Siegfried Hausner
Encyclopedia
Siegfried Hausner was a student member of the German
Socialist Patients' Collective
and later the Red Army Faction
.
to lead the group, known as Kommando Holger Meins who conducted the West German embassy siege in Stockholm
to force the release of 26 of his RAF comrades. Hausner was in charge of the wiring the explosives. Twelve hours into the occupation, the explosives (15 Kilos of TNT) were apparently accidentally detonated.
In the documentary film Stockholm 75, fellow Kommando Holger Meins member Karl-Heinz Dellwo discussed the explosion and explained that only he and Siegfried Hausner were in a position near the detonator to trigger it and that he did not know why it exploded, only that he didn't activate it.
While fellow Kommando Holger Meins member Ulrich Wessel was killed instantly (the explosion causing him to drop a hand grenade), Hausner was severely wounded in the explosion, with burns to over 40% of his body and a fractured skull. Despite the recommendations of Swedish doctors, Hausner was immediately flown back to West Germany
and hospitalized in Stammheim Prison, which had neither the equipment or specialist staff to treat severe burns. According to deputy chief prison officer Horst Bubeck, Hausner had "no chance of surviving, as the doctors saw immediately". While in the prison hospital, Hausner, who couldn't talk, wrote the following note to a nurse: "My throat hurts-I'm an alcoholic! I think the smoke+heat have scratched the mucous membrane. 1.suck 2.gargle 3.1/4 or 1/2 liter of milk to keep the swallowing reflex going. Or a sip of tea or water." He died on May 5 from a Pulmonary edema
.
His hurried relocation to Germany, the quality of treatment he received at Stammheim
, and his subsequent death led many to blame both the West German government for killing him and the Swedish government for agreeing to his deportation despite being severely injured.
and Petra Schelm).
When Siegfried Buback
was assassinated in April 1977, the RAF claimed responsibility in honor of Ulrike Meinhof and Siegfried Hausner. In the final video recording of kidnapped Hanns Martin Schleyer
made before his murder by the RAF in October 1977, Schleyer is seen holding a placard that read, “Commando Siegfried Hausner.” The terrorist group involved in Operation Leo
planned to rename their unit "Commando Siegfried Hausner" in honour of the deceased terrorist before their plot failed.
Some believe that the assassination of Sweden's prime minister Olof Palme
on 28 February 1986 was in retaliation for his allowing Hausner to be deported.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Socialist Patients' Collective
Socialist Patients' Collective
The Socialist Patients' Collective was a patients' collective founded in Heidelberg in February 1970, by Wolfgang Huber. The kernel of the SPK's ideological program is summated in the slogan Turn Illness into a weapon, which remains actively practiced...
and later the Red Army Faction
Red Army Faction
The radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
.
As a Terrorist
In 1975 Hausner was handpicked by Siegfried HaagSiegfried Haag
Siegfried Haag was a member of the West German terrorist Red Army Faction . He became a leading figure of the second generation of the group.-Early career:...
to lead the group, known as Kommando Holger Meins who conducted the West German embassy siege in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
to force the release of 26 of his RAF comrades. Hausner was in charge of the wiring the explosives. Twelve hours into the occupation, the explosives (15 Kilos of TNT) were apparently accidentally detonated.
In the documentary film Stockholm 75, fellow Kommando Holger Meins member Karl-Heinz Dellwo discussed the explosion and explained that only he and Siegfried Hausner were in a position near the detonator to trigger it and that he did not know why it exploded, only that he didn't activate it.
While fellow Kommando Holger Meins member Ulrich Wessel was killed instantly (the explosion causing him to drop a hand grenade), Hausner was severely wounded in the explosion, with burns to over 40% of his body and a fractured skull. Despite the recommendations of Swedish doctors, Hausner was immediately flown back to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and hospitalized in Stammheim Prison, which had neither the equipment or specialist staff to treat severe burns. According to deputy chief prison officer Horst Bubeck, Hausner had "no chance of surviving, as the doctors saw immediately". While in the prison hospital, Hausner, who couldn't talk, wrote the following note to a nurse: "My throat hurts-I'm an alcoholic! I think the smoke+heat have scratched the mucous membrane. 1.suck 2.gargle 3.1/4 or 1/2 liter of milk to keep the swallowing reflex going. Or a sip of tea or water." He died on May 5 from a Pulmonary edema
Pulmonary edema
Pulmonary edema , or oedema , is fluid accumulation in the air spaces and parenchyma of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure...
.
His hurried relocation to Germany, the quality of treatment he received at Stammheim
Stammheim
Stammheim may refer to:* Stammheim - 1986 West German film directed by Reinhard Hauff* Stammheim, Cologne - municipal part of the city of Cologne, Germany* Stammheim, Stuttgart - municipal part of the city of Stuttgart, Germany...
, and his subsequent death led many to blame both the West German government for killing him and the Swedish government for agreeing to his deportation despite being severely injured.
Legacy
After his death, Siegfried Hausner became a martyr to the cause (along with other late terrorists, such as Holger MeinsHolger Meins
Holger Klaus Meins was a German cinematography student who joined the Red Army Faction in the early 1970s and died on hunger strike in prison.-As a Revolutionary:...
and Petra Schelm).
When Siegfried Buback
Siegfried Buback
Siegfried Buback was the Attorney General of Germany from 1974-1977.Buback studied at the University of Leipzig. From 1940 to 1945 he was a member of the Nazi Party. From 1945 to 1947 he was a POW...
was assassinated in April 1977, the RAF claimed responsibility in honor of Ulrike Meinhof and Siegfried Hausner. In the final video recording of kidnapped Hanns Martin Schleyer
Hanns Martin Schleyer
Hanns-Martin Schleyer was an SS officer, a German business executive and employer and industry representative, serving as President of the two influential organizations Confederation of German Employers' Associations and Federation of German Industries...
made before his murder by the RAF in October 1977, Schleyer is seen holding a placard that read, “Commando Siegfried Hausner.” The terrorist group involved in Operation Leo
Operation Leo
Operation Leo was a plan to kidnap the Swedish Minister for Immigration Anna-Greta Leijon in 1976. The plan was devised by the second generation of the German Red Army Faction...
planned to rename their unit "Commando Siegfried Hausner" in honour of the deceased terrorist before their plot failed.
Some believe that the assassination of Sweden's prime minister Olof Palme
Olof Palme
Sven Olof Joachim Palme was a Swedish politician. A long-time protegé of Prime Minister Tage Erlander, Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 to his assassination, and was a two-term Prime Minister of Sweden, heading a Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976 and a cabinet...
on 28 February 1986 was in retaliation for his allowing Hausner to be deported.
Sources
Books:- Hitler's ChildrenHitler's ChildrenHitler's Children is a 1977 biography of the West German militant left-wing group, the Red Army Faction , by South African author Jillian Becker....
by Jillian BeckerJillian BeckerJillian Becker is a novelist, prize-winning story-writer, critic, journalist, lecturer, best known internationally as a writer, researcher, and authority on the subject of terrorism.-Life:... - The Baader Meinhof Complex by Stefan AustStefan AustStefan Aust is a German journalist and was the editor-in-chief of the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel from 1994 to February 2008...