JCM 4/5/2026 8:51:14 AM

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Inside the daring rescue of airman behind enemy lines: How CIA assisted with 'deception campaign'

Occasional Reader 4/5/2026 1:01:37 PM

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Kosh's Shadow 4/5/2026 1:12:35 PM

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Reply to JCM in 1:

Israel helped, too (link)

Fox News reported that Israeli officials played a role in the rescue effort, providing intelligence to the United States as the search and rescue operation unfolded. Israeli forces also reportedly paused strikes in Iran and helped prevent Iranian air activity in the area while the rescue mission was underway over a period of roughly 36 hours.

JCM 4/5/2026 1:42:21 PM

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Lost in the effort were a pair of MC-130 aircraft that got stuck and had to be destroyed. A couple of MH-6 Little Bird helos.

Kosh's Shadow 4/5/2026 3:06:05 PM

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Reply to JCM in 4:

Aircraft are easier to replace than pilots.

The US had a rotation cycle so experienced pilots came back to the US to train new pilots. The Japanese did not.

As the Japs lost pilots, they found they did not have time to train them properly to do anything more than crash into ships. Thus, Kamikazis.