Unit 669

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The unit 669 ( Hebrew יחידת החילוץ והפינוי בהיטס 669, Jechidat HaHilu'tz VeHaPinu'i Behethes 669; German  Airborne Rescue and Evacuation Unit 669 ) is a Combat Search and Rescue Unit (CSAR) of the Israeli Air Force . It is considered one of the best elite units in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It is the Israeli equivalent of the United States Air Force Pararescue . Unit 669 was established in 1974.

The name "669" of this unit is intended to remember the rescue of 669 - mostly Jewish - children from the Holocaust who were transported from Nazi- occupied Czechoslovakia to Great Britain on a train ("The Winton Train"), a rescue operation that was performed by the British humanist Nicholas Winton just before the outbreak of World War II . The unit consists of a mix of 669 soldiers and doctors.

The unit itself consists of three departments. The Hiluz department ( Hebrew חילוץ, Jechidat Hiluz) consists of specialized infantrymen who are qualified to carry out complicated rescue operations on land or at sea, in times of peace or during armed conflicts. The Pinu'i Department ( Hebrew פינוי, Jechidat Pinu'i) consists of doctors, paramedics and nurses who care for injured people during air transport. The third department provides technical support and is responsible for logistics.

The unit can jump into the water from the “Yas'ur” ( Sikorsky CH-53 helicopter) without having to abseil. The unit also carries out the Navy's PSAR (pilot search and rescue) by parachuting from the "Karnaf" ( Lockheed C-130 Hercules). The aim is for the unit to reach those to be rescued in the shortest possible time and to keep them alive before a helicopter arrives for removal.

  • Unit 669 demonstrates a rescue from rough terrain

  • Unit 669 practices sea rescue with a UH-60 Black Hawk

  • Unit 669 demonstrates its CSAR capabilities with a CH-53 Yas'ur

Web links

Commons : Unit 669  - Album of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Unit 669 , IDF. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  2. ↑ "British Schindler" Nicholas Winton dies , Der Standard, July 1, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  3. ^ A Rare Peek into SAR Unit 669 , Israeli Air Force. Retrieved November 29, 2018.