The Most Secret Delta Force Mission - Acid Gambit

Between late December 1989 and late January 1990, the United States launched Operation Just Cause to invade Panama and overthrow military dictator Manuel Noriega, previously supported by the CIA. As the sun rose on December 20, multiple US Special Operations units began strategic strikes across the country against the Panama Defense Forces and Noriega's personal property. Of particular priority was the recovery of a man codenamed “Precious Cargo.” This would be the task of the United States Delta Force in a

mission

known as Operation Acid Gambit... Kurt Muse, Precious Cargo Kurt Muse was an American veteran who had been involved in previous plots to overthrow the oppressive military government led by Noriega.

Muse had grown up in Panama and later lived in the United States with his wife, a Department of Defense Educational Activities professor. After finishing his military service, he returned to Panama, where he aided American efforts against Noriega by establishing a clandestine radio station to fight the regime. However, a Panamanian news organization discovered that he worked for the CIA and the Panamanian government arrested him. He was sent to the Cárcel Modelo, an infamous prison used by the regime to house political adversaries and many innocent people. Among Panamanians, it was known as “Crime University,” as

most

inmates would become worse criminals once their sentences were over.

The prison was built for 250 people, expanded to hold 450 prisoners, and ended up holding more than 1,000 over the years. Muse spent nine months in solitary confinement, waiting for his country to rescue him... President Bush decided in favor of a rescue

mission

after an American military doctor who had been allowed into the prison smuggled out a Muse letter. 23 Delta Force operators were assigned to carry out the raid with support from Night Stalkers. Still, although the mission was planned separately, it was postponed until the United States was ready to carry out Operation Just Cause. Preparations Most preparations and rehearsals were carried out in the spring of 1988 without taking into account the rescue mission.

These began when the relationship between Panama and the United States deteriorated, making it increasingly evident that an armed conflict would occur. While previous considerations for the liberation of Panama had only seen the need to use a Special Operations surgical unit for a limited mission, rising tensions expanded the scope of the plans. Conventional troops were trained and included elements of the 5th Infantry Division, 7th Infantry Division, and 82nd Airborne Division, in addition to units already stationed in Panama. The operation had evolved from an initial plan aimed at protecting the Panama Canal and its neutrality. A total of seven rehearsals and operations were carried out under the Operation Prayer Book series.

Including Operation Purple Storm, which planned a possible major battle, and Operation Bushmaster, which supplemented military police patrols of the Panama Canal with infantry units starting in December 1987. The set of plans and future attacks were grouped under Operation Blue Spoon. However, this mission was renamed Operation Just Cause in a Pentagon public relations move. General Colin Powell would later claim that the name served his purpose because “even our harshest critics would have to pronounce ‘Just Cause’ when denouncing us.” The change gave the invasion an air of legitimacy with the public and media, despite fears that international law might consider it questionable.

Delta Force later rehearsed for the rescue mission in a mock-up prison built at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. It was drawn up from notes provided by the American doctor who had treated Muse. After midnight on December 20, 23 Delta Force operators aboard four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters arrived in Panama, flying toward the overcrowded prison... Justifications President George H.W. Bush announced the four reasons for the invasion of Panama on the morning of December 20, 1989, when the operation was already underway. His main objectives were the following: First, guarantee the security of the Americans in Panama, since Noriega had declared a state of war between both nations.

At that time, around 35,000 American civilians resided in the antagonistic country. As a second objective, Bush claimed to be protecting democracy and the human rights of Panamanians. In third place were the accusations of drug trafficking and money laundering against Noriega and his government. Finally, Bush wanted to maintain the Torrijos-Carter Treaties that supported the neutral and continued use of the Panama Canal for all nations. According to Congress and some legal experts, the treaty allowed the U.S. military to intervene because Noriega threatened the neutrality of one of the world's

most

important trade routes. The invasion of the Latin American nation began at 01:00 local time on December 20.

The broader Operation Justice required the entry of a considerable amount of manpower into Panama. More than 27,685 soldiers arrived on the scene during the day and the following weeks, along with more than 300 military aircraft. The 317th Tactical Airlift Wing transported many of the soldiers aboard the C-130 Hercules aircraft. Among the military vehicles deployed in Central America are Humvee utility vehicles and F-117A Nighthawk aircraft. It was his first combat deployment, as well as that of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. To enter the country with some level of surprise regarding the large number of approaching

force

s, the United States had two EF-111A Raven electronic warfare aircraft that jammed radar signals.

These

force

s were deployed to fight the smaller and less prepared 16,000 members of the Panama Defense Forces. Operation Acid Gambit MH-6 helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment landed with Delta Force on the roof of the Modelo Prison on December 20, 1989, to free the American hostage. Delta Force snipers cleared the area of ​​sentries and the Command located in front of the prison. To divert attention from the rescue effort, two C-130 Specter aircraft began shooting at the Command. The heavily armed planes managed to divert attention. Delta Force troops attempted to enter the prison with a prefabricated door charge, but humidity knocked down part of the explosive tape.

With no other option, they decided to blow up the entire door. Muse would later recall that moment in an interview: “I hear explosions, I hear people running and then gunshots, and then the room starts filling with thick, acrid white smoke.” One of the Delta operators entered through a window outside the captive's cell to shoot the guard who was in charge of eliminating Muse in case a rescue effort occurred. The rest of the crew quickly entered the prison complex to find their target. The cell door was shot twice, but the lock was thick and inflexible. After a small detonation, the cell opened and Muse was free.

Once the jail cell was opened, Muse claimed that one of his rescuers told him, “Muse, we will take you home.” He had spent nine months in captivity. His liberators received him with a ballistic helmet, protective glasses and a bulletproof suit. Kurt Muse was taken to the roof so he could be flown to an American base in one of the MH-6 helicopters. The rescued hostage and several members of the Delta Force boarded one of the helicopters, which was subsequently fired upon by the Panama Defense Forces. Due to the intense gunfire, the Little Bird helicopter lost altitude and ended up on the ground.

The pilot managed to start it again only to receive more shots. Five of the Delta Force operators were injured during the crash. It became clear that the extensive damage caused by the attacks would not allow them to take off safely. The team and the prisoner took shelter in a nearby building and established a security perimeter. For a couple of seconds, it seemed that Muse would not get the long-awaited freedom from him. He then passed a ground vehicle from the 5th Infantry Division. The Delta members signaled the gunships flying overhead with an infrared strobe light. The armored vehicle was instructed to recover the team and the former hostage.

Muse would recall that the six-minute rescue effort seemed much longer to him at the time, stating, "My rescue seemed to take 15, 20, 30 minutes." The occasion marked the first successful hostage rescue by Delta Force. Operation Nifty Package While they recovered Kurt Muse, other troops focused on seizing Panama and ensuring that Noriega could be captured. The Navy SEALs had to make sure Noriega couldn't leave the country through Ope. SEAL Team 4 was tasked with destroying their plane at the airfield. Led by Commander Lieutenant Patrick Toohey, they landed south of the airport half an hour after midnight. Only fifteen minutes later they were in position.

To complicate matters, several armored vehicles approached the airfield. Commander Toohey sent a squad into position to block the vehicles, but the Panama Defense Forces opened fire, wounding six SEALs. US troops also opened fire. In the middle of the battle, the SEALs pulled out an AT4 anti-tank rocket and fired. Noriega's plane caught fire. They then taxied into a plane and left it in the middle of the runway to prevent incoming or outgoing planes from using it. The wounded SEALs were evacuated to Howard Air Force Base, while others secured the airfield. At the same time this battle was going on, a team of four seals with rebreather systems swam towards Noriega's gunboat.

They had been left on a Zodiac inflatable boat in a mangrove forest. Thanks to the rebreather systems, they did not produce bubbles and were able to go unnoticed. They placed explosives under the gunboat Presidente Porras. Desperate, the Panamanian troops fired into the water and even threw grenades while the SEAL team hid under the pier. President Porras was destroyed. On the way back, they heard a huge ship sailing nearby and decided to swim deeper. They descended to forty feet below the surface, incredibly dangerous considering their respiratory system. Still, none of them suffered consequences from the depth and they were able to return to the Rodman Naval Base.

In total, the mission wounded nine SEALs and lost four. Operation Just Cause continued over the following months, as the United States primarily targeted military units... Played Kurt Muse published his account of Noriega's invasion and overthrow in 2006, under the title Six Minutes to Freedom. He recounted how his family fled the country after his arrest and included eyewitness accounts of his mistreatment at Cárcel Modelo. President Noriega escaped the initial American attack and found refuge in the Vatican diplomatic mission in Panama City. Immediately afterward he began a nationwide manhunt with a million dollar reward for his capture. The US military put diplomatic pressure on the Vatican and even psychological pressure against the dictator himself.

The United States spent weeks blasting rock and roll music for days and nights in the densely populated city, a musical genre the dictator despised. Additionally, the Joint Chiefs of Staff claimed that the music was intended to prevent satellite microphones from spying on the ongoing surrender negotiations. The military dictator finally surrendered to the US military on January 3, 1990 and was sent to the United States in an MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft to answer for his crimes...