Wolfgang Werner 'Gaks' Grams (6 March 1953 – 27 June 1993) was a member of the Red Army Faction (RAF), a German far-left terrorist organization. Grams went underground in 1984 and subsequently belonged to the command level of the RAF's third generation. During an attempt to arrest him by GSG 9, the counter‑terrorism unit of the Federal Border Guard (Bundesgrenzschutz, BGS), in Bad Kleinen, he was shot and, according to the findings of the Staatsanwaltschaft Schwerin (public prosecutor's office in Schwerin)—reviewed multiple times by the courts—died by suicide. The exact circumstances of his death remain disputed. Within parts of the political left, the view persists that Grams was deliberately killed by officers involved in the operation.
Life
Wolfgang Grams was born in Wiesbaden, West Germany. His father, Werner, had volunteered for service in the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. After 1945, he and his wife Ruth fled from the eastern territories. Wolfgang also had a brother named Rainer.
In his youth, the family lived near the Wiesbaden Army Airfield, and Grams took part in protests against the Vietnam War.
While living in a commune, he was given the nickname "Gaks." After the arrest of Andreas Baader and Gudrun Ensslin, he began visiting Red Army Faction (RAF) prisoners, believing the conditions of solitary confinement to be inhumane.
Grams's name was later found in the notebook of an RAF member who was killed during an arrest attempt. He was held in custody for 153 days and received compensation in 1980 for his wrongful detention. He subsequently met Birgit Hogefeld, a leading member of the Red Army Faction (RAF), and began a relationship with her.
Bad Kleinen operation
thumb|Location of the operation: [[Bad Kleinen station|Bad Kleinen railway station]]
thumb|Platform 3/4, where the exchange of gunfire took place, looking toward track bed 4 (right) and the exit of the underpass (centre background). The person in the foreground is standing roughly where Grams fired at his pursuers (photo, summer 2008)
Shooting and death
thumb|Track 4, onto which Wolfgang Grams fell backward during the exchange of gunfire, seen from the position of the GSG 9 officers at the time (photo, August 2011)
The operation followed a tip‑off from the undercover informant , who had infiltrated the Red Army Faction (RAF) and alerted authorities to a planned meeting.
Political consequences
Interior Minister Rudolf Seiters took responsibility for the poor conduct and handling of the operation and resigned in July of that year,
- The incident has been referenced and criticised in German punk rock songs, including 'Kopfschuss' ('Head Shot') by WIZO, 'Bad K.' (a reference to Bad Kleinen) by Dritte Wahl, and 'Gewalt' ('Violence') by Slime.