Terrorism: Be Alert, Stay Alive

The British soldiers had driven from their base in West Germany to the Dutch town of Roermond to relax and join the festivities marking the birthday of the Netherlands' Queen Beatrix. But the trip last week turned into a nightmare after a member of the Irish Republican Army opened fire on the soldiers as they sat in their car, killing one and seriously wounding two others. Five minutes later, two British airmen died when a bomb exploded in their auto in nearby Nieuw-Bergen. Two days later, a bomb was found at the British army barracks at Bielefeld, West Germany.

The I.R.A. claimed responsibility for the attacks and promised more deaths if British troops did not "disengage from Ireland." Meanwhile, Her Majesty's troops were advised by British Forces Radio: "Terrorists only look at you for one reason. Be alert. Stay alive."