GSG 9

GSG 9
Old GSG 9 Badge
Active	April 17, 1973 - Present
Country	Germany
Branch	Bundespolizei
Type	Special Operations
Role	Domestic and International counter-terrorism and law enforcement
Size	about 300 Operators
Part of	Directly under control of the Bundespolizei and the Ministry of the Interior
Garrison/HQ	Sankt Augustin-Hangelar, Bonn
Engagements	Lufthansa Flight 181
Commanders
Current commander	Olaf Lindner
Notable commanders	Ulrich Wegener, Jürgen Bischoff, Friedrich Eichele

The GSG 9 der Bundespolizei (originally the German abbreviation of Grenzschutzgruppe 9 or Border Guard Group 9) is the elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit of the German Federal Police and is considered by Interpol to be one of the best of its kind in the world. Nations such as India, Bosnia, Ukraine, and Switzerland have modeled their counter-terrorism units after the GSG 9.

History and name

In 1972, the Palestinian terrorist movement Black September used the Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany to kidnap 11 Israeli athletes, killing two in the Olympic Village in the initial assault on the athletes' rooms. The incident tragically culminated when German police, neither trained nor equipped for counter-terrorism operations, attempted to rescue the athletes. They failed miserably and the operation led to the deaths of one policeman, five of the eight kidnappers and the remaining nine hostages (subsequently called the Munich massacre). Apart from the human tragedy, Germany's law enforcement found itself severely embarrassed, in part due to its historic relationship to Jews and Israel.

As a consequence of the incident's mismanagement, German officials created the GSG 9 under the leadership of then Oberstleutnant Ulrich Wegener so that similar situations in the future could be responded to adequately and professionally. The unit was officially established on April 17, 1973 as a part of Germany's federal police agency, the Bundesgrenzschutz (federal border guard service, renamed Bundespolizei or federal police in 2005). The name GSG 9 stood for Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (border guard group 9) and was chosen simply because the BGS had eight regular border guard groups at the time. After the 2005 renaming, the abbreviation "GSG 9" was kept due to the fame of the unit and is now the official way to refer to the unit. Its formation was based on the expertise of the Israeli Sayeret Matkal.

GSG 9 is deployed in cases of hostage taking, kidnapping, terrorism and extortion. The group may also be used to secure locations, neutralize targets, track down fugitives and sometimes conduct sniper operations. Furthermore, the group is very active in developing and testing methods and tactics for these missions. Finally, the group may provide advice to the different Länder, ministries and international allies. The group assists the Bundespolizei and other federal and local agencies on request. At the time of the 1977 Mogadishu mission, the Commander of the Israeli Border Patrol Tzvi War described GSG 9 as "The best anti-terrorist group in the world."

From 1972 to 2003 they reportedly completed over 1,500 missions, discharging their weapons on only five occasions. At the SWAT World Challenge in 2005, GSG 9 won an impressive seven out of seven events, beating 17 other teams. GSG 9 defended its championship the following year, but placed fifth in 2007.

Missions

Its first mission, which is still one of the most well-known and established the GSG 9's reputation as an elite unit, was "Operation Feuerzauber" (Operation Fire Magic). It was carried out in 1977 when Palestinian terrorists hijacked the Landshut, a Lufthansa plane on the way from Palma de Mallorca to Frankfurt, demanding that imprisoned members of the German "Red Army Faction" terrorist group be freed. The aircraft was then flown to several destinations throughout the Middle East. During this time, the Lufthansa captain was executed by the leader of the hijackers in Aden. Following a four-day odyssey the hijackers directed the Boeing 737 to Mogadishu, Somalia, where they waited for the arrival of the Red Army Faction members after the German government had (falsely) signalled they would be released. In the night between October 17 and October 18, Somalian ranger units created a distraction, while members of the GSG 9, accompanied by two British SAS operatives as observers, stormed the plane. The operation lasted seven minutes and was successful: all hostages were rescued, three hijackers died, the fourth was seriously injured. Only one GSG 9 member and one flight attendant were injured. The international counter-terrorism community applauded GSG 9 for the excellent and professional handling of the situation, especially because assaults on planes are considered one of the most difficult scenarios a hostage rescue force could face.

Publicly known missions

• October 17 1977/October 18 1977: Lufthansa Flight 181 was hijacked by four Arab terrorists demanding the release of Red Army Faction members. GSG 9 officers stormed the aircraft on the ground in Mogadishu, Somalia and freed all 86 hostages.
• 1982: Arrest of RAF terrorists Mohnhaupt and Schulz
• June 27 1993: Arrest of RAF terrorists Birgit Hogefeld and Wolfgang Grams in Bad Kleinen. Some people believe that Wolfgang Grams was executed in revenge for the death of GSG 9 operative Michael Newrzella during the mission. Grams had shot and killed Newrzella when Newrzella tried to tackle him. However, the official investigation determined that Grams committed suicide.
• 1993: Ending of the hijacking of a KLM flight from Tunis to Amsterdam, redirected to Düsseldorf, without firing a single shot.
• 1994: End of a hostage situation in the Kassel Penitentiary
• 1994: Involved in the search for the kidnappers Albert and Polak
• 1998: Arrest of a man trying to extort money from the German railway company Deutsche Bahn
• 1999: Arrest of Metin Kaplan in Cologne
• 1999: Arrest of two suspected members of the Rote Zellen (Red Cells) in Berlin
• 1999: Involved in ending the hostage situation in the central bank in Aachen
• 2000: Advised the Philippines in relation to a hostage situation
• 2001: Arrested two spies in Heidelberg
• 2001: Assisted in the liberation of four German tourists in Egypt
• 2002: Arrested a number of terrorists related to the September 11, 2001 attacks
• 2003: Protection of the four members of the German Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) (the governmental disaster relief organization of Germany) in Baghdad, Iraq. The THW's mission was to repair the water distribution network.
• 2004: GSG 9 is responsible for protecting German embassy property and personnel, including the embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. On April 7 2004 two members were attacked and killed near Fallujah while in a convoy travelling from Amman (Jordan) to Baghdad. The men, aged 25 and 38, were travelling in a car at the rear of the convoy, and therefore received most of the enemy fire after passing the ambush. The men were shot after their armoured Mitsubishi Pajero/Shogun was hit and stopped by RPGs. In a later statement, the attackers apologized for mistaking the German convoy for an American convoy. One of the bodies is still missing.
• 2007: Arrest of three terrorists with links to al Qaeda, suspected of preparing a massive bomb attack on U.S. facilities in Germany. The terrorists had amassed 730 kg (1,500 pounds) of hydrogen peroxide, enabling them to build bombs with more explosive power than those used in the Madrid and London attacks. A few days before the arrest, "police experts secretly swapped the 35-percent solution of hydrogen peroxide contained in 12 barrels for a diluted liquid that only contained 3 percent of the chemical."
• 2009: Around 1 May 2009, the USS Boxer assisted around 200 members of the German special operations unit GSG-9 get close to the hijacked German container ship Hansa Stavanger. During the last phase of the operation President Barack Obama's security advisor James Jones withheld final approval for the operation out of concern for the safety of the 25 sailors aboard the vessel. This led to the decision by the German department of defense and the German department of the interior to abort the planned attack on the freighter for now and the GSG-9 unit, which is under the command of the German secretary of the interior, returned to their base of operations at the airport of Mombassa, Kenya. It is rumored that the German department of defense influence and contacts to James Jones led to the U.S. decision to withdraw from the scene.

Note: The majority of this unit's missions are confidential and public information is not available. Since the founding of the GSG 9 the group has participated in over 1500 missions, yet reportedly fired shots only on five occasions (official count, prior to the 2003 Iraq War). These occasions were Mogadishu in 1977, Bad Kleinen in 1993, Aachen in 1999 and two more missions where firearms were used to shoot dogs of the persons being arrested.

Organization

The unit forms part of the German Bundespolizei (Federal Police, formerly Bundesgrenzschutz), and thus has normal police powers, including, for example, the power of arrest. The Federal Police of Germany (and thus the GSG 9) is under the control of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The Bundespolizei also provides aerial transportation for the GSG 9. In contrast, regular police forces are subordinate to the various States or Länder, as are their Spezialeinsatzkommando (SEK) teams, while the military is responsible for the Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) (Special Forces command) and the Kampfschwimmer.

The GSG 9 is based in Sankt Augustin-Hangelar near Bonn and consists of three main sub-groups, plus a number of support groups:

Regular operations

The first sub-group of the GSG 9 is used for regular land-based counter-terrorism actions. This may involve cases of hostage taking, kidnapping, terrorism or extortion. The group may also be used to secure locations, neutralize targets, sniping and tracking fugitives. The group has approximately 100 members.

Maritime operations

The second sub-group of the GSG 9 is used for operations at sea, for example the hijacking of ships or oil platforms. The group has approximately 100 members.

Airborne operations

The third sub-group of the GSG 9 is used for airborne operations, including parachuting and helicopter landings. The group has approximately 50 members.

Technical unit

This unit supports other units in gaining entry to target areas and is responsible for the procurement, testing and issuance of non-weapon equipment. The members of the technical unit are also EOD experts. They are trained in the rendering safe and disposal of IEDs.

Central services

This service group maintains the GSG 9 armoury and is involved in testing, repairing and purchasing weapons, ammunition, and explosives.

Documentation unit

This unit handles communications, including the testing, repairing and purchasing of communications and surveillance equipment.

Operations staff

Handles the administration of GSG 9.

Training unit

This unit trains existing members, and selects, recruits and trains new members.

Training

Members of the Bundespolizei and other German police services with two years of service can join the GSG 9. The 22-week training period includes thirteen weeks of basic training and nine weeks of advanced training. Besides medical tests there are many physical and psychological requirements, for example running 5000 meters in 23 minutes and jumping a distance of at least 4.75 meters (also rule for German Sports Badge). The identity of GSG 9 members is classified as top secret. Further training often involves co-operation with other allied counter-terrorism units. Only one in five pass the training course.

Equipment

• Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun, in various versions/configurations.
• Heckler & Koch MP7A1 submachine gun
• Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle, G36K, and G36C
• Heckler & Koch 416 Commando carbines
• Heckler & Koch 417 Commando carbines
• G8 automatic rifle.
• AMP Technical Services DSR-1 sniper rifle
• SG 550 assault rifle family
• Steyr AUG A3 assault rifle
• Glock 17 pistol
• USP 45 Tactical (called P12)
• Smith & Wesson and Ruger .357 Magnum Revolvers
• Various shotguns
• Heckler Koch MZP-1 grenade launcher
• MBB Armbrust anti-tank weapon
• GSG9 Tactical Boot Designed specifically for GSG 9 by Adidas

In popular culture

• The GSG 9 has been referenced in various media. In Germany, there was a television program based on the actions of GSG 9 known as GSG 9 - Ihr Einsatz ist ihr Leben. But it was canceled in May of 2008.
• The GSG 9 are playable models for the counter-terrorist team in the Counter-Strike series of video games.
• As part of the 1987 game Metal Gear, one of the game's bosses is a former GSG 9 operative.
• The character Patch from Command & Conquer Renegade for formerly GSG 9
• Often mentioned by author and former Navy SEAL Richard Marcinko in his fiction books.
• Also mentioned in the Swedish thriller The Man from Majorca which describes the connection between Swedish and German intelligence.
• In the Rainbow Six novel and video game series by Tom Clancy, one of the Rainbow operators, Dieter Weber, was a former GSG 9 sniper prior to being selected for Rainbow.
• In the episode "Games of Chance" of the TV-series The Unit a 2 year winning streak of GSG 9 in an international counter-terrorism challenge is mentioned. This loosely refers to GSG 9 defending the SWAT World Challenge title around the same time the episode was produced
• The fictional Anti-Terrorist and Cyber Warfare group Public Security Section 9 from Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell manga and anime series bears a striking resemblance in purpose and ability to GSG 9.
• In the comic book series Preacher, Herr Starr was a member of GSG 9 who was frustrated by what he saw as weakness and inefficiency in dealing with terrorism, before he was recruited by The Grail.
• Mentioned in Heinz Rudolf Kunze's 1984 song Sicherheitsdienst [1]

Miscellaneous

The German GSG 9 team won every event at the 2005 SWAT World Challenge in Las Vegas, beating 17 other teams. In 2006 they again gained the victory with first place in four of the eight different competitions of World SWAT Challenge. However, in 2007 they only made over-all fifth place.

Initially when GSG 9 was formed, many German politicians opposed its formation fearing this would rekindle memories of the SS. The decision was taken to form the unit from police forces as opposed to the military as is the model in other countries on the grounds that German Federal law expressly forbids the use of the military forces against the civilian population, whereas if the special forces were composed of police personnel, this is within the law.

On December 2008 as a result of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, Germany offered to give additional assistance, training and upgrade to the NSG the Indian counter terror unit by the GSG9. Further help will be given to the Indian Mumbai Police to raise a SWAT team.

See also

• Kommando Spezialkräfte, Special Forces of the Bundeswehr
• Zentrale Unterstützungsgruppe Zoll, Special Support Team for Customs.
• Kampfschwimmer, Special Force of the German Navy (Deutsche Marine).
• Munich Massacre, initial incident to form the GSG 9.
• Special Activities Division
• Delta Force
• SEAL Team Six

Comparable Special Forces

• Austria: EKO Cobra, Einsatzkommando Cobra
• Bangladesh: RAB, Rapid Action Battalion
• Bangladesh: DMP SWAT, Dhaka Metropolitan Police SWAT
• Brazil: COT, Comando de Ações Táticas
• Canada: JTF2, Joint Task Force 2
• Croatia: ATJ Lučko, Anti Teroristička Jedinica
• Denmark: AKS, Politiets Aktionsstyrke
• Egypt: HRF, Hostage Rescue Force
• Finland: Karhu-ryhmä
• France: GIGN, Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale
• Greece: EKAM, Eidiki Katastaltiki Antitromokratiki Monada
• Iceland: Víkingasveitin
• India: NSG, National Security Guards
• Indonesia: DK88, Detasemen Khusus 88
• Ireland: ERU, Emergency Response Unit
• Israel: Yamam, Yeḥidat Mishtara Meyuḥedet
• Italy: GIS, Gruppo Intervento Speciale, NOCS, Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza
• Japan: SAT, Special Assault Team
• Lithuania: Aras, Lithuanian Police Anti-terrorist Operations Force
• Malaysia: PGK, Pasukan Gerakan Khas
• Netherlands: UIM, Unit Interventie Mariniers
• New Zealand: STG, Special Tactics Group
• Norway: Beredskapstroppen
• Philippines: SAF, Special Action Force
• Poland: GROM, Grupa Reagowania Operacyjno-Manewrowego
• Portugal: GOE, Grupo de Operações Especiais
• Romania: GSPI Acvila, Grupul Special de Protecţie şi Intervenţie
• Russia: OMON, Otryad Militsii Osobogo Naznacheniya
• Serbia: SAJ, Special Anti-Terrorist Unit
• Slovakia: UOU, Útvar Osobitného Určenia
• South Korea: 707th Special Mission Unit
• Spain: GEO, Grupo Especial de Operaciones
• Sweden: Nationella Insatsstyrkan
• Taiwan (Republic of China): Thunder Squad
• Turkey: Özel Harekât, Special Operation Team
• USA: HRT, Hostage Rescue Team

External links

• Official GSG 9 page of the German Federal Police
• Site of the GSG 9 companionship
• GSG 9 SpecialOperations.com
• Demonstration video
• Historical video from bpolgsg9.de
• GSG 9 at shadowspear.com