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Operation Eagle Claw
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Operation Eagle Claw was the aborted attempt to
rescue 53 Americans held hostage in the U.S. Embassy in
Tehran, Iran in April 1980. The mission was a failure
after 3 of the 8 helicopters in the raiding force became
non-mission capable. The failed mission resulted in the
loss of eight servicemen, seven helicopters, and one
C-130. It also was a huge embarassment for the United
States.
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On November 4, 1979 the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran was
seized by Iranian protestors and activists. A total of 66 U.S.
personnel were held hostage in the embassy and the Iranian
Foreign Ministry. Thirteen hostages were released leaving 53
detained. Of the 53 several were members of the Marine guard
detachment and three were
CIA employees. After the realization that a diplomatic
solution to the release of the hostages was not going to happen
President Carter decided on military action.
Operation Eagle Claw began with contributions from all
service branches and the Central Intelligence Agency. The Air
Force contributed three MC-130s to transport the personnel of
Delta Force. In addition, three EC-130s served as fuel
transports.
The first stage of the operation was to take place at Desert
One located about 200 miles southeast of Tehran. Delta Force
would arrive on the three MC-130s. Eight RH-53D helicopters
flown by Marine pilots from the aircraft carrier Nimitz would
also arrive. The choppers would refuel, board the Delta
operators, and head to a second 'hide' location about 65 miles
from Tehran. The next night the Delta operators would be
transported into Tehran on vehicles provided by trusted agents
of an SF network established by an advance team.
The embassy would be stormed by Delta Force and the hostages
either evacuated by helicopter from the embassy compound or a
nearby soccer field. The helicopters would fly the hostages to
an airfield that had been seized by U.S. Army Rangers. Once at
the airfield C-141s would fly the hostages and rescuers out of
Iran.
The mission was aborted at the first staging area - Desert
One. Two helicopters had to turn back due to mechanical problems
during the infil flight into Iran. One helicopter had mechanical
problems on the ground a Desert One. This left the raiding party
with just five helicopters for the mission. One of the
requirements for completion of the mission was six helicopters -
so the mission was aborted by the ground force commander -
Colonel
Charles Beckwith.
President Carter's efforts to get the release of the hostages
before and after the failed mission in April 1980 proved to be
unsuccessful. The hostages were released on the date of the
inauguration of President Reagon on January 20, 1981.
Websites about Operation Eagle Claw
Operation Eagle Claw by Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw
1980 - Operation Eagle Claw - Air Force Historical Support
Division
https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/458949/operation-eagle-claw/
Papers, Reports, and Pubs about Opn Eagle Claw
Chang, Edward,
"How The Iran Hostage Rescue Was Supposed to Go Down If It
Hadn't Ended Early In Disaster", The Drive War Zone,
January 28, 2021. Chang looks at the role the helicopters played
in mission failure and says "What if?".
Lamb, Richard, "This is what special ops learned 40 years ago
from Operation Eagle Claw", Military Times, April
24, 2020.
https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/commentary/2020/04/24/this-is-what-special-ops-learned-40-years-ago-from-operation-eagle-claw/
Russell, Edward T., "Crisis in Iran: Operation Eagle Claw",
Short of War: Major USAF Contingency Operations 1947-1997,
August 2012, pages 125-134.
https://media.defense.gov/2012/Aug/23/2001330106/-1/-1/0/Eagleclaw.pdf
Marion, Forrest, "Air Force Combat Controllers at Desert
One", Air Power History, Spring 2009.
https://media.defense.gov/2012/Aug/03/2001329924/-1/-1/0/Air%20Power%20Hist%202009%20Desert%20One.pdf
Bowden, Mark, "The Desert One Debacle", The Atlantic,
May 2006.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/05/the-desert-one-debacle/304803/
Kernan, William F., The Holloway Report: Did it Reflect
all the Facts and Lessons Learned?, Army War College, March
1987. Posted by Defense Technical Information Center. (PDF, 15
pages).
https://apps.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA182845
Adm Holloway, Iran Hostage Rescue Mission Report,
August 1980. Posted by Naval History and Heritage Command.
https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/i/iran-hostage-rescue-mission-report.html
Books about Operation Eagle Claw
Williamson, Justin, Operation Eagle Claw 1980: The
disastrous bid to end the Iran hostage crisis, Osprey
Publishing, March 2020.
Videos about Operation Eagle Claw
Jon Snow: First on scene at Iran hostage crisis crash,
Channel 4 News, April 28, 1980.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQib8qY2yWI
40th Anniversary of Operation Eagle Claw. Operation
Eagle Claw ended in tragedy and served as the genesis of special
operations forces reform and revitalization. Video by USSOCOM,
April 24, 2020, 15 mins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogSMqag2kCg
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