Grenzschutzgruppe 9

Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GSG-9) is an elite German counterterrorist unit that was formed after the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympics. All GSG-9 members undergo advanced counterterrorism training in areas such as building assault, hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship, and explosives. GSG-9's 1977 assault on a hijacked Lufthansa plane in Mogadishu, Somalia, brought the group to world attention.

After the defeat of the Nazi regime in World War II, the West German government was reorganized. West Germany had an army, but no national police force or intelligence agency. The national government had very little power to regulate the internal affairs of its states. In 1972, when the city of Munich hosted the Olympics, security for the games was the responsibility of the state of Bavaria (of which Munich was the capital). That security was deliberately relaxed, in an effort to prove to the world that Germany had moved beyond its fascist, militaristic past.

On September 5, 1972, a team of Palestinian terrorists from the Black September group entered the Olympic Village, killing two members of the Israeli Olympic team and taking nine others hostage. After hours of tense negotiations televised worldwide, the Munich police made a last desperate attempt to free the hostages. The operation was a disaster, and all nine Israelis were killed.

To prevent another such catastrophe, GSG-9 was created. GSG-9 was a part of the Bundesgrenzschutz, or border guard, one of the few German security agencies with national authority. Headed by Ulrich Wegener, who handpicked the initial 200 border guards, the group had three combat teams of 30 men, with additional members trained in logistics, support, communications, and intelligence. In later years, the GSG was expanded and divided into three divisions: GSG-9/1, the ground forces; GSG-9/2, trained for maritime operations; and GSG-9/3, an aerial assault team.

On October 13, 1977, a team of Palestinian terrorists hijacked a Lufthansa flight from Majorca, eventually diverting it to Mogadishu, Somalia. They demanded the release of 13 terrorists, including the leaders of the West German Baader-Meinhof Gang, in [Page 153]exchange for the 90 hostages. While negotiators stalled for time, a GSG-9 team was flown to Mogadishu. At 2:07 on the morning of October 18, while the Somali Army provided a diversion, the GSG-9 team broke into the plane. Taken by surprise, the terrorists retreated to the cockpit. In less than 10 minutes, the four terrorists had been killed or wounded and all 90 hostages had been freed unharmed. The success of the operation was vital in restoring public confidence in Germany's security forces.

Following the Mogadishu raid, GSG-9 began to concentrate on counterterrorism at home, tracking down and arresting members of the German Red Amy Faction. In June 1993, the unit's reputation was somewhat tarnished by accusations that it had killed Red Army member Wolfgang Grams, in cold blood, but subsequent investigation proved that he had shot himself. Even before the investigation was complete, GSG-9 was able to redeem itself in the eyes of many with its August 1993 rescue of a hijacked KLM flight from Tunis to Amsterdam, in which the commandos were able to capture the hijacker without firing a shot. The GSG-9 remains one of the best-trained and most respected counterterrorism units in the world.