1. Origins, Doctrines, Objectives: Red Army Faction
Carol White

2. Origins of the Baader-Meinhof Gang 1970-1975
Student movement
The killing of a student activist in 1967 was a big part of radicalizing Baader and Meinhof.
The group was originated a few days after Meinhof had broken Baader out of jail in May of 1970.
Its aim was to escalate the conflict between the state and its opposition, between those who exploited the Third World and those who did not profit

3. Origins of the Red Army Faction 2.0 1975-1982
Socialist Patients’ Collective (SPK)
Siegfried Hausner, Brigitte Mohnhaupt, Sieglinde Hofmann (they were middle class and frequently students)

4. Objectives/Doctrine
The Red Army Faction is an Extreme Leftist group that leaned closer to Marxist ideology.
The goal of the group was to trigger a bottom up transition of reform to an extreme leftist set of ideals.
Symbol of freedom

5. Were they successful? Most of them were imprisoned
The group primarily wanted to convey a spirit of resistance, which the Red Army Faction hoped would spread.  
The group didn’t make any major changes but pushed for the resistance to a better state.
Often times the group robbed banks, performed arson, and held hostages to get members of their group back in trade of government members.

6. Baader-Meinhof Group (RAF): Structure
In my presentation I will be covering the structure of the Baader-Meinhof group, who the main players in the group are, what each person’s responsibilities were and the stability of the group.
Rory Walter

7. Leadership The leader of the RAF was Andreas Baader.
He was born in 1943 in Munich, Nazi Germany.
He was convicted of an arson bombing in Frankfurt in The reason he did it was that the German Public was disinterested with the happenings in Vietnam.
Eventually he was captured and placed in jail.

8. Ranks Under Baader
Gudrun Ensslin, Baader’s partner, helped free Andreas after he was imprisoned in 1970.
The 3rd and final co-founder of the RAF was Ulrike Meinhof
Gudrun Ensslin was Andreas’ partner who helped free him from police custody alongside Ulrike Meinhof on april 30th 1970.

9. Other Players: Jan-Carl Raspe: Holger Meins
Captured just before authorities arrested Andreas Baader.
He was Baader’s get-away driver.
Holger Meins
Arrested alongside Baader and Raspe after a shootout with Frankfurt police.
Died of starvation in November of
Jan-Carl Raspe:
Jan was
Holger Meins:
Holger Meins was the RAF’s explosives expert and designed a mold that made a woman look pregnant, but carried a bomb.
He was seen as a leading member because he started several hunger strikes due to the conditions of their living conditions.
He weighted a mere 86 pounds when he died.

10. Theories and Beliefs of Leadership
The Baader-Meinhof group drew much support from the West German public.
RAF claimed they were fighting an “anti-imperialistic struggle”.
The group as a whole did missions such as bank robberies and bombings.
A poll in Germany in the 1970’s stated that 40% of West Germans felt sympathy for the gang and 10% said they would hide a gang member from the police.
RAF claimed they were fighting an “anti-imperialistic struggle”. They opposed the United State’s meddling in Asia/Vietnam, and opposed communist countries like Russia who allowed it to happen.
They would rob banks to fund their missions such as bombing U.S. military stations or facilities.
The group as a whole did missions.
Baader led by example and partook in missions directly.
This caused members of the RAF to trust and admire their leader.

11. Funding, Support, and Recruitment for RAF
Internal and outside funding
Support in several forms
The importance of recruitment
Jose Perez

12. Funding Private donors Public resources Bank robberies Stasi
Development center for troubled teens
Public resources
Bank robberies
Stasi

13. Support Stasi of the German Democratic Republic
Funds, food, shelter, training
Controversy
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Training, sharing of ideas
PLO
Training in Jordan during group’s inception
Impact

14. Recruitment Small group mentality Student recruitment Media Influence
From development center
Student protests
Media Influence
Hunger strikes
Success?

15. Conclusion Was it all successful? Radicalism by lack of recruitment?
Lack of cohesion

16. Red Army Faction (RAF): Strategy, Targets, and Method of Operations
Four Phases
The RAF created terror in West Germany due to its keen interest in anti-West and pro-Marxist ideologies in four distinct phases: 1. ( )  no violence against innocent civilians via local operations 2. ( ) civilians and soldiers become targets 3. ( ) strike without warning and assassinate specific individuals on international soil 4. ( ) lack of relevant ideology after the Cold War led to the RAF’s termination.
Seth Middlecoop

17. Phase 1 (1968-1970) Founding Department Store bombings
Training with the PFLP
On the move
-Pic of Dept. Store was in Frankfurt; they also robbed banks
-Starting obtaining connections and support with PFLP: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, RAF learned guerilla tactics to use at home in W. Germany; future members trained w/ PFLP.
-RAF members moved between locations like Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Stuttgart, where they would rent out high rise apartments and use them into holding cells for people they took captive

18. Phase 2 (1971-1977) German citizens & US soldiers  Targets
Prison hunger protests
E.g. Holger Meins
Bombings begin
Death of the Founders
Phase 2 was one of the most active phases!!!
-Members also conducted bombings on US military bases to stop American hegemony in Vietnam, as they perceived, being spread abroad. More aggressive attacks to disrupt West German democracy consisted of: holding hostages in the West German Embassy and bombing it
--Many RAF leaders were arrested for terrorist-related crimes, which played a major role in the RAF’s infamous “hunger strikes” throughout West Germany due to poor conditions in prison, where deaths such as Holger Meins’, brought national attention to the organization and served as a martyr for the liberation of communism
-pic of West German Embassy bombing in Stockholm
-pic bombing on US Rhein Main military airbase
-Founders died in Stammheim Prison in Stuttgart, Germany
German Autumn: Lufthansa Flight 87 was hijacked. On September 5th 1977 left-wing terrorists kidnapped industrialist Hanns Martin Schleyer. The abduction kicked off “the German Autumn” - six weeks of hostage-taking, murder and intrigue. Terrorists kidnapped Schleyer, who was president of the German Association of Employers and a former SS officer.

19. Phase 3 (1978-1992) Specific targets Assassination attempts
Successes & Failures?
-Vietnam War ended, members shifted gears to strictly targeting members of German society that supported the idea of a capitalist society and German reunification. This included members of the German government, as well as American officials.
-assassination attempts: failed bombing of former NATO Commander Alexander Haig in Mons, Belgium; failed grenade rocket launch at US General Frederick Kroesen; failed car bombing at a NATO officer training school-bombs didn’t go off
-Infamous successes that brought back attention, such as the murder of Siemens manager Karl Heinz Beckurts and his driver in Strasslach
-The RAF was plagued with much interorganizational conflict leading to many unsuccessful missions and its eventual period of inactivity.

20. Phase 4 & Conclusion
Cold War ends
RAF’s Relevance?
RAF Disbandment

21. RAF Counterterrorism
Alyssa Wheaton

22. Three Generations ( )
1st Gen. ( ): Andreas Baader, Gudrun Enslin,and Ulrike Meinhof  Incarcerated in Stammheim Prison
2nd Gen. ( ): Brigitte Mohnhaupt (leader), Christian Klar, and Adelheid Schulz.
3rd Gen. ( ): Wolfgang Grams, Brgit Hogefeld, Andrea Klump, and Eva Sybille Haule- Frimpong

23. Legislative Reforms
West German government required its employees to take an oath of loyalty to isolate RAF ideology.
Government compromised with RAF  hostage taking increased.
1972: Terrorist activities criminalized
1976: Amendement 129a
1978: “Contact Ban”

24. Special Forces
Before 1972 the West German government did not have a special unit for combating terrorism.
The FBG acted as the initial unit  guarding embassies and airports
September 1972: Munich Massacre
GSG-9 established  founded by Colonel Ulrich Wegener.
1977: GSG-9 first used when the RAF attacked to have its members released from Stammheim Prison
After these attacks the Bonn Security Group was established

25. Police and Intelligence Work
1971 – Alfred Klaus  Special Commision on Terrorism
1972-BKA granted final authority over police activity.
Horst Herold and Alfred Klaus of the BKA headed fight against the RAF
Organization modernized by integrating computer analysis and intelligence into counter terrorism and L.E. efforts
1982 – West German security officials launched attack against RAF
Arrested Brigitte Mohnhaupt, Christian Klar, and Adelheid Schulz  2nd Gen. Neutralized
1993 – GSG-9 and police led operation
Brigit Hogefeld was arrested; Wolfgang Grams, killed.  3rd Gen. Neutralized