100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ

Auckland Bookstore open 8:30am-5pm on Sat & Sun

Operation Thunderbolt

The Entebbe Raid โ€“ The Most Audacious Hostage Rescue Mission in History
4.23 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 1,543 ratings, 199 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Operation Thunderbolt by Saul David is a gripping account of the real-life hijacking of an Air France flight by Palestinian and German terrorists in 1976. The book delves into the intense negotiations, international political tensions, and the audacious rescue mission by Israeli commandos at Entebbe Airport, Uganda. It offers a detailed exploration of the event's profound impact on military and geopolitical strategies.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Operation Thunderbolt. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might like this book if you are fascinated by true historical events and military operations. It offers a gripping account of the dramatic and daring mission to rescue hostages, blending detailed research with a compelling narrative. Enthusiasts of military history and thrilling real-life rescues will find it particularly engaging.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

This is the true story of the greatest special forces' operation of the 20th Century and the first shot in the West's long war against international terrorism. It is a tale of human drama and unbearable tension in which courage, comradeship, fanaticism, incompetence and luck all play their part.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
'The definitive work on the subject....This is the achievement of a masterly, first-rate historian' New York Times Book Review 'It's a brilliantly orchestrated book, wonderfully rich in detail, but at the same time roaring along at a heart-thumping pace...' Mail on Sunday 'A brilliant, breathless account that reads like the plot of an action movie.' Sunday Telegraph

On 3 July 1976, Israeli Special Forces carried out a daring raid to free more than a hundred Israeli, French, and US hostages held by German and Palestinian terrorists at Entebbe Airport, Uganda. The legacy of this mission is still felt today in the way Western governments respond to terrorist blackmail.

Codenamed Thunderbolt, the operation carried huge risks. The flight was a challenge: 2,000 miles with total radio silence over hostile territory to land in darkness at Entebbe Airport in Idi Amin's Uganda. On the ground, the Israeli commandos had just three minutes to carry out their mission. They had to evade a cordon of elite Ugandan paratroopers, storm the terminal, and free more than a hundred hostages. So much could have gone wrong: the death of the hostages if the terrorists got wind of the assault; or the capture of Israel's finest soldiers if their Hercules planes could not take off. Both would have been a human and a PR catastrophe.

Now, with the mission largely forgotten or even unknown to many, Saul David gives the first comprehensive account of Operation Thunderbolt using classified documents from archives in four countries and interviews with key participants, including Israeli soldiers and politicians, hostages, a member of the Kenyan government, and a former terrorist.

Both a thrilling page-turner and a major piece of historical detective work, Operation Thunderbolt shows how the outcome of Israel's most famous military operation depended on secret diplomacy, courage, and luckโ€”and was in the balance right up to the very last moment.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Operation Thunderbolt by Saul David is praised for its thrilling narrative and poignant storytelling, capturing the excitement and drama of the Entebbe rescue operation. Readers commend its combination of detailed research and gripping prose, likening it to an action movie while providing valuable historical insights. The book is hailed as both exhilarating and moving, making it a standout in military history literature.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781444762549

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 June 2016

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Hodder Paperback

Illustration: 2 x 8 pg B&W insets

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 31.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 344g

Pages: 464

About the Author

Saul David is a historian and broadcaster and is currently Professor of Military History at the University of Buckingham. His many critically-acclaimed books include Zulu, Victoria's Wars and 100 Days to Victory. He has presented and appeared in history programmes for all the major TV channels. Visit Saul's website at www.sauldavid.co.uk and follow him on Twitter @sauldavid66

Also by Saul David

View all
  • Crucible of Hell
    โ€˜Excellentโ€™ Antony Beevor โ€˜Saul David is a brilliant historian โ€ฆ In shocking and jaw-dropping detail, he brings a battle that deserves far greater prominence and understanding vividly back to lifeโ€™ James Holland From award-winning historian Saul David, an action-packed and powerful new narrative of the Battle of Okinawa โ€“ the last great clash of the Second World War, and one...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Tunisgrad
    From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Sky Warriors and SBS, comes an epic history about the North African campaign during the Second World War. On 8 November 1942, British and American troops invaded French North Africa as part of Operation Torch, the largest amphibious operation of the war to date. The Germans responded by flooding troops into Tunisia, setting...
    Paperback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Devil Dogs
    A Times History Book of the Year 2022 From Sunday Times bestselling historian Saul David, the dramatic tale of the first American troops to take the fight to the enemy in the Second World War, and also the last. The โ€˜Devil Dogsโ€™ of K Company, 3/5 Marines, were part of the legendary first Marine Division. They landed on the beaches...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Sky Warriors
    THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From bestselling historian Saul David, a riveting new history of the British airborne experience across the Second World War. The legendary โ€˜Red Devilsโ€™ were among the finest combat troops of the Second World War. Created at Churchillโ€™s instigation in June 1940, they began as a single parachute battalion of 500 men and grew into three 10,000-strong...
    Paperback
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • SBS โ€“ Silent Warriors
    The Sunday Times Bestseller โ€˜A terrific book โ€ฆ It really is one of the most enjoyable histories Iโ€™ve read in many a yearโ€™ โ€” James Holland โ€˜Riveting โ€ฆ A brilliant accountโ€™ โ€” Daily Mail The first authorised history of the SBS. Britainโ€™s SBS โ€“ or Special Boat Service โ€“ was the worldโ€™s first maritime special operations unit. Founded in the...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Force
    December 1943. A German fort sits impregnable atop a mountain. Standing between the Allied forces and their path to Rome is a steep climb up a 200-foot cliff, in the snow, in the middle of the night. As the future of civilisation hangs in the balance, with Axis forces sprawled around the world, a group of highly trained US and...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Sky Warriors
    THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From bestselling historian Saul David, a riveting new history of the British airborne experience across the Second World War. The legendary โ€˜Red Devilsโ€™ were among the finest combat troops of the Second World War. Created at Churchillโ€™s instigation in June 1940, they began as a single parachute battalion of 500 men and grew into three 10,000-strong...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from History & Military

View all
  • Saving Elli
    One child. Two years in hiding. Three lives in mortal danger. In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next. To save her, resistance couple Frits and Jo Hakkens must risk everything, concealing her...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Spy and the Traitor
    The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre is a spellbinding Cold War thriller that unravels the true story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB double agent who risked everything to aid the British in the battle against Soviet oppression. In meticulously researched detail, Macintyre paints a vivid portrait of espionage, double-crossing, and unparalleled bravery, giving readers a riveting glimpse into...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    Suicidal Empathy
    The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Man's Search For Meaning
    Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the authorโ€™s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Betrayal
    โ€˜Tom Bower is the Inspector Morse of investigative biographers, a fluent, phlegmatic storyteller and a master of intricacies.โ€™ Sunday Times The British Crown is in crisis, with constitutional threats at home and abroad. At a landmark moment in royal history, can King Charles overcome the scandals that blight the Royal family? Can the broken bonds between the Houses of Sussex...
    Paperback
    $3499
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Discipline
    Silence is complicity, but how do we confront the cost of speaking up? Sydney, May 2021. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall. Hannah is a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community. When a Year 12 Al-Bayinnah College student is arrested for protesting a university's ties to an Israeli weapons manufacturer,...
    Paperback
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Signed
    New Release
    The Chief and the Empire
    The Chief and the Empire uncovers the extraordinary true tale of Te Tai Tokerau rangatira Te Pahi - the first influential Mฤori leader to cross the Tasman - whose curiosity about the Pฤkehฤ world forged alliances, saved lives, and ultimately cost him his own. On a visit to Sydney in 1805, Te Pahi was feted as a celebrity, building close...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Shattered Lands
    'A sparkling debut by an outstanding young historian' โ€“ PETER FRANKOPAN 'This book is a revelation โ€ฆ both original and important' โ€“ MISHAL HUSAIN A history of modern South Asia told through five partitions that reshaped it. As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia โ€“ India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and...
    Paperback
    $3699
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Goliathโ€™s Curse
    Goliathโ€™s Curse by Luke Kemp offers a radical retelling of human history through the lens of collapse, delving into what this means for our uncertain future. This narrative spans from the dawn of our species to the urgent existential threats of the twenty-first century and beyond. It's grounded in the latest research and a comprehensive database of more than 440...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Women's Prize Winner
    The Finest Hotel in Kabul
    The story of a hotel. The story of a nation. When the Inter-Continental Kabul opened in 1969, Afghanistan's first luxury hotel symbolised a dream of a modernising country connected to the world. More than fifty years on, the Inter-Continental is still standing. It has endured Soviet occupation, multiple coups, a grievous civil war, a US invasion and the rise, fall...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    The Good Settler
    โ€˜Where once I saw a view as I drove around the Taranaki coast along State Highway 45, I now see confiscated land from an invasion road. The creation story I used to subscribe to, the one in which hard-working people came here and settled the land, now jars. Weirdly, even the lawn looks different. The form of things just wonโ€™t...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Banjara
    A powerful literary debut from an astonishing new Kiwi voice, focusing on the Indo-Fijian indenture system and how it affected generations across the Pacific.Rajasthan 1888: Avani Rathod, a nomad of the Banjara community, is summoned to teach a blue-eyed colonial officer the trees of her region, but instead is misled into indenture to the sugarcane plantations of Fiji. While on...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.