Cold Open

It’s late afternoon on July 30th, 1977, inside a gated property in suburban Frankfurt.

Susanne Albrecht awkwardly clutches a bouquet of red roses as she walks across a manicured lawn. Two of her friends trail a few steps behind her, gawking at the sprawling estate they're on. Together, they walk up to the 30-room villa of Susanne’s godparents.

Susanne reaches for its polished doorbell, then presses it once.

The trio tensely waits for a few minutes. But there’s no answer.

Susanne is about to ring the doorbell once more, when the door swings open, revealing a smiling middle-aged couple.

Delighted to see their goddaughter, Susanne, Jürgen Ponto, and his wife welcome the three young women into their home.

This is a grave mistake.

Unbeknownst to the Pontos, Susanne and her friends are part of the Red Army Faction, a communist urban guerrilla group. As part of their rebellion against the fascism they see in West Germany, they’re here to kidnap Susanne’s godfather, the chairman of one of the nation’s largest banks.

As the group enters the living room, Susanne presents the bouquet of roses to Jürgen’s wife. She thanks Susanne, while apologetically explaining that she has to take leave of the guests. The Pontos are scheduled to catch a flight later today, and she needs to finish packing.

As Jürgen’s wife leaves the room, Susanne grows restless. The moment to take action is finally here, and Susanne is conflicted. Her eyes fill with tears as she looks at her godfather, who utterly oblivious continues to make polite conversation. But Susanne quickly suppresses her doubts. She knows she can’t let her emotions get in the way; this is all for a greater good.

As she swallows the lump in her throat… one of her friends draws a gun and aims it at Jürgen. He coldly tells Jürgen that he is at their mercy.

Jürgen stares in disbelief into the barrel of a gun. With a shocked burst of laughter, he then moves closer, gesturing to push the weapon aside.

Without warning, the gunman fires. Susanne winces and shuts her eyes as the gunshots echo across the mansion — shooting her godfather had not been part of the plan. But there’s no going back now.

By the summer of 1977, the Red Army Faction, or RAF, is waging an armed rebellion against the West German government. They’ve already murdered the country’s attorney general, and thanks to Susanne’s easy access, Jürgen Ponto becomes an ideal next victim. He’s not a political figure, but the wealthy banker represents everything the RAF hates: money, power, and greed.

The wounds Jürgen Ponto received that day will prove to be fatal. His death will mark the beginning of a dark period of violence in West Germany, known as the German Autumn — a grim era which will come to its dramatic conclusion on October 18th, 1977.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is October 18th, 1977: The Red Army Faction’s Campaign of Terror Ends.

Act One

It’s around 7 PM, on September 5th, 1977, in Cologne, West Germany; a little more than a month after the Red Army Faction murdered Jürgen Ponto.

Business mogul Hanns Martin Schleyer sits in the back of a chauffeur-driven car, heading home after a long day of work. The drive is quiet. And even though it isn’t very late, the city’s streets are nearly deserted.

Hanns is thankful. He shuts his eyes and relaxes against the window, enjoying a rare moment of calm in what has been an increasingly terrifying year.

Recently, West Germany has been gripped by a spate of violent attacks led by the RAF. This radical far-left organization has grown more and more violent, in hopes of triggering an aggressive reaction from the government, which they believe will spark a broader revolution.

To this end, they’ve launched attacks against the country’s most prominent citizens. They’ve gone after business leaders, jurists, bureaucrats, and policemen. And many around Hanns think he could be next.

Hanns is the head of West Germany’s industrial federation, making him a powerful figure, and one of the RAF’s prime targets. But Hanns isn’t so worried. He’s already taken numerous precautions, including three trained police guards and an escort vehicle.

These security measures give Hanns comfort. And as the two-car motorcade glides smoothly to his house, Hanns is lulled into a gentle slumber.

But as the cars turn onto a quiet one-way street close to his home, Hanns’s driver slams on the brakes. Unable to stop in time, the police escort car crashes into the back of Hanns’s car, and Hanns lurches forward. The driver shakily apologizes — explaining that a young mother pushed her stroller into the road without warning. Hanns scowls. He leans forward trying to get a better look, but then he’s blinded by a pair of blazing headlights.

A yellow Mercedes speeds down the one-way street the wrong way, before coming to a stop right in front of Hanns’s car. Then a volley of bullets shatters Hanns’s windshield as a group of armed terrorists emerge from the Mercedes and a white minivan parked on the side of the road.

Hanns ducks down to avoid the spray of bullets, but then his car door opens and a pair of strong hands grab his shoulders, yanking him out of the vehicle. With the cold muzzle of a gun pressed into his back, Hanns doesn’t resist as his abductors shove him into the minivan and make their getaway. In their wake, they leave the bodies of Hanns’s driver and three police bodyguards.

Their mission complete, the RAF kidnappers head to a secret hideout in the city. Once there, they swiftly move to the next part of their plan: using Hanns as a bargaining chip to blackmail the government. They dispatch a chilling ultimatum to West German news agencies. The government must free 11 imprisoned RAF leaders, give them 100,000 Deutschmarks each, and fly them to a country of their choosing, or Hanns will die.

The ransom demand sends the government into a tailspin. West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt holds a televised press conference. In it, he asserts the government’s continued commitment to fighting terrorism and appeals to anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

Chancellor Schmidt also convenes a flurry of meetings with ministers from the highest echelons of government. In each, he’s told the same thing. Officials believe that the West German government should not be blackmailed by terror. They’ve dealt with a similar event before, and they know how poorly negotiation can turn out.

Just two years ago, another radical group allied with the RAF kidnapped a prominent politician. The government was coerced into releasing several left-wing militants in exchange for his life. And many of those re-joined underground terrorist movements. In fact, one of them is suspected to be involved in Hanns’s abduction.

So, Chancellor Schmidt’s government is determined not to make the same mistakes this time around. They refuse to negotiate with the RAF.

In response, the kidnappers will release a photograph of Hanns in captivity, hoping the distressing image will pressure the government to the bargaining table. But as days, weeks, and even a month goes by without any response from the state, the RAF will grow restless. Their mounting impatience will drive the group to resort to another, far more sinister tactic to force the government’s hand.

Act Two

It’s around 11:30 AM, on October 13th, 1977 inside the cockpit of an airliner cruising high above southern Europe; just over a month after the RAF kidnapped Hanns Martin Schleyer.

Co-pilot Jürgen Vietor is flying a standard route from Mallorca to Frankfurt. So far, the flight has been nothing out of the ordinary. But now, the echo of a jarring high-pitched scream shatters the monotonous hum of the engines.

Vietor’s shoulders tense as he exchanges an alarmed glance with the other pilot, Jürgen Schumann. As the cockpit door bursts open, pilots swivel around, and their worst fears are confirmed.

A young terrorist brandishes a pistol and threateningly gestures for Vietor to leave the cockpit. When the shocked pilot does not obey, the terrorist grows aggressive. He forces Vietor out of the cockpit and pushes him into the main cabin, where ninety-odd passengers and crew members are under the watchful eyes of three more armed terrorists.

Meanwhile, the hijacker inside the cockpit forces the remaining pilot Schumann to change direction and fly east toward Cyprus. But the plane doesn't have enough fuel to complete the whole journey. So four hours into the hijacking, it's forced to land in Rome.

Once refueled, Vietor is forced back into the cockpit and ordered to fly the plane the rest of the way to Cyprus. He shakily grips the throttle and the airliner hurtles down the runway, taking off without the permission of air traffic control.

As the plane soars into the air, Vietor wonders what the terrorists’ demands could possibly be; a question that the West German government is also grimly deliberating. While the terrorists have not made any demands yet, there’s growing speculation that the hijacking is linked to the RAF’s abduction of businessman Hanns Martin Schleyer.

The West German government finally gets answers as the plane flies into Dubai airspace. The hijackers reveal that they are part of a Palestinian commando unit that stands in alliance with the RAF. The price of the passengers' safe return is the freedom of 11 RAF members imprisoned in West Germany and 2 Palestinian comrades behind bars in Turkey.

But even with this escalation, the West German government remains steadfastly opposed to yielding to the terrorists’ demands. And instead, government forces order an elite military task force, known as the GSG-9, to begin quietly practicing assaults on an airliner similar to the hijacked plane.

Meanwhile having been denied permission to land in multiple countries, the airliner soon runs low of fuel above Dubai and is forced to make an emergency landing. When it does, an entourage of German ministers, security specialists, and police officers descend on Dubai to address the delicate situation.

The plane remains parked on the tarmac as negotiations begin. But as talks stretch on all day, the hijackers grow impatient and give the government an ultimatum — if the prisoners are not released in the next few hours, they will blow up the plane. Tensions rise inside the aircraft as hijackers force restless passengers to stay in their seats. Negotiators wait anxiously as the deadline approaches and then sigh in relief when it passes without event.

Seeing that the West German officials will not cooperate, the terrorists suddenly instruct the pilots to start the engines and take to the sky again.

After a seemingly aimless four-hour flight, the plane circles above an airport in Yemen waiting for the local government to give them permission to land. When this is refused, dangerously low fuel levels force the pilots to make a rough landing on a strip of sand parallel to the runway.

Vietor’s co-pilot, Schumann, is allowed to briefly leave the plane to assess the level of damage to the craft’s landing equipment. But the hijackers grow agitated and suspicious when the pilot does not respond to their repeated calls to him. Nearly ten minutes pass until Schumann returns. By then, the terrorists are livid, and to the horror of Vietor and the passengers, the leader of the hijackers kills Schumann with a gunshot to the head.

Vietor in a state of deep shock, is then forced to pilot the damaged plane to Somalia. With barely any fuel left, he manages to land the splintered jetliner in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

Shortly after, a plane carrying thirty GSG-9 commandos, also lands in Mogadishu, its lights turned off. The West German government, with the support of American, British, and French diplomats, has lobbied the Somali government to allow a daring rescue mission on their soil. Tonight, they’re ready to carry it out.

The GSG-9 begin their mission around 2 AM. Using a burning drum of oil as a diversion, the commandos are able to climb up ladders to the plane’s emergency exits. They blow the doors open with controlled explosives. Then, they storm the plane, shouting for the hostages to get to the floor as they fire at the terrorists.

The GSG-9’s rescue operation will be a success, putting an end to the 4-day ordeal in less than ten minutes. The hostages and commandos will be flown back to West Germany but the nation’s troubles will not be over just yet.

Act Three

It’s around 8:00 AM, on October 18th, 1977, inside the maximum security wing of a prison in West Germany; around 6 hours after the GSG-9’s successful rescue mission.

A medical orderly turns the key to unlock cell number 719 where RAF leader Andreas Baader is imprisoned. A group of officers anxiously crowd around as the orderly carefully pushes the door open. The lights inside the cell have been turned off. But as the officers’ eyes adjust to the darkness, it’s clear a figure is on the ground. And as they get closer, they confirm it’s Andreas, spread-eagled on the floor with a bullet wound to the head.

Andreas isn’t the first to be found dead this morning. Less than half an hour ago, a pair of officers found another RAF leader inside his cell with a similar gunshot to the head. And when they check the cells of other key members of the RAF, they find two more gravely wounded.

All four of these prisoners are part of the group whose release the RAF have been trying to negotiate. The West German government attributes the deaths to suicide. And later that morning, it issues a statement announcing that three of the RAF members died and one was hospitalized from the attempts. In response, leftist extremists organize riots across Europe, decrying the prison deaths as state-sanctioned murders staged as suicides.

Among those infuriated by the news are the kidnappers of Hanns Martin Schleyer. Already embittered by the failure of the hijacking, they decide to send the West German government a final, bloody message. That same day, they drive Hanns to a densely wooded area and shoot him dead.

The following day, the RAF issues a letter to a newspaper announcing that they have killed Hanns, and directing authorities to his remains. Devastated, his family will accuse the state of sacrificing Hanns, and condemn their inability to protect him and secure his release.

But the death of Hanns will mark the end of months of turmoil. The latter half of 1977 will be coined the “German Autumn” and remembered as a violent high-point of the RAF’s revolt against the state. Afterward, the RAF will gradually lose importance, but it won’t formally disband until 1998 — over 20 years after the organization’s bloody antigovernment campaign came to an end on October 18th, 1977.

Outro

Next on History Daily. October 19th, 1781. After a French naval victory over the British, the Continental Army win the American Revolution with the siege of Yorktown.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Katrina Zemrak.

Music by Lindsay Graham.

This episode is written and researched by Rhea Purohit.

Executive Producers are Alexandra Currie-Buckner for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.