Friday, January 28, 2011

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: DECEMBER 28, 1982

On this date in 1982, US Army Brigadier General James Dozier was rescued by Italian police. Dozier, who had been kidnapped by Italian Red Brigades terrorists 42 days earlier, was being held in an apartment in the northern Italian city of Padua. After determining the General's location, the Italian police sent in the NOCS, a special operations unit trained in hostage rescue. A bulldozer was started near the building to cover the noise of the rescuers as they moved into position. A 12-man NOCS team stormed the apartment and overpowered the terrorists without firing a shot, rescuing the General, and taking five of his captors into custody.

Further reading:

Wikipedia - James L. Dozier

Wikipedia - Red Brigades

NY Times - General Dozier Freed in Major Red Brigades Defeat

Air & Space Power Journal - The Dozier Kidnapping: Confronting the Red Brigades

SpecWarNet - NOCS
Posted by John D. at 1:00 PM
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2 comments:

LC Aggie Sith said...

If I recall, this situation is used as a teaching aide. The General was a man of habit, and always had the same routine, which made him a target.

January 29, 2011 8:37 AM
John D. said...

Aggie,
It certainly did make him a target. Back in '99, at a course I was taking for the military, I had the pleasure of hearing General Dozier speak about his experiences. Ha also admitted to having failed to verify the authenticity of the "maintenance personnel" who showed up at his door one morning. As a result, he wound up leaving his home in a box carried by the terrorists. His wife was tied up and left on the laundry room floor until a friend found her later that day.

January 29, 2011 9:09 AM

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