Red Army Faction facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Red Army Faction
Rote Armee Fraktion
Later design of the RAF's insignia showing a red star and a Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun
Dates of operation	14 May 1970 – 20 April 1998 (1970-05-14 – 1998-04-20) (27 years, 11 months and 6 days)
Active regions	West Germany (until 1990) Germany (from 1990) France Netherlands Sweden
Ideology	Communism Marxism–Leninism Maoism Revolutionary socialism Anti-fascism Anti-imperialism
Political position	Far-left
Allies	East Germany  PFLP  PLO Action Directe Brigate Rosse
Opponents	West Germany (until 1990)  Germany (from 1990)  United States
Battles and wars	West German Embassy siege in Stockholm German Autumn
Designated as a terrorist group by	West Germany

The Red Army Faction (RAF) was a far-left group in West Germany. It was started in 1970 and was active until 1998. The group saw itself as a communist and anti-imperialist "urban guerrilla" group. This means they used armed resistance in cities. They fought against what they called a "fascist" (meaning very controlling) state.

The RAF was also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang by the media. Its early leaders included Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof, Gudrun Ensslin, and Horst Mahler. The West German government considered the RAF a terrorist organization.

Over nearly 30 years, the RAF carried out bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, and bank robberies. Their activities were most intense in late 1977. This period became known as the "German Autumn". The RAF was responsible for 34 deaths. These included important people like industrialist Hanns Martin Schleyer and banker Jürgen Ponto. They also killed police officers and American soldiers. Many others were injured.

The group's members are often divided into "generations":

• The "first generation" included Baader, Ensslin, and Meinhof.
• The "second generation" took over after most of the first group were arrested in 1972.
• The "third generation" was active in the 1980s and 1990s until 1998. This was after the first generation died in prison in 1977.

On April 20, 1998, the RAF sent a letter to a news agency. It announced that the group had officially broken up.

What Was the Red Army Faction?

The group always called itself the Rote Armee Fraktion. This translates to "Red Army Faction". The founders wanted the name to show they were a small part of a larger communist workers' movement. They saw themselves as a "fraction" of a whole.

The media and government often called them the "Baader–Meinhof Gang" or "Baader–Meinhof Group". However, the group never used these names. They saw themselves as a group with many members, not just two leaders.

Why the Red Army Faction Started

The RAF's beginnings can be traced back to the student protest movement in West Germany in 1968. Many young people felt disconnected from their parents and the government. They were concerned about issues like racism, women's rights, and anti-imperialism.

Germany's Past and New Problems

Many young leftists were angry about how West Germany dealt with its Nazi past. They felt that former Nazis still held important jobs in government and business. For example, Konrad Adenauer, the first West German chancellor, appointed a former Nazi supporter to a high position.

The Communist Party of Germany had been banned since 1956. This meant there was little political opposition inside the government. So, an "Extra-Parliamentary Opposition" (APO) was formed. This group aimed to create protest and political action outside of the government.

In 1966, the two main political parties formed a "Grand Coalition". This meant they worked together. Many on the left were upset because a former Nazi Party member became chancellor. They saw this as a sign that the government was too powerful and not truly democratic.

Student Protests and Violence

Student activists felt that older Germans were still following authoritarian ideas from the past. They believed that people who had supported the Nazis could not be reasoned with. They felt they needed to arm themselves.

A key event happened on June 2, 1967. The Shah of Iran visited West Berlin. During protests, a German student named Benno Ohnesorg was shot by a police officer. The officer was later found not guilty. This death made many young Germans very angry. It became a symbol for the West German New Left.

On April 2, 1968, Gudrun Ensslin and Andreas Baader set fire to two department stores in Frankfurt. This was a protest against the Vietnam War. They were arrested soon after.

On April 11, 1968, Rudi Dutschke, a leading student speaker, was shot. A right-wing supporter tried to assassinate him. A newspaper was accused of encouraging the shooting. Ulrike Meinhof commented that setting cars on fire was a crime, but setting hundreds on fire was a political act.

Influences on the Group

The radical students were influenced by new ideas and movements. They studied writings about class society and empire. They also looked at the ideas of revolutionaries like Frantz Fanon and Che Guevara. Philosophers from the Frankfurt school also shaped their thinking.

RAF founder Ulrike Meinhof had a long history in the Communist Party. Other members had backgrounds in film or law. They were influenced by Leninism and Maoism. They believed that armed struggle by small groups could bring about revolution. They thought the government would overreact, showing its oppressive side.

Some former RAF members claimed they met with the KGB (Soviet secret police) in East Germany. They said they discussed weapons they needed for their activities.

How the Red Army Faction Was Formed

The four people arrested for the Frankfurt firebombings were sentenced to three years in prison. But in June 1969, they were temporarily released. When they were told to return to prison, most of them went into hiding. They traveled to France and Italy. There, lawyer Horst Mahler encouraged them to return to Germany to form a guerrilla group.

The Red Army Faction was created to be a stronger, more focused group. It aimed to work with other revolutionary groups in West Germany and Europe.

First Actions and Training

Baader was arrested again in April 1970. But on May 14, 1970, Ulrike Meinhof and others freed him. Soon after, Gudrun Ensslin wrote an article calling for armed resistance. Baader, Ensslin, Mahler, and Meinhof then went to Jordan. They trained with Palestinian guerrilla groups. They were inspired by the Palestinian cause.

The RAF also learned from the Tupamaros movement in Uruguay. This group fought in cities, not rural areas. This was different from Che Guevara's ideas. The RAF decided to focus their fight in cities.

Many RAF members worked in small, secret units called "commandos." They often knew others only by codenames.

Urban Guerrilla Ideas

In 1969, a Brazilian revolutionary named Carlos Marighella wrote a guide called Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla. He described an urban guerrilla as someone who fights a military government with weapons. They use unusual methods. This person attacks the government, big businesses, and foreign imperialists.

Marighella's guide stressed the importance of small arms training and sabotage. It also talked about taking money (expropriation) and having safe places to hide. This guide influenced Meinhof's ideas about urban guerrilla warfare.

The RAF's main leaders followed a Marxist–Leninist ideology. They believed in the ideas of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. They did not openly work with communist countries. They felt these countries had betrayed the communist cause. However, some RAF members did receive help and shelter in East Germany in the 1980s.

Public Support and Early Attacks

When the RAF members returned to West Germany, they started what they called an "anti-imperialistic struggle." They robbed banks to get money. They also bombed U.S. military bases, German police stations, and buildings belonging to a major newspaper company. In 1970, Meinhof's manifesto used the name "RAF" and its red star logo with a submachine gun for the first time.

A poll at the time showed that many young West Germans felt sympathy for the group. Some even said they would hide an RAF member from the police.

After a large search, Baader, Ensslin, Meinhof, and others were arrested in June 1972.

The Stammheim Trial

After their arrest, the first generation of RAF members were held in solitary confinement. This was in the new high-security Stammheim Prison near Stuttgart. The prisoners found ways to communicate using aliases (fake names).

To protest their treatment, they went on several hunger strikes. They were force-fed by authorities. Holger Meins died on November 9, 1974, during a hunger strike. After public protests, their prison conditions improved a little.

The Second Generation and Kidnappings

A "second generation" of the RAF emerged around this time. These were supporters who were not in prison. On February 27, 1975, the 2 June Movement (another militant group) kidnapped Peter Lorenz. He was a candidate for mayor of Berlin. They demanded the release of several prisoners. The government agreed, and the prisoners were released.

This success led the RAF to try their own exchange. On April 24, 1975, members of the RAF seized the West German embassy in Stockholm. They murdered two hostages when the German government refused their demands. Two of the hostage-takers also died from injuries.

The Trial Begins

The Stammheim trial of Baader, Ensslin, Meinhof, and Raspe began on May 21, 1975. It was named after the district in Stuttgart where it happened. The government changed laws to exclude lawyers who were accused of helping the RAF.

On May 9, 1976, Ulrike Meinhof was found dead in her prison cell.

More attacks happened during the trial. On April 7, 1977, Federal Prosecutor Siegfried Buback was shot and killed. His driver and bodyguard also died. The RAF saw Buback as important to their trial. He had said that people like Baader did not deserve a fair trial.

Finally, on April 28, 1977, the three remaining defendants were found guilty. They were convicted of several murders and forming a terrorist group. They were sentenced to life in prison.

Prison Security and Trial Conditions

A special section of Stammheim Prison was built for the RAF. It was one of the most secure prison blocks in the world. The roof and courtyard were covered with steel mesh. Many spotlights lit up the area at night. Special military forces and police guarded the building. Helicopters flew over the area.

Journalists attending the trial had to pass many security checks. They were searched thoroughly. They could only bring a pencil and notepad into the court. Their personal items were held by authorities. Each journalist could only attend the trial twice. Some questioned if a fair trial could happen under such conditions.

Prisoners could receive visits from lawyers and sometimes relatives. Three jailers were always present to watch these conversations. Prisoners were not allowed to meet each other inside the prison until late 1975. Even then, they were guarded.

Concerns About the Trial

Some people, including supporters of the accused, questioned the judges. One judge had ruled a former Nazi court president innocent many times. The defendants claimed that microphones were turned off when they spoke. They were often removed from the courtroom. It was later found that their conversations with lawyers were recorded.

Some doctors and lawyers said the prisoners were not well enough to attend the long trial days. They had been in solitary confinement for three years before the trial began.

Two former RAF members testified for the police. Their statements were often different. One later said his testimony was prepared with the police. Another was offered immunity for a murder if he blamed the main RAF leaders. He was later freed and given a new identity and money.

Lawyers Arrested

The government quickly passed special laws for the Stammheim trial. For the first time since 1945, lawyers were removed from the trial. They were accused of helping criminal groups. Authorities searched their offices. Several defense lawyers were arrested and held for weeks.

The German Autumn of 1977

On July 30, 1977, Jürgen Ponto, the head of Dresdner Bank, was shot and killed. This happened during a failed kidnapping attempt at his home.

After the convictions in the Stammheim trial, the RAF kidnapped Hanns Martin Schleyer. He was a powerful industrialist. On September 5, 1977, Schleyer's car was stopped. Five masked attackers shot and killed three policemen and the driver. They took Schleyer hostage.

The RAF demanded the release of eleven prisoners. The German government, led by Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, refused. They tried to delay to find Schleyer. All communication for the prisoners in Stammheim was stopped.

Plane Hijacking

Things got worse on October 13, 1977. A Lufthansa Flight 181 plane was hijacked by four members of a Palestinian group. They demanded the same prisoners be released, plus money.

The government again refused. The plane flew to several places, then to Mogadishu, Somalia. The flight captain was killed by the hijackers.

An elite German police unit, GSG 9, stormed the plane on October 18. The rescue took seven minutes. All four hijackers were shot, and three died. None of the passengers were seriously hurt. This operation was a success.

The "Stammheim Death Night"

After the plane rescue was announced, all the RAF members in Stammheim Prison died during the night of October 17. Their lawyer had smuggled pistols into the prison. Only one member, Irmgard Möller, survived.

On the same day, Hanns Martin Schleyer was killed by his captors in France. His kidnappers announced his "execution" and revealed where his body was.

The Red Army Faction in the 1990s

The end of the Soviet Union in 1991 weakened many communist groups. But the RAF still carried out attacks into the 1990s. These included killing a German engineering CEO and bombing a U.S. Air Force base. They also killed a Siemens executive and a German foreign ministry official. The people who committed these later killings were never clearly identified.

After Germany was reunified in 1990, it was confirmed that the Stasi, East Germany's secret police, had helped the RAF. They gave ten former members shelter and new identities in the 1980s.

In 1992, the German government said the RAF's main goal was to free imprisoned members. To weaken the group, the government offered to release some RAF inmates if the group stopped violent attacks. The RAF then said they would "de-escalate" their activities.

The last major action by the RAF was in 1993. They bombed a newly built prison in Weiterstadt. No one was seriously hurt, but it caused a lot of damage.

The last big police action against the RAF was on June 27, 1993. An agent had infiltrated the RAF. This led to the arrest of Birgit Hogefeld and Wolfgang Grams in Bad Kleinen. Grams and a police officer died during a shootout.

Historians know less about the third generation of the RAF. They learned from earlier mistakes and lived very secretly.

The Group Breaks Up

On April 20, 1998, the RAF sent a letter to a news agency. It announced that the group was dissolved. The letter stated: "Almost 28 years ago, on 14 May 1970, during a liberation operation, the RAF formed. Today we end this project. The urban guerrilla in the form of the RAF is history now."

What Happened Next

Horst Mahler, one of the RAF founders, later became a supporter of neo-Nazism and denied the Holocaust. He was sentenced to prison for inciting racial hatred.

In 2007, there was talk of pardoning RAF member Christian Klar. He was later granted parole in 2008. Other RAF members, Brigitte Mohnhaupt and Eva Haule, were also released on parole in 2007. In 2011, the last imprisoned RAF member, Birgit Hogefeld, was released.

Recently, in February 2024, Daniela Klette, a former RAF member suspected of later robberies, was arrested in Berlin.

Attacks by the Red Army Faction

Date	Place	Action	Remarks	Photo
22 October 1971	Hamburg	Police officer killed	RAF members tried to rescue Margrit Schiller. Police sergeant Norbert Schmid, 33, was killed.
22 December 1971	Kaiserslautern	Police officer killed	German Police officer Herbert Schoner, 32, was shot during a bank robbery. The militants escaped with money.
11 May 1972	Frankfurt am Main	Bombing of US Army V Corps headquarters	US Army LTC Paul A. Bloomquist killed, 13 wounded.	Terrace Club Frankfurt, 1972
12 May 1972	Augsburg and Munich	Bombing of a police station in Augsburg and a criminal investigations agency in Munich	5 police officers wounded.
16 May 1972	Karlsruhe	Bombing of a Federal Judge's car	The judge's wife was driving and was wounded.
19 May 1972	Hamburg	Bombing of the Axel Springer Verlag building	17 people were wounded. Warnings about the bombing were given.
24 May 1972	Heidelberg	Bombing of US Army Officers' Club and Security Agency	3 dead (Ronald A. Woodward, Charles L. Peck, Captain Clyde R. Bonner), 5 wounded.
24 April 1975	Stockholm, Sweden	West German embassy siege	4 dead, including 2 RAF members. Two hostages were murdered.
7 May 1976	Sprendlingen near Offenbach	Police officer killed	22-year-old Fritz Sippel was shot while checking an RAF member's ID.
4 January 1977	Giessen	Attack against US 42nd Field Artillery Brigade	A failed attempt to capture or destroy nuclear weapons.
7 April 1977	Karlsruhe	Assassination of federal prosecutor-general Siegfried Buback	His driver and a judicial officer were also killed.
30 July 1977	Oberursel (Taunus)	Killing of Jürgen Ponto	The director of Dresdner Bank was shot during an attempted kidnapping.
5 September 1977 18 October 1977	Cologne resp. Mulhouse, France	Hanns Martin Schleyer kidnapped and later shot	3 police officers and the driver were killed during the kidnapping.
22 September 1977	Utrecht, Netherlands	Police officer killed	Arie Kranenburg (46), a Dutch policeman, was shot by RAF member Knut Folkerts.
24 September 1978	A forest near Dortmund	Police officer killed	A shootout with police resulted in one policeman killed and one RAF member wounded.
1 November 1978	Kerkrade, Netherlands	Gun battle with Dutch customs officials	Two customs officials were killed in a gunfight with RAF members trying to cross the border.
25 June 1979	Mons, Belgium	Assassination attempt on Alexander Haig	A land mine exploded, wounding three bodyguards.
31 August 1981	Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany	Car-bomb exploded at Ramstein Air Base
15 September 1981	Heidelberg	Unsuccessful rocket attack on US Army Commander's car
2 July 1982	Nuremberg	Unsuccessful sniper attack against US Army Nuclear Storage Site	A family was accidentally killed by US soldiers on high alert after the sniper incident.
18 December 1984	Oberammergau, West Germany	Unsuccessful attempt to bomb a school for NATO officers	The car bomb was found and defused.
1 February 1985	Gauting	Shooting	Ernst Zimmerman, head of MTU Aero Engines, was wounded and died later.
8 August 1985	Rhein-Main Air Base (near Frankfurt)	Rhein-Main Air Base bombing	Two people killed: Airman First Class Frank Scarton and Becky Bristol. Twenty people were injured.
9 July 1986	Straßlach (near Munich)		Shooting of Siemens manager Karl Heinz Beckurts and his driver
10 October 1986	Bonn	Killing of Gerold Braunmühl	A senior diplomat was shot in front of his home.
30 November 1989	Bad Homburg vor der Höhe	Bombing of the car carrying Deutsche Bank chairman Alfred Herrhausen (killed)	The bomb was very complex.
13 February 1991	Bonn	Sniper attack on U.S. embassy	No one was hurt.
1 April 1991	Düsseldorf	Assassination of Detlev Karsten Rohwedder	Rohwedder was in charge of privatizing East German businesses.
27 March 1993	Weiterstadt	Weiterstadt prison bombing	Attacks with explosives at a new prison construction site. Caused huge damage.	Weiterstadt prison after the bombing

RAF Commando Units

The RAF named its units after deceased members or members of other militant groups. Here are some of the known units:

Images for kids

• 

  Later design of the RAF's insignia showing a red star and a Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun

• 

  Ulrike Meinhof, 1964

• 

  Stammheim Prison

• 

  Burial site of Baader, Raspe and Ensslin

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