The 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack led to the formation of GSG9, Germany's first dedicated counter-terrorism unit. Eight Palestinian terrorists took Israeli athletes hostage, demanding the release of imprisoned Palestinians. A failed rescue attempt resulted in 11 Israeli deaths. In response, Germany formed GSG9 in 1973 under Ulrich Wegener to prevent future attacks. GSG9 proved effective in 1977 by rescuing a hijacked plane in Somalia, killing 3 terrorists with no hostage casualties. While domestic terrorist group RAF continued attacks, their severity decreased over time as GSG9 aggressively pursued members. GSG9 is still active and seen as crucial to countering modern terrorism threats in Germany.

1. 0
Terrorism in West Germany and
the Formation of GSG9
Chris Constantinou
Germany Since 1945
15 December 2015
Dr. Oberle

2. 1
Introduction
It was a quiet and peaceful morning in Munich on September 5th 1972. The Olympic
Games had come to the city. Hundreds of athletes and spectators had descended upon the city of
1.3 million people. The world’s eyes had turned to Munich to watch the global sporting event.
However, a small group of people were about to embark upon the most horrific terrorist incident
ever seen at that time. On the eleventh day of the games, eight masked gunmen, part of a terrorist
operation known as Black September, was about to unleash its grand plan. The events at the
Olympic Games in 1972 led to the formation of GSG9, a special unit dedicated to combating
terrorism. This paper argues that the formation of GSG9 led to a decrease of violence,
specifically terrorism in West Germany.
Munich, 1972
In the early hours of September 5th, eight terrorists climbed the short fence surrounding
the Olympic Village. They carried a small arsenal of assault rifles, pistols and grenades. They
headed over to the building in which the Israeli athletes were sleeping. Black September used
stolen keys to gain access into the building. Israeli referee Yossef Gutfreund1 was awakened by
1 Large, David.Munich 1972.202

3. 2
noise at the door. Upon investigating several terrorists opened the door. Yossef threw himself at
the door trying to prevent the terrorists from coming in. Yossef screamed which alerted the other
Israeli athletes. The attackers pushed their way into the rooms holding a few of the athletes
hostage. Two of the athletes attempted to fight back but were killed in the onslaught. The
terrorists demanded to be taken to the other Israeli athletes’ rooms. 2
By this time, police had been alerted and had begun to arrive on the scene. The terrorists
had a few demands. Black September wanted the release of over 200 jailed Palestinians in Israel.
They also demanded the release of the notorious Red Army Faction (RAF) terrorist leaders
Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof. Israel would not negotiate with any terrorists. The terrorists
also demanded a Lufthansa plane that would take them to Cairo. A bus then transported the
terrorists and the hostages to the airport. The German police left the Lufthansa plane on the
runway along with a couple of helicopters. Several of the terrorists went to inspect the plane only
to find it empty. The terrorists had demanded that a few pilots would fly them to Cairo. In
response to seeing the plane was empty, the terrorists held the four helicopter pilots hostage.
Realizing that the police had lured them into a trap, the terrorists became desperate. German
police sharpshooters were stationed in and around the control tower overlooking the situation.
The German snipers began firing at the terrorists killing the two that had held the helicopter
pilots hostage.
2 Ibid 203

4. 3
A gun battle erupted between the police and the terrorists. The terrorists started shooting
the control tower hitting and killing a West German police officer. As the firefight continued,
terrorist Luttif Afif3 decided to gun down four of the Israeli hostages in one of the helicopters.
Upon shooting and killing four of the hostages, Afif threw a hand grenade into the helicopter
blowing it up. He quickly turned around and fired back at the police before being killed. Another
terrorist went up to the other helicopter which had five of the athletes and shot them all in point
blank range. Police quickly moved in and killed or captured the remaining terrorists. However,
the damage had been done. In the end, eleven Israeli athletes and their coaches, one West
German police officer, and five terrorists had been killed.
The world was in shock and filled with deep sadness. The Games were suspended for the
next few days but continued after the Olympic Committee and the Israeli government decided
that the Games needed to be continued. Immediately following the massacre, Israeli Prime
Minister Golda Meir issued direct orders to the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad to find
whoever was responsible for the Munich massacre known as Operation Wrath of God. West
Germany however took a different approach. West Germany had received harsh criticism for its
failure to rescue the hostages properly during the terrorist incident.4 The nation was embarrassed
that the police failed to rescue the hostages.
3 Ibid 28
4 Ibid 231-235

5. 4
FORMATION OF GSG9
Police officer Ulrich "Ricky" Wegener was present at the airport during the failed hostage
rescue attempt at the airport. He was a liaison with the German Interior Ministry.5 After the
firefight had occurred and loss of life apparent, Wegener vowed that another Munich would
never happen again. Within three weeks of the Munich massacre, the Bundestag, the legislative
body of West Germany, voted to form a special and elite group that would battle terrorism. The
vote was passed on September 26, 1972. However, the public feared that this new group would
be similar to Hitler’s SS, which had itself terrorized the nation 30 years before.
The special unit was formed on April 17, 1973.6 This highly specialized unit became to
be known as Grenzschutzgruppe 9 der Bundespolizei or GSG9. This new group would be headed
by Ulrich Wegener. One of the first tasks that Wegener set out to do was head to Jerusalem to
see how Israeli counter-terrorist operations were conducted. For two weeks, Wegener won the
respect of the Israeli counter-terrorism units. He was deeply committed to ensuring that a
Munich-style massacre would never happen again in Germany. The Israeli commandos
understood that and responded positively.7 Over the course of his visit, Wegener was highly
impressed by how well trained the Israelis were.
5 YouTube, Dokumentation GSG9
6 Ibid
7 Ibid

6. 5
Back in Germany, Wegener set out to find the best possible recruits to join GSG9.
Wegener had to make sure that these new recruits were physically fit. Wegener did not want to
have men who were merely physically strong. They had to have a certain mentality, including
the ability to think quickly on their feet during a firefight.8 He began to recruit dozens of men for
GSG9. These new recruits had difficulty explaining to their friends and family what their new
roles would be. Wegener said that this new force would not be like the regular police department
but a special force that would battle extremely well-trained and heavily armed terrorists. Recruits
had to describe that their lives would be in much more danger by working for GSG9 if an
extraordinary event were to occur.
The Munich massacre also had a similar effect around the world. Other countries began
to train people in combating terrorism in their countries. In the same year (1973) in which
Germany’s GSG9 was formed, France also decided to form its own counter-terrorism force
known as the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group or GIGN. In 1978, Greece created
Special Counter Terrorist Unit or EKAM. Italy formed Gruppo di Intervento Speciale or GIS in
1978. Japan formed its own special anti-terrorist unit in the late 1970s. Interestingly enough,
East Germany also created its own counter-terrorism unit known as Diensteinheit IX or Service
Unit 9. Service Unit 9 was created in 1973 but fully established in 1974. Diensteinheit IX was
under control of the Ministry for State Security or more commonly known as the Stasi.
8 Ibid

7. 6
The threat of terrorism was very real after the Munich massacre. This threat prompted
other countries to examine was needed to prevent future terrorist attacks or to be able to respond
to them more effectively. Even though the Munich massacre was a terrible tragedy, some good
came out of it as these and other countries around the world began to develop special response
teams.
The Red Army Faction
One of the most infamous terrorist groups during this period was the RAF or the Red
Army Faction. The RAF was created in 1970 by Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin, Horst Mahler
and Ulrike Meinhof. The RAF was also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group.9 The RAF was a
left wing guerilla group which consisted of communist sympathizers. It’s main target and enemy
was the West German government. The RAF started back during the student protests during the
1960s in West Germany. Their anti-establishment attitudes towards the government had helped
the group gain traction among certain disenfranchised youths in Germany. The RAF had felt that
West German police had gone too far when responding to protests by attacking protestors and
that the West German police had become very authoritarian. Two years prior to the RAF
forming, the West German government passed the German Emergency Acts (Notstandsgesetze)
in 1968. These Acts were enacted10 because of the rising sentiment among the young people that
the government had been too violent and heavy-handed in its responses to the youth who had
been protesting over the past few years. These Acts would limit the rights of the citizens during a
9 OD Text 126
10 Ibid 128

8. 7
state of emergency. Rather than loosening restrictions the West German government was
enacting even more restrictive measures. The RAF’s response was to initiate certain violent acts
place against the government.
The RAF’s head leader, Andres Baader started to rob banks and blow government
buildings between 1970 and 1972, along with other RAF members. In 1972 Baader and a couple
of other RAF members were arrested by German police after a shootout.11 In the same year,
other founder, Meinhof was arrested by police. After the RAF began losing its founding
members, the remaining members continued to attack and murder innocent people over the next
two decades.
It is interesting to see that domestic terrorism in Germany did not led to the formation of
an anti-terrorist unit until the Munich massacre in 1972. Regular police officers were able to
capture some of the most wanted men and women in West Germany. However, when an outside
force tested German police units, they failed miserably.
Lufthansa Flight 181
11 Ibid 129

9. 8
It had been five years since the Munich massacre. GSG9 had been constantly training and
was waiting for the day that would test their preparedness. The day had finally come and in
October 1977, GSG9 would be called into action into their first real hostage rescue.
On October 13, 1977, a Lufthansa flight was scheduled to depart from Palma, Spain and
arrive in Frankfurt, Germany. After thirty minutes in the air, the plane was hijacked by a four
man terrorist group affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine or PFLP. The
RAF encouraged the PFLP to attack the German government in order to be able to negotiate the
release of RAF leaders which were being held by the West Germans. The Lufthansa plane had
over 80 passengers. The PFLP ordered the two pilots, Schumann and Vietor to divert the plane
and head for Rome. In Rome, the plane refueled as the terrorists demanded the release of 11
RAF terrorists including Baader from a German prison, as the RAF had ordered the PFLP to
demand. The plane took off and headed for Larnaca, Cyprus. The plane later made stops in
Bahrain, Dubai, and Aden for refueling and supplies.
In Aden, tragedy struck as pilot Schumann was allowed to check the landing gear for the
plane. The terrorists grew impatient and ordered him back. He took his time getting back into the
plane. Some suggest he was meeting with authorities in Aden trying to get them to stop the plane
from taking flight again. Upon returning, Schumann was shot dead by one of the terrorists. The
flight resumed and ended up heading for Mogadishu, Somalia. The terrorists allowed copilot
Vietor to leave the plane because of his excellent flying skills. He, however, chose to remain on

10. 9
board with the passengers. Schumann’s body was dumped on the tarmac by the terrorists. They
waited until their demands were met. Little did they know that GSG9 had been following them.
Under German Chancellor, Helmut Schmidt, GSG9 was ordered to save the hostages.
Wegener and thirty other operators had been flying behind the Lufthansa flight. On the 18th of
October, GSG9 launched Operation Feuerzauber which was scheduled to occur at 2AM. The
Somali army started a fire in front of the plane as a diversionary tactic. The terrorists went to the
cockpit to see what was happening and were a bit confused. In the back of the plane, GSG9 used
ladders to climb into the emergency doors. The exact details of the operation remains classified
to this day but the GSG9 stormed the plane and killed three of the four terrorists and captured
one. The operation lasted only seven minutes.12 After five years of training, GSG9 had shown
the world what it was capable of doing. GSG9, Wegener and Schmidt were all praised for the
rescue attempt. GSG9 would be hailed as an elite counter-terrorism unit after its success in
Mogadishu. Wegener had now gained worldwide fame
However, not everyone was happy. The RAF was furious that the German government
did not release the jailed RAF members. Wegener was at the top of the RAF’s hit list after the
success in Mogadishu. Knowing that Baader and Ensslin would never be free, they committed
suicide following the success of GSG9.
12 Youtube, Dokumentation-GSG9

11. 10
Fall of the RAF
Right after the hostage rescue in Somalia, the RAF launched a wave of attacks. A month
before the hijacking of Lufthansa 181, the RAF kidnapped Hanns-Martin Schleyer, a president of
a German workers union. After it was discovered that GSG9 rescued the hostages and Baader
and two other prominent RAF members committed suicide, Hanns-Martin Schleyer was
murdered by the RAF.13 Between 1977- 1993, the RAF murdered and attacked numerous
people. In response to the wave of attacks, GSG9 captured two RAF terrorists in 1982. The
severity of the attacks seemed to diminish by the late 1980s. Attacks were not occurring as often.
In 1993, GSG9 located two prominent RAF members at a train station in Bad Kleinen. Birgit
Hogefeld and Wolfgang Grams began shooting at GSG9 operators. Grams pulled out a gun and
fired at one of the GSG9 members killing him instantly. What took place next has been
questioned by the public. Grams was then seen falling back on the train tracks with a gun wound.
It was reported that a GSG9 operator fired the shot at Grams point blank range leading many to
believe that the GSG9 officer killed Grams execution style. This was believed to be in response
to Grams shooting a GSG9 officer. Public outrage occurred as many believed that GSG9 have
went too far.
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Grams pointed the gun towards himself
and committed suicide. However, the damage was done. The public still believed that GSG9
acted in an illegal way. GSG9 commandos never wanted to repeat a similar mistake such as that.
13 Inside Terrorism. 198

12. 11
GSG9 began videotaping its missions in an effort to show transparency in the event that such an
incident occurred again.
A year before the shootout at the train station, the RAF issued a communique suspending
all operations in Germany. The RAF believed that it had failed in its “armed struggle against the
state.”14 The RAF also claimed that the rise of democracy in Eastern Europe led to the RAF’s
downfall.15 However, the GSG9 proved to the RAF that West Germany wouldn’t be pushed
around. GSG9 became such a force against terrorism in Germany that it was clear, the RAF
could not continue with its attacks knowing that the government had a effective counter-
terrorism unit that aggressively pursued the RAF.
Future
I believe that GSG9 did make Germany safer. Attacks by the RAF did occur after the
suicides of Baader and Meinhof, but the RAF knew that their time to had come to an end. RAF
had a formidable foe that would use any means necessary to stop the RAF from accomplishing
its goals.
Terrorism is still a big problem today as it was in West Germany during the late 20th
century. Chancellor Angela Merkel has allowed over 800,000 Syrian refugees to enter Germany.
It is possible that a few terrorists have snuck by German authorities. Germany has seen its fair
share of violence in the past. Paris has been attacked recently and one would only assume that
14 RAF Communique
15 Ibid

13. 12
terrorists are planning to attack other Western countries. Germany can count on GSG9 to
respond effectively and aggressively to terrorist activities.

14. 13
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Rowman& Littlefield,2012.Print.
Pluchinsky,DennisA. Germany’sRed Army Faction:An Obituary. 1993
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Macmillan,2004. Print.
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