As the founder of GSG 9, Ulrich Wegener's biography ran partly parallel to the history of the Federal Republic of Germany and partly in stark contrast to it. After World War II, a military career was by no means desirable for most Germans. However, Wegener longed to protect his country from danger. With GSG 9, Wegener created an elite unit that passed its baptism of fire on October 18, 1977, in Mogadishu, when it freed all hostages from the hijacked Lufthansa plane Landshut. Wegener's life path then developed in parallel with the history of West Germany: all chancellors since Helmut Schmidt relied on GSG 9 during times of extreme terrorist threat, which proved to be stronger than the terror itself.