New Breed of Commando

Since terrorism in general and skyjacking in particular became international political threats, Western governments have created special units to combat guerrillas and, if possible, rescue their terrified victims. The senior service in the war against terrorism is Britain's 900-man Special Air Service Regiment. Founded in Libya in 1942 to penetrate the lines of Rommel's Afrika Korps, the S. A.S. has battled Communist guerrillas in Malaya, Mau Mau insurgents in Kenya, and I.R.A. gunmen in South Armagh. Probably the most seasoned commando force is Israel's General Intelligence and Reconnaissance Unit 269; its accomplishments include the 1972 rescue, at Lod Airport in Tel Aviv, of 90 hostages aboard a Sabena jet that had been hijacked by Palestinian terrorists, and last year's daring Entebbe raid. Late last week the U.S. Defense Department said that it too has a special strike force, made up of volunteers from several elite units of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. Although trained primarily for hit-and-kill commando warfare, these troops have the skills and equipment to fight skyjackers and other small, desperate bands of terrorists.

All specialists in anti-terror give high proficiency marks to the West German unit, which was not well known even within its own country before last week's successful mission to Mogadishu. Grenzschutzgruppe Neun, or Border Protection Group 9, was created five years ago, after a bungled West German rescue attempt led to the Munich massacre of nine Israeli hostages and five of their Palestinian captors. The man chosen to organize a new unit that would combat terrorism was its present commander: Ulrich Wegener, 48, a veteran officer of the federal border police. Wiry and tough, quiet and smart, Wegener saw his first military service as a 15-year-old pressed into Luftwaffe duty in the closing days of World War II. He learned English during seven months as an American P.O.W.

At the time of the Munich killings, West Germany's 22,000-man border force-consisted of eight groups. Wegener's new unit was simply labeled G.S.G. 9. But he was given an unusually large budget ($4.5 million to date) to set up his 178-man force and provide it with the most sophisticated anti-terrorist equipment.

Members of the elite group are chosen from border-police volunteers. They are put through a two-day battery of physical and psychological tests, followed by six months basic training; nine in ten are eliminated. Those that remain must become proficient in swimming, diving and mountain climbing. Among other special training: 140 hrs. of karate. The men spend up to four hours a day practicing with weapons that range from Smith & Wesson .38-cal. revolvers to a variety of machine guns and other automatic weapons. At G.S.G. 9 headquarters in St. Augustin, near Bonn, they study the tactics of terrorist organizations and learn a variety of skills--picking locks, for example, or impersonating airline cabin attendants and mechanics. They specifically train in a wide range of Lufthansa aircraft, including the Boeing 737. Also stressed is an attribute of unusual importance: the ability to maintain a high degree of competence without testing it under battle conditions. Last week's mission involved only eleven minutes of action--after five full years of preparation.

G.S.G. 9 is organized in six units of approximately 30 men each. In addition to a command group, the force has four "action" groups--all with identical G.S.G. 9 men dangle from chopper in training capabilities. The men are trained to operate against airplanes, boats and buildings. Within each group are specialists: demolition experts, communications men and even psychological advisers. The 61 men that Wegener took to Africa last week included the 28 men of one action group, a back-up unit and support specialists with particular skills. All had spent hundreds of hours practicing for exactly such an assignment. "The raid was perfect," one grateful passenger told the commando who helped her out of the Lufthansa 737. "Hell," he grunted, "it ought to be."

* Which guards borders, airports, federal offices and high-ranking officials.

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