Munich 1972 – Two books about the attack on the Summer Olympics
“I declare the 1972 Munich Olympics to celebrate the XX. Olympiad of modern times opened for.”
Federal President Gustav Heinemann opened the world’s largest sports festival on August 26 with the simple sentence that had been improved by the International Olympic Committee. Author Markus Brauckmann and historian Gregor Schöllgen write in their Olympia book, a popular, loosely written description, that the games should be light, dynamic and non-political. Markus Brauckmann:
“The 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich were to the Germans what the moon landing was to the Americans. The world was a guest in Germany. Security concerns have been put aside a bit in favor of the cheerful public image of these games.”
Anything but 1936
Munich 1972 was planned as an alternative to the 1936 games under the swastika. The apparently light, weightless architecture of the Munich Olympic grounds, the modern design on posters, signs and flags without pathos and national symbols should not evoke memories of the Nazi past. Berlin 1936 was the enemy of Munich 1972 from the outset, according to Brauckmann and Schöllgen. The journalist and historian Sven Felix Kellerhoff comes to a similar conclusion.
“The colorful, colorful, happy games in Munich, the exact opposite of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. And if you compare it to the Munich Olympic Stadium, then that’s an enormous contrast in a positive sense. Then there was the concept of happy games, the absence of uniforms, all of which was wonderful progress for Germany’s self-portrayal and then also had an effect on Germany’s self-image.”
While Kellerhoff only mentions the “concept of happy games” in passing, Markus Brauckmann and Gregor Schöllgen describe the sporting events in detail. They devote their attention to the hostesses, “modern, enlightened women” as well as to the leisure activities of the athletes “between lederhosen and modern architecture”. According to the authors, Munich became the center of the world.
“Munich 72 will finally make the Olympics a global event. The youth of the world now wear long hair, challenge the authority of the elders, and do not like the principle of merit. They come to Munich in droves, it is the largest global gathering of their generation in this young decade.”
West German moral painting
“Munich 72” is a small moral painting, an entertaining read. The authors take a look at the social and political environment and give an impression of the traditional attitude towards life and the spirit of optimism of many West Germans. Of course, moral and value concepts were not free from sexism and racism.
“‘Would you like to know where the secretaries cook their lunch break?’ seriously asks the Official Olympic Guide of the Games. When it comes to changing money, one reads: ‘Unless you need coins from the backyard, any bank branch will help you.’”
The Olympic Games in Munich were, as Brauckmann and Schöllgen as well as Kellerhoff point out, an unprecedented media spectacle. Not only the competitions, but also parts of the hostage drama were broadcast live.
TV broadcast of the act of terrorism
“It’s the Israelis who are tied up that we see now, and the tied up people are slowly walking towards the helicopter, being lifted in, pushed. Now the rotor blade starts moving, getting faster and faster.”
“The attack on September 5, 1972 on the Olympic Village was the first terrorist attack that took place before the eyes of the world, that is, before the eyes of TV cameras, in front of billions of people. And that is actually a point that was only reached again in a similar form on September 11, 2001.”
In his account, Sven Felix Kellerhoff concentrates on the September 5 attack and describes the course of the hostage drama in minute detail. As in a thriller, he provides the events with minute-precise time information from sunrise to the passing ultimatums to the last exchange of fire. The author was able to fall back on the investigation files of the public prosecutor without really contributing any new findings. The slightly lurid subtitle “What really happened in Munich in 1972” is misleading.
The liberation action ended in disaster: all the hostages died, five terrorists were killed, and a German policeman was shot. A devastating record for the emergency services and political leaders.
Deployment errors and unexpected work-up
“September 5, 1972 could have been prevented, those responsible did not react appropriately; they have made the tragedy worse through mistakes and cover-ups. The responsible authorities were probably aware that there were dangers from terrorists.”
But no one drew any conclusions and resigned. Meanwhile, the RAF terrorist Ulrike Meinhof wrote a pamphlet in her prison cell and, as Kellerhoff writes, propagated the Munich massacre as an exemplary action of the anti-imperialist struggle.
The cheerful ones and the other games
“The games must go on”, recognized IOC President Avery Brundage on the morning of September 6th at the memorial service for the murdered recognized athletes in the Olympic Stadium. In the afternoon the competitions actually took place. Markus Brauckmann:
“The 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, the assassination attempt is actually divided into two parts: there were the cheerful games, and there were the games. This very special magic was actually gone.”
The cheerful and the other games: Both books convey direct impressions of Munich 1972 in very different ways.
On the 50th anniversary of the Olympic attack, the victims are to be commemorated on September 5th. But the relatives of the murdered athletes are still fighting for compensation. They consider the payments made by the federal government to be too small, especially since there was no German responsibility or an admission of guilt for an amateurish attempt at liberation.
Markus Brauckmann, Gregor Schöllgen: “Munich 72. A German Summer”DVA, 365 pages, 25 euros.
Sven Felix Kellerhoff: “Attack on the Olympics. What really happened in Munich in 1972”wbg Theiss, 238 pages, 25 euros.