Except for all-out-war, the greatest threats against US Army Europe (USAREUR)
were deadly terroristโs attacks and spies.
The major terrorist group we faced was theRed Army Faction (RAF). They were
violent, lethal and used bombings to try to intimidate us and our government. The
Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang was one of the most
dangerousterrorist groups in the Cold War. They launched approximately 24 anti-
Western attacks (mostly bombings), killed about 30 people and wounded from 65 to
70 people.
National defense expert Scott OโConnell saysthe RAF did pin down scarce CI
assets that we could have used more effectively used to root out spies. Even
more curious…a lot of it tapered off and died down when the wall came down
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‘/>
raising the credibility of those who felt the east bloc was behind or at least
lent material support to them.
Another defense expert, LTC (Ret) Ken Krantz, former USAREUR
Counterintelligence Chief of Analysis reportsthe relationship between the East
German Stasi and the RAF was confirmed after 1990. The Stasi gave
financial and identity support as well as sanctuary to the RAF.
Another terrorist group was the Red Brigades (Brigate Rosse). They were a
Marxist-Leninist terrorist group in Italy formed in 1970 and lasted until the late
1980โs. They encouraged Italyโs separation from NATO by kidnapping and murder.
Italian law enforcement helped break up the group.
The below terrorist accounts are real and are told by the Generals personally
involved! Names, units and locations are factual.
๎๎๎๎
–
๎๎
–
๎๎
General Kroesen, Major General Burns and Major General Dozier tell their 2008
first hand stories of battling the terrorist back during the Cold War.
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This is a file from theWikimedia Commons. The copyright holder of this work allows anyone to use it for any purpose
including unrestricted redistribution, commercial use, and modification.
THE TERRORIST ATTACK ON GENERAL KROESEN
– Rote Armee Faktion
– SEDAN SHOT BY A GRENADE!
GENERAL KROESEN TELLS USโฆ
On the morning of September 15, 1981 at about 7AM, my wife, Rowene, and I were
enroute from our quarters in Schlierbach to USAREUR headquarters in
Heidelberg. We were riding in a Baden-Wuerttemburg armored state police car
because they, the police, had been warned that I was a terrorist target.
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We were accompanied by a German police officer/driver and my American aide de
camp, Major Phillip Bodine. We were led by another state police car and followed
by Heidelberg police and US Army military police. At a routine traffic light stop, a
Russian rocket-propelled grenade (RPG-7) was fired at the car from a hillside
position approximately 100 meters to the left rear. The warhead penetrated the
trunk and exited through the right rear fender. My wife and I were both injured
by flying glass as the explosion destroyed the rear window. A second round landed
in the street just behind the car and a machine gun strafed the left side.
Our driver was told to drive on if the car was still operable and he did so, but not
before my wife observed an interested female pedestrian spectator who had not
run for cover when all others scattered from the area. It was an important
sighting as she was later able to identify one of the principal members of the
Baader-Meinhof gang during the police investigation that followed.
The driver delivered us to the US Army 130th Station Hospital where our wounds
were treated before we continued with our scheduled activities for the day.
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The perpetrators had camped on the hillside for some time before they found the
opportunity to attack, and they departed immediately, abandoning their camping
equipment and a third RPG round. They were not apprehended for two or more
years, but they were caught, tried and sentenced to long prison terms. One, the
gunner, remains in jail today.
My subsequent travels on that day took me to a field maneuver headquarters
where, at a hastily assembled news conference, I was able to assure my German
friends that I assigned them no fault for the incident. I was also able to express
appreciation that the gang members were not equipped with an American weapon
and to remind everyone that it was not the first time a German had shot at me and
missed.FJK โ Aug 2008
The Birmingham News โ Saturday, 20 December 2008
Red Army Faction Member Released
BERLIN โ Christian Klar, one of the last members of the terrorist Red Army
Faction to remain in prison, was released Friday after serving 26 years of a life
sentence, according to the Justice Ministry in the German state of Baden-
Wuerttemberg.
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RAF RPG entered trunk and exited right side panel.This is a Stars & Stripes Front Page Photo
by Stephanie James. Used with permission and no fee granted from Stars and Stripes in a
letter dated September 8, 2008. ยฉ 2008 Stars and Stripes
***
THE TERRORIST ATTACK ON THE 42D FIELD
ARTILLERY BRIGADE – Rote Armee Faktion
– DEPOT ATTACKED!
General Burns tells usโฆ
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In January 1977 I was a brigade commander as well as the Giessen-North Sub-
community commander in Giessen, about thirty miles northwest of Frankfurt. At
that time, there was an incident at the Giessen Army Depot during which there was
a minor explosion and fire at a fuel storage tank adjacent to the Depot. This tank
was
used
to
store
fuel
under
NATO
control
and was almost empty at the time. Apparently, a group of terrorists later
identified as probably Red Army Faction attempted to destroy the tank, cause a
major conflagration, and possibly damage the Giessen Depot. The depot housed the
headquarters of the 42d Field Artillery Brigade, a major storage facility for the
Army/Air
Force
Exchange
System
in
Europe,
the
Giessen Sub-community headquarters, and some ancillary facilities.
The incident was a failure for the RAF for two reasons: first, the attack on the
tank was based on the assumption that the tank was almost full, but the attackers
misread the gauge and the explosive charge went off above the fuel level. Thus,
the explosion was relatively minor, the tank did not rupture, and the fuel in the
tank
did
not
burn
to
any
degree.
Second,
the
response of the soldiers on guard was superb — detailed plans had been made to
thwart just such an incident and coordination with the local German police had been
planned. Several perpetrators were later arrested — I’m not sure whether the
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German policy arrested any that night or the next day, however.
Whether the RAF element intended only to destroy the fuel storage tanks or
whether they also intended to damage the Giessen Army Depot proper is not clear.
The fact that there was a classified facility within the Depot may or may not have
been known to them. In any event, troops on security duty within the Depot
responded to small arms fire; there was no hostile penetration of the Depot. The
security plan called for reinforcements from the 3rd Armored Division located
nearby, and these additional troops arrived well within the time limits specified,
further
securing
the
area.
Interestingly, about two years later two alleged members of the RAF were on trial
in Dusseldorf for terrorist acts including the Giessen incident. One of their
defenses was that “small arms firing that night in Giessen was caused by US
military police chasing US Army deserters in the woods near the Depot.” I was
asked to testify to the facts — units in Giessen had no deserters or soldiers
absent without leave at the time in question. Because of the sensitive nature of the
area and status of forces agreements that pertained, I was assured that the
defense counsels for the accused would not be able to press the issue of what kind
of facilities were located at Giessen — and they did not. (I don’t even remember
the
names
of
the
accused
at
this
point.)
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During this period, terrorists had attacked several NATO/US facilities and
individuals and the entire European Command was under heightened alert against
this threat. It put a strain on already overcommitted resources, but my command
was able to accomplish its various missions throughout the period. Thus, if the
RAF’s
objective
was
to
reduce
the
US
Army’s
combat
effectiveness in Europe, it failed.
William
F.
Burns
โ
5
August
2008
Major
General,
US
Army,
Retired
Former
Commander
(as
Colonel,
Field
Artillery)
42d Field Artillery Brigade, Giessen, FRG
***
The Kidnapping of Brigadier General James Dozier in
Italy -Red Brigades
Brigate Rosse
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East German Communist Intelligence, Stasi…Sponsored the Baader-Meinhof Gang
East German (communist) Intelligence Stasi….Sponsored the Baader-Meinhof Gang…(AKA Red Army Faction, RAF)…Except for all-out-war, the greates… (More) East German (communist) Intelligence Stasi….Sponsored the Baader-Meinhof Gang…(AKA Red Army Faction, RAF)…Except for all-out-war, the greatest threats against US Army Europe (USAREUR) were deadly terroristโs attacks and spies.
The major terrorist group we faced was the Red Army Faction (RAF). They were violent, lethal and used bombings to try to intimidate us and our government. The Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang was one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the Co
๐ BERND PULCH ARCHIVE | SECURE MIRROR 