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Landshut” hostage drama: terror, fear and the courageous liberation!
Find out everything about the hijacking of the Lufthansa "Landshut" in 1977: the background, hostage-taking and liberation by the GSG 9.
Landshut” hostage drama: terror, fear and the courageous liberation!
A sensational documentary is about an event that kept the Federal Republic of Germany in suspense in 1977: the hijacking of the Lufthansa plane “Landshut”. This exciting story takes place in the context of a period known as the Year of Terror, where supposed heroes and villains faced off in an unequal race. [3sat]. There were 86 passengers and five crew members on board who found themselves in a dramatic situation.
The kidnappers, who appeared as Commando Martyr Halimeh, demanded, among other things, the release of eleven RAF terrorists imprisoned in Germany and $15 million. When the “Landshut” was hijacked in French airspace, it landed in Rome to refuel. Another stopover in Dubai posed a significant challenge: the plane's air conditioning could not operate due to a lack of fuel and temperatures rose to an unbearable 50 degrees Celsius.
Dramatic hostage taking
The hostage-taking lasted a total of five days. During this time, the passengers and crew experienced unimaginable fear, pain and despair. On October 17, 1977, the “Landshut” finally landed in Mogadishu, where the kidnappers issued an ultimatum to release the RAF members. Wikipedia explains that the German federal government under Chancellor Helmut Schmidt did not meet the demands, which helped determine the fate of the hostages.
On the night of October 17th to 18th, the German special unit GSG 9 decided to act. Early in the morning, emergency services stormed the plane in a lightning-fast rescue operation that only lasted seven minutes. Despite the dramatic circumstances, the emergency services managed to shoot three of the four kidnappers. Only one hostage-taker survived the operation, while a GSG-9 officer and a stewardess were injured.
Aftermath and remembrance
Although the liberation brought a quick end to the hostage situation, the nation had to deal with the serious loss of Captain Jürgen Schumann, who was murdered during the kidnapping. His body was recovered after the plane was stormed. Both the captain and his co-pilot Vietor posthumously received the Federal Cross of Merit for their courage and bravery.
As a result of the dramatic developments, the “Landshut” was repaired after the storm and continued to fly until 1985. Interestingly, the aircraft returned to Germany in 2017 and will be displayed in an exhibition highlighting the events of 1977. 3sat will offer a deep insight into this contemporary history from October 14, 2025, available until November 13, 2025.