Shaldag and Unit 669 by Avi Heiligman

Forgotten Her es Shaldag and Unit 669

By Avi Heiligman

Mistakes happen often throughout military history, and these blunders can often lead to changes that have results far reaching into the future. Special units are often created to deal with a problem, and these units frequently become permanent parts of the military.

In 1943, American marines invaded Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands but failed to take the coral reef into account. Landing boats got stuck on the reef, and over 1,000 marines died while taking the small island. Many of the casualties drowned or were killed as they waded to shore when their boats landed them too far out to sea. NDCU (Naval Combat Demolition Units) were formed mainly for Atlantic Ocean invasions, and UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams) were for the most part deployed in the Pacific. They had the task of underwater reconnaissance and were very active later in the war. These units were the beginnings of today’s Navy SEALs. This is just one example of a Special Forces unit that was created to prevent mistakes from happening in the future.

The Israeli Air Force (AIF) Shaldag (Kingfisher) unit was also born from mistakes made during wartime. Israeli intelligence had picked up a buildup of Egyptian and Syrian troops along the border but wrongly concluded that these troops were just there to scare the Israelis into talks. The Israeli defenses had been caught off-guard, and it took several days with heavy losses to halt the Arab attack. Following the war, inquiries and commissions were set up to determine what had been wrong with the Israeli intelligence. Through inquiries, it became clear that having a special operations unit that could quickly strike behind enemy lines would have a gone a long way into preventing some of the errors from the war. Shaldag was formed as an independent commando and intelligence unit that could deploy deep into enemy territory in very little time.

The first commander of Shaldag was Sayeret Matkal veteran Muki Betzer. He had been on several raids and operations, and during the Yom Kippur War had been under the command of Yoni Netanyahu. At first, Shaldag was a reserve company for Sayeret Matkal as many of their operators came from the ranks of the Special Forced unit. Later, Shaldag was transferred to the IAF, and the unit now operates out of Palmachim Air Force Base.

Shaldag operations are quite extensive as it performs counterterrorism missions, among its many capabilities. One of their most famous operations was more on the humanitarian side of their capabilities. Operation Solomon took place in May 1991 as the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, was about to be overrun by rebels. Thousands of Ethiopian Jews needed to be rapidly rescued as negations were ongoing. Shaldag, then under command of future Deputy Prime Minister Benny Gantz, spent 36 hours on the ground in Ethiopia securing the emigration of numerous Jews to Israel. Seventy Shaldag commandos secured the airport as 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted successfully to Tel Aviv.

During the First Lebanon War in 1982, Shaldag sent two forces into the action. The first assisted the Israeli Air Force in destroying anti-aircraft batteries, missiles, and guns. The second group under the command of Tal Russo went to a museum complex in Beirut where enemy commandos were taking shelter. The Shaldag intelligence officer had obtained the layout of the museum, and this proved useful during the attack. Russo’s group then went on to fight in several other engagements during the war including at the PLO headquarters.

In addition to the vast capabilities of Shaldag, the IAF also operates a separate combat search and rescue section called Unit 669. As with Shaldag, it was started to fill a void that was noticeably absent during the Yom Kippur War. Several IAF pilots were shot down behind enemy lines without means to escape, and an ad hoc medavac (medical evacuation) unit was created to rescue wounded service members. However, members of other IDF branches had no means to be rescued in a timely manner. To avoid these mistakes again, for future wars, the IAF under Commander Benny Peled created a CSAR team and called it Unit 669.

Their first mission was not during wartime. Five Unit 669 operators jumped on board a helicopter and eventually found a lost European hiker on a cliff by a ravine in the Judean Desert. Following the success of the first mission, the unit continued to get calls from around the country and soon gained a positive reputation for their successes.

Most of Shaldag’s missions are classified, while the majority of Unit 669’s operations are not secret. However, members of both units like to stay out of the spotlight, and it could be years before the public becomes aware of their missions. Both units have been quietly providing vital capabilities to IDF for decades and have saved numerous lives during that period.