Baader, Andreas (1943–1977)

Andreas Baader was one of the leaders of the Baader-Meinhof Gang, also known as the Red Army Faction, a West German Marxist group active during the 1970s.

Baader, whose father was killed on the Russian front in World War II, was born in Munich on May 3, 1943; he was raised by his mother and grandmother. He was an unruly child who, though intelligent, did poorly in school. As a teenager, he became obsessed with cars and was arrested several times for driving without a license.

Baader spent most of his time hanging out in West Berlin's student bars and cafés. Handsome and charismatic, Baader was popular with women, though he often treated them contemptuously, using derogatory terms in conversation. In 1967, he met and became the lover of Gudrun Ensslin. Though always rebellious and prone to violence, Baader was no intellectual and ...