The aim of this website is to provide these documents in their authentic form to researchers, historians and other people interested, not to support or oppose any views expressed in these documents. The weather underground, the red army faction, and revolutionary violence in the sixties and seventies. The raf was founded in 1970 by andreas baader, gudrun ensslin, ulrike meinhof, horst mahler, and others. It was from this revolt that the red army faction emerged, an underground organization devoted to carrying out armed attacks within the federal republic of germany, in the view of establishing a tradition of illegal, guerilla resistance to imperialism and state repression. From the moment the red army faction raf burst onto the west german scene.
The german autumn began 40 years ago on tuesday, when red army faction raf terrorists kidnapped schleyer, who was president of the german association of. Understanding a measured government response to an adaptive terrorist threat. A short book on germanys most notorious urban guerrilla group, the red army faction, aka the baadermeinhof gang. This book about the red army faction of american occupied germany is one that should be read by any serious student of anti.
This requires that one have a political identity, and it presumes that a learning process has already occurred. The history of the red army faction has recently drawn much international. The best books on military strategy five books expert. Alfred herrhausen 30 january 1930 30 november 1989 was a german banker and the chairman of deutsche bank, who was assassinated in 1989. Artistic portrayals of the baadermeinhof gang books. The suicide of ulrike meinhof during her trial was suspicious as she did not leave a suicide note although at. A terror campaign of love and hate germany the guardian. They see in the political apathy of the proletariat only the apathy, not the protest against a system that has nothing to offer them. The raf was formally founded in 1970 by andreas baader, gudrun. Westgerman communist urban guerrilla political organisation. The red army faction is often referred to by the names of two of its primary activists, andreas baader and ulrike meinhof. Most of todays german youth feel that the systems rigidities leave. Antulio echevarria ii of the us army war college talks us through key books, both old and new, on military strategy. He was a member of the steering committee of the bilderberg group 2 and from 1971 onwards a member of deutsche banks management board.
Celeste ng, ann patchett, min jin lee and others on the books that bring. Daniela klette, one of the surviving members of the red army faction believed to. Former red army faction member ronald augustin discusses the prevalence of myths, propaganda, and lies in current historical writing about the raf. What germanys red army faction can tell the world about terror. The first generation of the organization was commonly referred to by the press and the. The woman was birgit hogefeld, a member of the red army faction, a militant farleft organization that carried out attacks against american military targets in west germany. Projectiles for the people, and coauthored daring to struggle, failing to win. Black guards, an anarchist faction of the russian civil war known as the black army. Red army faction, west german radical leftist group formed in 1968 and popularly named after two of its early leaders, andreas baader 194377 and ulrike meinhof 193476. But the book by stefan aust on which it is based, a revised edition.
Rote armee fraktion, in its early stages commonly known as the baadermeinhof group or baadermeinhof gang. In 1979, three years before fassbinders death of a drug overdose, he made another film about the red army faction, the third generation, which mocks the terrorists as vain hipsters. Red army faction blues site for the novel by ada wilson. A brief history of the red army fraction arm the spirit, spring 1994. The red army faction raf existed in west germany from 1970 to 1998, committing numerous crimes, especially in the autumn of 1977, which led to a national crisis that became known as the german autumn. Book description the baadermeinhof grouplater known as the red army faction rafwas a violent urban guerilla group which terrorized germany in the 1970s and 80s, killing 47 people, wounding 93, taking 162 hostages, and robbing 35 banksall in an attempt to bring revolution to the federal republic. Failure and disengagement in the red army faction article in studies in conflict and terrorism 352. German officials have confirmed that a botched armed robbery near bremen last year was the work of three wanted militants from the now disbanded red army faction raf. This is a list of people assassinated by the west german leftwing terrrorist group red army faction or the baadermeinhof group. In its 28 years of existence, the leftwing militant red army faction group murdered 34 people. Was kidnapped by the baadermeinhof gang red army faction in germany. Red army faction author of the urban guerilla concept. As though the green god has the answers the code to what happened to why the.
Baadermeinhofbande, baadermeinhofgruppe, was a west german farleft militant group. Schleyers kidnappers murdered him on the same day, leaving him in. Red army faction synonyms, red army faction pronunciation, red army faction translation, english dictionary definition of red army faction. In 1989, the wall is coming down and urbach is breaking cover to track down peter green, the genius behind british blues rock band fleetwood mac.
Buy red army faction blues here peter green provides the thematic thread drawing the novels diverse elements into focus, mapping out the constant points of this fascinating reimagining. A brief history of the red army faction german guerilla. He and other members of the red army factionas is shown in the. Home red army faction historiography and armed struggle, by ron augustin historiography and armed struggle, by ron augustin. This is a collection of more than 1,200 digitized documents by and on the rote armee fraktion red army faction, raf. The balance careers the 8 best books about basic training of 2020. The green armies were underfunded, low on supplies, and outmatched by the red army which, despite its flaws, had better organization and morale as a result of greater, more frequent victories. During this period, the raf was in a state of regrouping and attempting to renew its ties to the radical left in response to the emergenc the longawaited second volume of the firstever englishlanguage study of the red army faction raf west germanys most notorious urban guerillascovers the period immediately following the organizations near.
The new yorkers book bench blog is named for a real thing, place. Smith, he coedited the red army faction, a documentary history, volume i. In april 1992, the red army fraction raf took the step of unilaterally calling off its campaign of assassinations of key members of the political and economic apparatus as a first step towards a negotiated settlement with the state, a settlement which they insisted must include the release of prisoners, particularly those. Red army factionbaadermeinhof gang can be found here. This book about the red army faction of americanoccupied. See, for example, tore bjorgo and john horgan, eds. The usual translation into english is the red army faction. While very uncritical of the groups authoritarian politics and attacks which harm civilians, it contains useful information and so is reproduced here for reference only. Soon, highminded political activism will move to the terrorism of the red army faction. Buy red army faction blues by ada wilson from amazons fiction books store. In april 1992, the red army faction raf took the step of unilaterally calling off its campaign of assassinations of key members of the political and economic apparatus as a first step towards a negotiated settlement with the state, a settlement which they insisted must include the release of prisoners, particularly those, such as bernd roessner and ali jansen, who were in poor health and. On the night of august 7, 1985, pimental and other american soldiers visited the western saloon nightclub in wiesbaden, where he was invited by a woman to walk her home, leaving the bar with her. Why wasnt there more support for the red army faction in germany in the 1970s.
Red army faction a marxist and maoist terrorist organization in germany. In the book, embittered raf terrorists ally with the democratic front for the. The red army faction caused such carnage that, in 2007, relatives of its. Below is a chronology of the groups terrorist activities.
This book about the red army faction of americanoccupied germany is one that should be read by any serious student of anti. Texts about military strategy take us back into the mists of time but what it is, and what the nature of war is, remains hotly debated. Smith is the pseudonym of an activist who has been involved in the radical left for more than 20 years. However, during this meeting baader was forcefully liberated, which marks the birth of the baadermeinhof group also known as the baadermeinhof gang and later on as the red army faction raf. The raf was founded in 1970 by andreas baader, gudrun ensslin, horst mahler, and ulrike meinhof. In this first comprehensive comparison of leftwing violence in the united states and west germany, jeremy varon focuses on americas weather underground and germanys red army faction to consider how and why young, middleclass radicals in prosperous democratic societies turned to armed struggle in efforts to overthrow their states. List of red army faction baadermeinhof assassinations.
A soviet war correspondent during world war ii, grossman observed and wrote extensively from the eastern front for the red army newspaper, the red star. If you want a very basic outline of who the red army faction were and what they did, then this is the book for you. Charity scribners after the red army faction will be an important contribution to our understanding of the impact of the leftwing terrorism of 1970s west germany, and in particular the baadermeinhof group or red army faction raf, on culture in west germany and beyond. Why wasnt there more support for the red army faction in.
There is no biographical, psychological or even ideological detail here, nor any attempt at analysis. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Added time world view back to yours the irish times book club. Baader, born in 1943, spent his late teens and early twenties as a combination of a juvenile delinquent and stylish bad boy. The urban guerilla concept red army faction moncourt, andre, smith, j. The red army faction and the urban guerilla represent the only faction and practice which draws a clear line between ourselves and the enemy, and is therefore subject to the sharpest attack. Dutch police say surviving red army faction members still active. The group undertook a violent terrorist campaign in the hopes of sparking a broader revolutionary movement. The roots of the baadermeinhof group the red army faction or raf.