Case 171
The Gladbeck Hostage Crisis
*** Content Warning: gun violence, child victim ***
On August 19 1988, two armed offenders entered a branch of the Deutsche Bank in Gladbeck, West Germany with the intention of holding it up. Hans-Jürgen Rösner and Dieter Degowski planned to steal a large sum of money, then make a quick getaway.
But their actions would trigger a series of shocking events that spanned 54 hours and became known as the Gladbeck Hostage Crisis.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research – Milly Raso and Erin Munro
Writing – Erin Munro
Special thanks to Stef for her assistance in the creation of this episode
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Music – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
ARCHIVED ARTICLES
Police plan backfires when crooks take BMW – Pottsville Republican
Third hostage killed as German police end two-day drama – The Herald
West Germany nabs 2 bandits – New York Daily News
Shootout ends two days of gun battles, hostage-taking – Great Falls Tribune
Teen feared more killing – The Republic
Murdered hostage’s relative vows to sue over police assault – Sydney Morning Herald
Kidnap saga ends in court – The Vancouver Sun
3 convicted in 1988 German terror spree – Austin American-Statesman
ARTICLES
Gladbeck: The deadly hostage drama where the media crossed a line – BBC
The hostage crisis that shook Germany’s rules of reporting: Gladbeck – DW
Hostage dies as German drama ends – The New York Times
Killings in German hostage incident stir dispute – The New York Times
Families of slain hostages file criminal charges against police – AP News
German bank raid and hostage-grab of 80s plays out in TV drama – The Guardian
“I was a coward” – FOCUS
Infamous ‘Gladbeck gangster’ to be released from jail in Germany – DW
16.8.1988: The Gladbeck Hostage Drama – Today in History
Here the Gladbeck gangster enjoys his freedom – Bild
The court decides to release Dieter Degowski – Shz
VIDEOS
Das Geiseldrama von Gladbeck 1988