Episode 273 - The Red Army Faction Part 2: Bring Me My Chicken
Aug 21, 2023
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This podcast episode dives into various intriguing topics such as a failed assassination attempt, the recruitment of young people by the Red Army Faction, their desperate plans to acquire firearms, the arrival of German college students at a PLO training camp, the background of prominent figure Abu Hassan, a failed car theft attempt, and the low morale and incompetence of a certain group of terrorists.
The Red Army Faction recruits disillusioned individuals from state institutions, offering them a chance to be part of a larger movement.
The group carries out bank robberies and raid town halls to acquire necessary documents for identity forging.
The Red Army Faction's haphazard planning, lack of strategic thinking, and constant infighting hinder their operations.
Deep dives
The Red Army Faction recruits young people from state institutions
The Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, starts recruiting young people from state institutions such as care homes and orphanages. They reach out to those who feel disenfranchised by the state and offer them an opportunity to be part of something bigger. The group grows to around 30 members, some of whom become heroin addicts. They establish a network and plan to carry out strategic activities outside the law.
Failed attempts at obtaining weapons and striking bank robberies
The Red Army Faction's attempts at obtaining weapons from officers patrolling the Berlin Wall fail. They resort to striking bank robberies instead, with three Berlin banks being raided. The group also contacts a mechanic named Carl Hines Ruhland, who helps retrofit stolen cars for their operations. They discuss improving their bank robbery techniques and plan to target town halls to secure blank passports and identity papers.
Growing group, recruitment, and focus on practical resistance
The Red Army Faction continues to grow as they recruit new members and organize raids on town halls to acquire necessary documents for forging identities. They emphasize the importance of Praxis, or practical action, and believe armed resistance should be pursued if it is deemed possible. The group's activities become more militant, and they discuss strategies for evading police identification using forged documents.
Failed Plans and Missteps
The podcast episode delves into the failed plans and missteps of a group involved in a series of illegal activities, including stealing firearms and attempting to dig up buried weapons. The group's plans, such as ambushing individuals and attacking the Berlin wall, were deemed impractical and poorly thought out. They also faced obstacles, like being followed by the police and encountering people in the graveyard where the pistols were supposedly buried. The episode highlights their lack of strategic thinking and the consequences of their haphazard approach.
Escape and Underground Life
After the arrest of one of their members, the group goes underground and sets up a base in an abandoned sanatorium. However, tensions arise, and they struggle with homesickness and paranoia. Discussions of future operations, such as kidnapping or raiding banks, are met with criticism and disorganization. The group faces constant surveillance and is always on the move to avoid capture. Despite their lack of cohesion and constant infighting, they continue their radical activities and plan for further operations.
It's part 2 of our 4-part series on the Red Army Faction, in which Tom takes the lead to explain to Joe the story of 1960s German left-wing militants, their eventual downfall, and--in this episode--something you might describe as 'the world's least enthusiastic hunger striker.'
Support the show:
https://www.patreon.com/lionsledbydonkeys
Sources:
The Red Army Faction. A Documentary History. Volume I: Projectiles for the People.
Margrit Schiller. Remembering The Armed Struggle. My Time With the Red Army Faction.
Stefan Aust. The Baader Meinhof Complex
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