24 April 1980 A.D. TEHRAN, IRAN: Military operation to rescue 52 American hostages fails
24 April 1980 A.D. TEHRAN, IRAN: Military operation to rescue 52 American hostages fails Editors. “Hostage rescue mission ends in disaster.” History.com. 2009. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hostage-rescue-mission-ends-in-disaster . Accessed 23 Apr 2015. On April 24, 1980, an ill-fated military operation to rescue the 52 American hostages held in Tehran ends with eight U.S. servicemen dead and no hostages rescued. With the Iran Hostage Crisis stretching into its sixth month and all diplomatic appeals to the Iranian government ending in failure, President Jimmy Carter ordered the military mission as a last ditch attempt to save the hostages. During the operation, three of eight helicopters failed, crippling the crucial airborne plans. The mission was then canceled at the staging area in Iran, but during the withdrawal one of the retreating helicopters collided with one of six C-130 transport planes, killing eight soldiers and injuring five. The next day, a s...