1987 Rheindahlen bombing facts for kids

The 1987 Rheindahlen bombing was a car bomb attack. It happened on March 23, 1987, at JHQ Rheindahlen military barracks. This base was the main British Army headquarters in West Germany. The attack injured thirty-one people. A large 300-pound (140 kg) car bomb exploded near the officers' mess. The Provisional IRA later said they were responsible. This was the second bombing in Rheindahlen. The first was in 1973. This attack also marked the start of the IRA's activities in mainland Europe. This campaign lasted from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. British soldiers were the target. However, most of those injured were German officers and their wives.

Why the Attack Happened

The Provisional IRA carried out attacks in Northern Ireland and England. They also attacked British soldiers in other countries. These included West Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Between 1979 and 1990, eight unarmed soldiers and six civilians died in these attacks.

This was the first IRA attack in West Germany since 1980. In February 1980, British Army officer Colonel Mark Coe was shot. An IRA group killed him outside his home in Bielefeld. Coe's killing was one of the first major IRA attacks in Germany. It was also one of the first in mainland Europe.

A year before, in 1979, British Ambassador Sir Richard Sykes was killed in the Netherlands. Also, four British soldiers were hurt in the 1979 Brussels bombing in Belgium. This happened just one day after Lord Mountbatten was killed. On the same day, 18 British soldiers died in the Warrenpoint ambush.

In November 1981, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) bombed a British Army base. This base was in Herford, West Germany. No one was injured in that attack. There was also a mortar attack on a British Army base in Germany in 1996.

The Bombing Event

The IRA placed a 300-pound car bomb inside JHQ Rheindahlen. It was near the officers' mess. When the large car bomb exploded, 31 people were injured. Some of them were badly hurt. Twenty-seven West Germans and four Britons were injured. The bombing happened at 10:30 PM local time.

Rheindahlen was a very important British military base. More than 12,000 service members were stationed there. It was the main base for both the British Army of the Rhine and Royal Air Force Germany (RAF Rheindahlen).

The explosion was very powerful. It tore up the road. It also caused a lot of damage to parked cars and nearby buildings. The injured people were taken to the RAF hospital. This hospital was in Wegberg, a few miles south of Rheindahlen. The bomb caused parts of the ceiling to fall down. Doors were ripped from their frames. A police spokesperson said the blast broke windows. These windows were in buildings several hundred yards away.

The IRA had a lucky escape during this attack. No one was killed because the IRA unit could not place the bomb closer to the mess. The car park was full of vehicles. The IRA unit did not know that most of these cars belonged to West German military officers. These officers had been invited to a social evening with their British friends. If the bomb had been placed closer, many German officers could have died. This would have been a big problem for the IRA.

What Happened After

The IRA later announced that they had carried out the bombing. A statement from the IRA said: "Our unit's goal was to cause a lot of damage. But they were told to be careful to avoid hurting civilians."

Another group, the National Democratic Front for the Liberation of West Germany, also claimed responsibility. However, police investigators quickly said this was not true.

The British Army of the Rhine was later renamed. It became British Forces Germany (BFG) in 1994.

More to Learn

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• Glamorgan Barracks bombing
• 1988 IRA attacks in the Netherlands