hans-Martin Schleyer in France and the imprisoned RAF members committed suicide.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The New York Times CompanyFoundation.
Details
- NETWORK: ZDF (Germany)
- DATE: November 30, 2006
- RUNNING TIME: 0:43:10
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:92653
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: International Collection
- SERIES RUN: ZDF (Germany) - TV, 2007
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Stefan Brauburger … Producer
- Oliver Halmburger … Producer
- Stephan Vogel … Producer
- Carola Ulrich … Producer
- Guido Knopp … Director
- Helmut Winkelmann … Narrator
- David Klein … Music by
- Michael Studer … Music by
- Zohair Akache
- Peter-Jurgen Boock
- Michael Libal
- Gabriele Dillmann Lutzau
- Rudeger Lutzau
- Helmut Schmidt
- Jorgen Schumann
- Hanns-Martin Schleyer
- Jurgen Vietor
- Hans-Jurgen Wischnewski