Georg Elser
Encyclopedia
Johann Georg Elser was a German opponent of Nazism
. He is most remembered for his unsuccessful attempt to assassinate
Adolf Hitler
, but he also wanted to assassinate Hermann Göring
and Joseph Goebbels
in 1939.
, Württemberg
. His parents were Ludwig Elser and Maria Müller, who married one year after Georg's birth. Georg attended elementary school in Königsbronn
from 1910 to 1917 and showed ability in drawing and handicrafts. His father was a farmer and lumber dealer, and expected his son to succeed him in this trade, but Georg, who had helped his father in his work, chose instead to pursue interests of his own. He began an apprenticeship
as a lathe
operator in a foundry
, which, two years later, he had to cancel for health reasons. He began an apprenticeship as a carpenter
, which he finished in 1922. Next, he worked as a carpenter in several joiner
ies in Königsbronn, Aalen
and Heidenheim. From 1925 to 1929, he worked in a watch factory in Konstanz
where he acquired the knowledge enabling him to build the timer for the bomb he was later to use in the assassination attempt. From 1929 to 1932 he worked, again, as a carpenter, in Switzerland
.
After his return to Königsbronn, he worked with his parents. From 1936, he worked in a fitting factory in Heidenheim. While working here, he became familiar with the Nazis' rearmament program
.
Elser was a quiet yet sociable man, joining in different cultural societies and clubs, amongst others, a Tracht
club. He played the zither
and the double bass
for the local choir. He also loved to hike with his friends.
In 1930 his girlfriend, Mathilde Niedermann, gave birth to his son Manfred. This pregnancy was not planned and to some extent mirrors Elser's own birth, but, unlike his parents, Elser did not marry Mathilde and separated from her soon afterwards.
He became a member of the federation of wood workers union. He believed that one should join a union, and gave this as his explanation for his own membership. In 1928, a colleague persuaded him to join the Red Front Fighters' Association
, the paramilitary organization of the Communist Party
. Elser did not devote much time to these memberships. Though he was not a convinced Communist - he was a devoted church-going Protestant - he voted for the Communist Party
until 1933, as he considered them to be the best defenders of workers' interests.
Elser was opposed to Nazism
from the beginning of the regime, and after 1933 refused to perform the Hitler salute
, or to join others in listening to Hitler's speeches broadcast on the radio. Nor did he vote in the Third Reich's elections or referendums.
His opposition was initially motivated by his concerns about working conditions, and the lowering of working wages. His understanding of politics was influenced strongly by his political associations. He detested the restrictions on civil rights. He especially despised Nazi restrictions on workers' freedoms, such as the choice of employment and the right to organize. Equally, he loathed the Nazis' propaganda and their total control of the educational system, as well as the curtailing of religious freedoms.
Regarding his religious beliefs, Elser was a Protestant of a simple, non-intellectual and traditional type. His only prayer was the Lord's Prayer
, which he said daily, and which he said sustained him in the burdensome preparations for his assassination attempt.
In autumn of 1938, Europe was on the verge of war because of the Sudetenland Crisis
. After the experience of World War I
, Elser was apprehensive about another war. Though war was averted at the last minute, Elser mistrusted Hitler's peace proclamations and considered removing the Nazi leadership by assassination. Reflecting on how to implement his plan, Elser travelled to Munich on November 8, 1938, to attend Hitler's annual speech on the anniversary of Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch
. The craftsman from Königsbronn not only judged the poorly-guarded event to be a favourable opportunity, but also witnessed the same night the outbursts of anti-Jewish violence during the Kristallnacht
. This experience convinced Elser that a leadership capable of inciting such violence would plunge Germany
into a major war
, and that only Hitler's death could stop this move into catastrophe.
Elser chose the next anniversary of the Hitler Putsch, when Hitler would return to Munich, and decided to kill him with a bomb during his speech. After he had constructed the bomb, Elser travelled to Munich again. He managed to stay inside the Bürgerbräukeller
after closing hours each night for over a month, during which time he hollowed out the pillar behind the speaker's rostrum, and placed the bomb inside it. Security was seen as somewhat lax that day as it had been left to local party strongman Christian Weber
rather than Reinhard Heydrich
.
While he was making these preparations, World War II
broke out on September 1, 1939, proving his estimations correct. Elser, being focused on his work, hardly noticed this. Unbeknownst to Elser, Hitler had cancelled his planned speech at the Bürgerbraukeller because of the war, but then changed his mind, and agreed to attend the anniversary after all. This was on the condition that he could return to Berlin that same night. Since fog prevented a flight back to Berlin
, Hitler decided to take the train, which meant finishing his speech earlier than expected. On November 8, 1939, the bomb exploded at 21:20, exactly as Elser had planned, but Hitler had already left the room thirteen minutes earlier. Eight people died and sixty-three were injured, sixteen of them seriously, and Elser's plot to assassinate Hitler had failed.
. Elser remained silent and denied any involvement in the explosion, but the evidence pointing to his complicity became increasingly clear. What finally pointed to Elser as the would-be assassin were his bruised, scraped knees. As it turned out, the hollow space in the column where the explosives had been hidden could only have been reached by an assassin crawling on his knees. Waitresses then identified Elser as a frequent patron of the Bürgerbräukeller, and he eventually confessed.
After his confession to the crime in Munich, Elser was taken to the headquarters of the German Reich's security agency in Berlin, where he was severely tortured by the Gestapo. The SS chief Heinrich Himmler
was not satisfied that a diminutive Swabian, a craftsman with a grade-school education, could have almost managed to assassinate the Führer without accomplices. The protocol from the Gestapo was recovered at the end of the 1960s. This 203 page document is the most important source of information about Georg Elser.
Elser was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen
and Dachau concentration camps. Although he consistently claimed to have been acting on his own, the Nazis, especially Goebbels
persisted in suspecting a British
-led conspiracy, and intended to stage a trial exposing this alleged plot after the war. Elser was kept in special custody. The mystery about the identity of this "special security prisoner" sometimes led to malicious rumours among his fellow inmates. Even after the war, Martin Niemöller
, also in custody at Sachsenhausen, claimed that Elser had been a member of the SS and that the whole assassination attempt had been staged by the Nazis to portray Hitler as being protected by Providence. However, historical research (Anton Hoch, 1969) has confirmed that Elser acted completely alone, and no evidence involving the regime, or any outside group has been found.
In April 1945 German defeat became imminent and Allied troops
were drawing nearer to Dachau. This meant that the Nazis' aim of staging a trial became futile, so Hitler ordered the killing of the "special security prisoner Eller", the name by which Elser was called in Dachau. The head of the Gestapo, SS-Gruppenführer Heinrich Müller delivered the order for this killing to the Commandant of the Dachau concentration camp, Obersturmbannführer Eduard Weiter
.
Elser was killed by gunshot on 9 April 1945, in the Dachau concentration camp, just a few weeks before the end of war. A plaque (see illustration) dedicated to his memory in Königsbronn says:
There are many streets and places named after Elser in Germany and several monuments.
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. He is most remembered for his unsuccessful attempt to assassinate
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, but he also wanted to assassinate Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
and Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
in 1939.
Vocational career and social life
Elser was born in HermaringenHermaringen
Hermaringen is a municipality in the district of Heidenheim in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.Hermaringen is known as the birthplace of Georg Elser, who tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler on 8 November, 1939....
, Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
. His parents were Ludwig Elser and Maria Müller, who married one year after Georg's birth. Georg attended elementary school in Königsbronn
Königsbronn
Königsbronn is a municipality in the district of Heidenheim in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.Königsbronn as an administrative community also includes the villages of Itzelberg, Ochenberg and Zang. It lies in the Brenz valley within the hills of the Swabian Alb, a landscape shaped by karst...
from 1910 to 1917 and showed ability in drawing and handicrafts. His father was a farmer and lumber dealer, and expected his son to succeed him in this trade, but Georg, who had helped his father in his work, chose instead to pursue interests of his own. He began an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
as a lathe
Lathe (metal)
A metal lathe or metalworking lathe is a large class of lathes designed for precisely machining relatively hard materials. They were originally designed to machine metals; however, with the advent of plastics and other materials, and with their inherent versatility, they are used in a wide range of...
operator in a foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
, which, two years later, he had to cancel for health reasons. He began an apprenticeship as a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
, which he finished in 1922. Next, he worked as a carpenter in several joiner
Joiner
A joiner differs from a carpenter in that joiners cut and fit joints in wood that do not use nails. Joiners usually work in a workshop since the formation of various joints generally requires non-portable machinery. A carpenter normally works on site...
ies in Königsbronn, Aalen
Aalen
Aalen is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about east of Stuttgart and north of Ulm. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district, and its largest city, as well as the largest city within the Ostwürttemberg region. In spatial planning, Aalen is designated a Mittelzentrum...
and Heidenheim. From 1925 to 1929, he worked in a watch factory in Konstanz
Konstanz
Konstanz is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz.-Location:...
where he acquired the knowledge enabling him to build the timer for the bomb he was later to use in the assassination attempt. From 1929 to 1932 he worked, again, as a carpenter, in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
After his return to Königsbronn, he worked with his parents. From 1936, he worked in a fitting factory in Heidenheim. While working here, he became familiar with the Nazis' rearmament program
German re-armament
The German re-armament was a massive effort led by the NSDAP in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.During its struggle for power the National Socialist party promised to recover Germany's lost national pride...
.
Elser was a quiet yet sociable man, joining in different cultural societies and clubs, amongst others, a Tracht
Tracht
Tracht is a traditional national costume in German-speaking countries. Although the word is most often associated with Austrian and Bavarian costumes, many other peoples of Germany have them.-History:...
club. He played the zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
and the double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
for the local choir. He also loved to hike with his friends.
In 1930 his girlfriend, Mathilde Niedermann, gave birth to his son Manfred. This pregnancy was not planned and to some extent mirrors Elser's own birth, but, unlike his parents, Elser did not marry Mathilde and separated from her soon afterwards.
He became a member of the federation of wood workers union. He believed that one should join a union, and gave this as his explanation for his own membership. In 1928, a colleague persuaded him to join the Red Front Fighters' Association
Rotfrontkämpferbund
Rotfrontkämpferbund was a paramilitary organization of the Communist Party of Germany created on 18 July 1924 during the Weimar Republic. Its first leader was Ernst Thälmann...
, the paramilitary organization of the Communist Party
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
. Elser did not devote much time to these memberships. Though he was not a convinced Communist - he was a devoted church-going Protestant - he voted for the Communist Party
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
until 1933, as he considered them to be the best defenders of workers' interests.
Elser was opposed to Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
from the beginning of the regime, and after 1933 refused to perform the Hitler salute
Hitler salute
The Nazi salute, or Hitler salute , was a gesture of greeting in Nazi Germany usually accompanied by saying, Heil Hitler! ["Hail Hitler!"], Heil, mein Führer ["Hail, my leader!"], or Sieg Heil! ["Hail victory!"]...
, or to join others in listening to Hitler's speeches broadcast on the radio. Nor did he vote in the Third Reich's elections or referendums.
His opposition was initially motivated by his concerns about working conditions, and the lowering of working wages. His understanding of politics was influenced strongly by his political associations. He detested the restrictions on civil rights. He especially despised Nazi restrictions on workers' freedoms, such as the choice of employment and the right to organize. Equally, he loathed the Nazis' propaganda and their total control of the educational system, as well as the curtailing of religious freedoms.
Regarding his religious beliefs, Elser was a Protestant of a simple, non-intellectual and traditional type. His only prayer was the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, which he said daily, and which he said sustained him in the burdensome preparations for his assassination attempt.
The assassination attempt
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
. After the experience of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Elser was apprehensive about another war. Though war was averted at the last minute, Elser mistrusted Hitler's peace proclamations and considered removing the Nazi leadership by assassination. Reflecting on how to implement his plan, Elser travelled to Munich on November 8, 1938, to attend Hitler's annual speech on the anniversary of Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
. The craftsman from Königsbronn not only judged the poorly-guarded event to be a favourable opportunity, but also witnessed the same night the outbursts of anti-Jewish violence during the Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
. This experience convinced Elser that a leadership capable of inciting such violence would plunge Germany
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...
into a major war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, and that only Hitler's death could stop this move into catastrophe.
Elser chose the next anniversary of the Hitler Putsch, when Hitler would return to Munich, and decided to kill him with a bomb during his speech. After he had constructed the bomb, Elser travelled to Munich again. He managed to stay inside the Bürgerbräukeller
Bürgerbräukeller
The Bürgerbräukeller was a large beer hall located in Munich, Germany. It was one of the large beer halls of the Bürgerliches Brauhaus company, and after Bürgerliches merged with Löwenbräu, the hall was transferred to that company. It was located on Rosenheimer Street in the neighborhood of...
after closing hours each night for over a month, during which time he hollowed out the pillar behind the speaker's rostrum, and placed the bomb inside it. Security was seen as somewhat lax that day as it had been left to local party strongman Christian Weber
Christian Weber (Nazi)
Christian Weber was a German Nazi Party official and Schutzstaffel Brigadeführer.-Biography:...
rather than Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
.
While he was making these preparations, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out on September 1, 1939, proving his estimations correct. Elser, being focused on his work, hardly noticed this. Unbeknownst to Elser, Hitler had cancelled his planned speech at the Bürgerbraukeller because of the war, but then changed his mind, and agreed to attend the anniversary after all. This was on the condition that he could return to Berlin that same night. Since fog prevented a flight back to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Hitler decided to take the train, which meant finishing his speech earlier than expected. On November 8, 1939, the bomb exploded at 21:20, exactly as Elser had planned, but Hitler had already left the room thirteen minutes earlier. Eight people died and sixty-three were injured, sixteen of them seriously, and Elser's plot to assassinate Hitler had failed.
Arrest and custody
Elser was arrested by chance at 20:45, about 35 minutes before the bomb exploded, by the customs border police in Konstanz when he tried to cross the border into Switzerland. At first the officers did not suspect his involvement in the assassination attempt, but then they found picture postcards from the Bürgerbräukeller in Elser's coat. Elser was transferred to Munich, where he was interrogated by the GestapoGestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
. Elser remained silent and denied any involvement in the explosion, but the evidence pointing to his complicity became increasingly clear. What finally pointed to Elser as the would-be assassin were his bruised, scraped knees. As it turned out, the hollow space in the column where the explosives had been hidden could only have been reached by an assassin crawling on his knees. Waitresses then identified Elser as a frequent patron of the Bürgerbräukeller, and he eventually confessed.
After his confession to the crime in Munich, Elser was taken to the headquarters of the German Reich's security agency in Berlin, where he was severely tortured by the Gestapo. The SS chief Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
was not satisfied that a diminutive Swabian, a craftsman with a grade-school education, could have almost managed to assassinate the Führer without accomplices. The protocol from the Gestapo was recovered at the end of the 1960s. This 203 page document is the most important source of information about Georg Elser.
Elser was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
and Dachau concentration camps. Although he consistently claimed to have been acting on his own, the Nazis, especially Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
persisted in suspecting a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-led conspiracy, and intended to stage a trial exposing this alleged plot after the war. Elser was kept in special custody. The mystery about the identity of this "special security prisoner" sometimes led to malicious rumours among his fellow inmates. Even after the war, Martin Niemöller
Martin Niemöller
Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller was a German anti-Nazi theologian and Lutheran pastor. He is best known as the author of the poem "First they came…"....
, also in custody at Sachsenhausen, claimed that Elser had been a member of the SS and that the whole assassination attempt had been staged by the Nazis to portray Hitler as being protected by Providence. However, historical research (Anton Hoch, 1969) has confirmed that Elser acted completely alone, and no evidence involving the regime, or any outside group has been found.
Death
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
were drawing nearer to Dachau. This meant that the Nazis' aim of staging a trial became futile, so Hitler ordered the killing of the "special security prisoner Eller", the name by which Elser was called in Dachau. The head of the Gestapo, SS-Gruppenführer Heinrich Müller delivered the order for this killing to the Commandant of the Dachau concentration camp, Obersturmbannführer Eduard Weiter
Eduard Weiter
Eduard Weiter was a German bureaucrat who became a Schutzstaffel Obersturmbannführer and concentration camp commandant.-Early years:...
.
Following order has arrived: At one of the next terror attacks on Munich area of Dachau, "Eller" has a deadly accident. I ask you to liquidate "Eller" without attracting attention after such a situation appears. Also take special care that only a few people who are specially bound come to know of this. The message for me then shall be something like...
On... caused by a terror attack (air raid) on.... security prisoner "Eller" fatally injured
There are many streets and places named after Elser in Germany and several monuments.
Further reading
- Roger MoorhouseRoger MoorhouseRoger Moorhouse is a British historian and author. Born in Stockport, Cheshire, he was raised in Hertfordshire and attended Berkhamsted School. Inspired to return to education by the East European Revolutions of 1989, Moorhouse enrolled in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies of the...
, Killing Hitler: The Third Reich and the Plots against the Führer, Jonathan Cape, 2006, pp. 36–58. ISBN 0-224-07121-1 - Richard J. EvansRichard J. EvansRichard John Evans is a British academic and historian, prominently known for his history of Germany.-Life:Evans was born in London, of Welsh parentage, and is now Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge and President of Wolfson College...
, The Third Reich At War, Penguin Press, 2008, pp. 109–111. ISBN 978-1-59420-206-3
External links
- The Carpenter Elser Versus the Führer Hitler from Der Spiegel (in English)
- Most extensive archive on Elser (German) at www.georg-elser-arbeitskreis.de
- Ulf Märtens: What does Georg Elser's act of resistance against the Nazi regime tell us about the ability of ordinary people to resist?
- Georg Elser at www.georg-elser.de
- http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/biografien/ElserJohannGeorg/
- Georg Elser und das Attentat vom Bürgerbräukeller 1939 at www.shoa.de
- Heilige - Selige - Ehrwürdige - Namen - Geschichten - Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon at www.heiligenlexikon.de
- "The Carpenter Elser Versus the Führer Hitler" Der Spiegel, 8 November 2005 The 1989 Movie, also known as Georg Elser or Seven Minutes.
- YouTube: Murder attempt on 8 november 1939 against Hitler
- Mike Dash, One Man Against Tyranny, August 18, 2011