Operation Valkyrie
Encyclopedia
Operation Valkyrie was an emergency continuity of government
operations plan developed in Nazi Germany
for the Territorial Reserve Army of Germany to execute and implement in case of a general breakdown in civil order of the nation. Failure of the government to maintain control of civil affairs could be caused by the Allied bombing
of German cities, or a rising of millions of foreign forced laborers
working in German factories.
German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) officers General Friedrich Olbricht
, Major General Henning von Tresckow
, and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg modified the plan with the intention of using it to take control of German cities, disarm the SS, and arrest the Nazi leadership once Hitler had been assassinated in the July 20 Plot. Hitler's death (as opposed to his arrest) was required to free German soldiers from their oath of loyalty to him (Reichswehreid
). After lengthy preparation, the plot was carried out in 1944, but failed.
's staff in his capacity as head of General Army Office and was approved by Hitler. The idea of using the Reserve Army in the German homeland for a coup existed before, but the refusal of Colonel-General Friedrich Fromm
, Chief of the Reserve Army and the only person who could initiate Operation Valkyrie besides Hitler, to cooperate was a serious obstacle to the conspirators. Nevertheless, after the lessons of a failed assassination attempt on March 13, 1943
, Olbricht felt that the original coup plan was inadequate and that the Reserve Army should be used in the coup even without Fromm's cooperation.
The original Valkyrie order only dealt with strategy to ensure combat readiness of units out of scattered elements of the Reserve Army. Olbricht added a second part, 'Valkyrie II' which provided for the swift assemblage of units into battle groups ready for action.
In August and September 1943, Colonel Henning von Tresckow
found Olbricht's revision inadequate and greatly expanded the Valkyrie plan and drafted new supplementary orders. A secret declaration began with the words: "The Führer Adolf Hitler is dead! A treacherous group of party leaders has attempted to exploit the situation by attacking our embattled soldiers from the rear to seize power for themselves." Detailed instructions were written for occupation of government ministries in Berlin, Himmler's headquarters in East Prussia, radio stations and telephone offices, and other Nazi apparatus through military districts, and concentration camps. (Previously, it was believed that Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg was mainly responsible for the Valkyrie plan, but documents recovered by the Soviet Union after the war and released in 2007 suggest that a detailed plan was developed by Tresckow by autumn of 1943.) All written information was handled by Tresckow's wife, Erika, and by Margarete von Oven, his secretary. Both women wore gloves to leave no fingerprint.
In essence, the plan was to trick the Reserve Army into the seizure and removal of the civilian government of wartime Germany under the false pretense that the SS
had attempted a coup d'état that included the assassination of Adolf Hitler. The key requirement was that the rank-and-file soldiers and junior officers who were supposed to execute this plan would be motivated to do so based upon their false belief that it was the Nazi civilian leadership who had behaved with disloyalty and treason against the state, and were therefore required to be removed. The conspirators counted on the soldiers to obey their orders as long as they came from the legitimate channel — namely, the Reserve Army high command in the emergency situation following Hitler's death.
Apart from Hitler, only General Friedrich Fromm
, commander of the Reserve Army, could put Operation Valkyrie into effect. Therefore, Fromm had to either be won over to the conspiracy, or in some way neutralized for the plan to succeed. Fromm, like many senior officers, knew in general about the military conspiracies against Hitler, but neither supported them nor reported them to the Gestapo
. This plan was unsuccessful but caused a lot of damage.
The key role was played by Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
in actual implementation after his assassination attempt on Hitler
on July 20, 1944. Stauffenberg also further improved the Valkyrie plan and made changes to address changing situations.
Stauffenberg's position as Chief of Staff of Reserve Army gave him access to Hitler for reports and at the same time required his presence at headquarters for implementation of Valkyrie. At first, Tresckow and Stauffenberg sought out other officers with access to Hitler who could carry out the assassination. General Helmuth Stieff
, Chief of Organization in Army High Command, volunteered to be the assassin but later backed away. Tresckow attempted several times to be assigned to Hitler's headquarters without success. Finally, Stauffenberg decided to carry out both the assassination attempt and the Valkyrie operation, which greatly reduced the chance of success. After two abortive attempts, Stauffenberg placed the bomb on July 20 and hurried back to Berlin to assume his pivotal role.
After he had discovered that the bomb had not killed Hitler, Fromm ordered the executions of General Friedrich Olbricht
, his chief of staff Colonel Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim
, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, and his adjutant Lieutenant Werner von Haeften
. Shortly after midnight, the condemned men were led to a mound of earth back lit by idle vehicles where each was executed by firing squad in the courtyard of Bendlerstrasse headquarters.
's Jackboot Mutiny
(Austria, 1955), Lawrence Schiller
's The Plot to Kill Hitler
(U.S., 1990), the German television production Stauffenberg
and Bryan Singer
's full length movie Valkyrie
(U.S., 2008) have addressed the plot. In the Soviet Union
, it was depicted in the third part of the film series Liberation
. It was also depicted in an episode of Highlander: The Series
, titled "The Valkyrie".
A spoof on Operation Valkyrie under optimum conditions (with the setting relocated to Italy
) is depicted in the Jerry Lewis
war comedy Which Way to the Front?
.
Operation Valkyrie is mentioned in the video game Medal of Honor: Frontline
and in the comicbook I Am Legion
.
Operation Valkyrie is the name of a Mythbusters episode that examined the effect of an explosive in enclosed and open-space rooms in an attempt to determine if the last minute change of meeting venue permitted Hitler to survive.
The event is referenced in the UK television sitcom Red Dwarf. The character Lister inadvertently foils the plot by stealing von Stauffenberg's briefcase in the episode Timeslides
.
Continuity of government
Continuity of government is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of nuclear war or other catastrophic event....
operations plan developed in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
for the Territorial Reserve Army of Germany to execute and implement in case of a general breakdown in civil order of the nation. Failure of the government to maintain control of civil affairs could be caused by the Allied bombing
Strategic bombing during World War II
Strategic bombing during World War II is a term which refers to all aerial bombardment of a strategic nature between 1939 and 1945 involving any nations engaged in World War II...
of German cities, or a rising of millions of foreign forced laborers
Forced labor in Germany during World War II
The use of forced labour in Nazi Germany and throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II took place on an unprecedented scale. It was a vital part of the German economic exploitation of conquered territories. It also contributed to the mass extermination of populations in German-occupied...
working in German factories.
German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) officers General Friedrich Olbricht
Friedrich Olbricht
General Friedrich Olbricht was a German general and one of the plotters involved in the attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolfsschanze in East Prussia on 20 July 1944.-Early life:...
, Major General Henning von Tresckow
Henning von Tresckow
Generalmajor Herrmann Karl Robert "Henning" von Tresckow was a Major General in the German Wehrmacht who organized German resistance against Adolf Hitler. He attempted to assassinate Hitler in March 1943 and drafted the Valkyrie plan for a coup against the German government...
, and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg modified the plan with the intention of using it to take control of German cities, disarm the SS, and arrest the Nazi leadership once Hitler had been assassinated in the July 20 Plot. Hitler's death (as opposed to his arrest) was required to free German soldiers from their oath of loyalty to him (Reichswehreid
Reichswehreid
The Reichswehreid and from August 1934 Führereid was the name for three different versions of the oath of allegiance of the German Forces, called Reichswehr from 1919 to 1935, and then Wehrmacht until 1945.- 1919–1933 :...
). After lengthy preparation, the plot was carried out in 1944, but failed.
Planning
The original plan, designed to deal with internal disturbances in emergency situations, was designed by General Friedrich OlbrichtFriedrich Olbricht
General Friedrich Olbricht was a German general and one of the plotters involved in the attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolfsschanze in East Prussia on 20 July 1944.-Early life:...
's staff in his capacity as head of General Army Office and was approved by Hitler. The idea of using the Reserve Army in the German homeland for a coup existed before, but the refusal of Colonel-General Friedrich Fromm
Friedrich Fromm
Friedrich Fromm was a German army officer. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.-Early life:Fromm was born in Charlottenburg...
, Chief of the Reserve Army and the only person who could initiate Operation Valkyrie besides Hitler, to cooperate was a serious obstacle to the conspirators. Nevertheless, after the lessons of a failed assassination attempt on March 13, 1943
Operation Spark (1940)
Operation Spark was a plan generated in the early 1940s by German anti-Nazis to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Another Operation Spark was conducted by the Red Army during the siege of Leningrad in 1943....
, Olbricht felt that the original coup plan was inadequate and that the Reserve Army should be used in the coup even without Fromm's cooperation.
In August and September 1943, Colonel Henning von Tresckow
Henning von Tresckow
Generalmajor Herrmann Karl Robert "Henning" von Tresckow was a Major General in the German Wehrmacht who organized German resistance against Adolf Hitler. He attempted to assassinate Hitler in March 1943 and drafted the Valkyrie plan for a coup against the German government...
found Olbricht's revision inadequate and greatly expanded the Valkyrie plan and drafted new supplementary orders. A secret declaration began with the words: "The Führer Adolf Hitler is dead! A treacherous group of party leaders has attempted to exploit the situation by attacking our embattled soldiers from the rear to seize power for themselves." Detailed instructions were written for occupation of government ministries in Berlin, Himmler's headquarters in East Prussia, radio stations and telephone offices, and other Nazi apparatus through military districts, and concentration camps. (Previously, it was believed that Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg was mainly responsible for the Valkyrie plan, but documents recovered by the Soviet Union after the war and released in 2007 suggest that a detailed plan was developed by Tresckow by autumn of 1943.) All written information was handled by Tresckow's wife, Erika, and by Margarete von Oven, his secretary. Both women wore gloves to leave no fingerprint.
In essence, the plan was to trick the Reserve Army into the seizure and removal of the civilian government of wartime Germany under the false pretense that the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
had attempted a coup d'état that included the assassination of Adolf Hitler. The key requirement was that the rank-and-file soldiers and junior officers who were supposed to execute this plan would be motivated to do so based upon their false belief that it was the Nazi civilian leadership who had behaved with disloyalty and treason against the state, and were therefore required to be removed. The conspirators counted on the soldiers to obey their orders as long as they came from the legitimate channel — namely, the Reserve Army high command in the emergency situation following Hitler's death.
Apart from Hitler, only General Friedrich Fromm
Friedrich Fromm
Friedrich Fromm was a German army officer. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.-Early life:Fromm was born in Charlottenburg...
, commander of the Reserve Army, could put Operation Valkyrie into effect. Therefore, Fromm had to either be won over to the conspiracy, or in some way neutralized for the plan to succeed. Fromm, like many senior officers, knew in general about the military conspiracies against Hitler, but neither supported them nor reported them to the Gestapo
Gestapo
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...
. This plan was unsuccessful but caused a lot of damage.
Implementation
Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg commonly referred to as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer and Catholic aristocrat who was one of the leading members of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from...
in actual implementation after his assassination attempt on 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...
on July 20, 1944. Stauffenberg also further improved the Valkyrie plan and made changes to address changing situations.
Stauffenberg's position as Chief of Staff of Reserve Army gave him access to Hitler for reports and at the same time required his presence at headquarters for implementation of Valkyrie. At first, Tresckow and Stauffenberg sought out other officers with access to Hitler who could carry out the assassination. General Helmuth Stieff
Helmuth Stieff
Helmuth Stieff was a German general and a member of the OKH during World War II. He took part in attempts by the German resistance to assassinate Hitler, on July 7 and on July 20, 1944....
, Chief of Organization in Army High Command, volunteered to be the assassin but later backed away. Tresckow attempted several times to be assigned to Hitler's headquarters without success. Finally, Stauffenberg decided to carry out both the assassination attempt and the Valkyrie operation, which greatly reduced the chance of success. After two abortive attempts, Stauffenberg placed the bomb on July 20 and hurried back to Berlin to assume his pivotal role.
After he had discovered that the bomb had not killed Hitler, Fromm ordered the executions of General Friedrich Olbricht
Friedrich Olbricht
General Friedrich Olbricht was a German general and one of the plotters involved in the attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolfsschanze in East Prussia on 20 July 1944.-Early life:...
, his chief of staff Colonel Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim
Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim
Albrecht Ritter Mertz von Quirnheim was a German officer and a resistance fighter in Nazi Germany involved in the 20 July plot against Adolf Hitler.-Biography:...
, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, and his adjutant Lieutenant Werner von Haeften
Werner von Haeften
- See also :* German Resistance* List of members of the July 20 plot...
. Shortly after midnight, the condemned men were led to a mound of earth back lit by idle vehicles where each was executed by firing squad in the courtyard of Bendlerstrasse headquarters.
Initial order to the Wehrkreise
I. The Führer Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf 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...
is dead!
An unscrupulous clique of party leaders alien to the front has attempted, under the exploitation of this situation, to fall on the backs of the hard-struggling front and to seize power for selfish purposes.
II. In this hour of highest danger, the government of the ReichReichReich is a German word cognate with the English rich, but also used to designate an empire, realm, or nation. The qualitative connotation from the German is " sovereign state." It is the word traditionally used for a variety of sovereign entities, including Germany in many periods of its history...
has declared a state of military emergency for the maintenance of law and order and at the same time has transferred the executive power, with the supreme command of the WehrmachtWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, to me.
III. With this, I order:
- 1. I transfer the executive power – with the right of delegation, on the territorial commanders – in the area of the war at home, on the commander of the army reserves under the simultaneous appointment to the supreme commander in the homeland war – in the occupied western area, on the supreme commander west – in Italy, on the supreme commander southwest – in the occupied eastern area, on the supreme commander of the army groups and the commander of the Wehrmacht
WehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
eastern land for their respective area of command – in DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, to the Wehrmacht commander.- 2. The holders of executive power have control over:
- a) all section and units of the Wehrmacht, including the Waffen-SS, RAD
ReichsarbeitsdienstThe Reichsarbeitsdienst was an institution established by Nazi Germany as an agency to reduce unemployment, similar to the relief programs in other countries. During the Second World War it was an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht.The RAD was formed during July 1934 as...
and the OTOrganisation TodtThe Todt Organisation, was a Third Reich civil and military engineering group in Germany named after its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi figure...
, within their area of command;- b) all public authorities (of the Reich
ReichReich is a German word cognate with the English rich, but also used to designate an empire, realm, or nation. The qualitative connotation from the German is " sovereign state." It is the word traditionally used for a variety of sovereign entities, including Germany in many periods of its history...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , 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...
, the states and the municipalities), especially the entire law enforcement police, security police and administrative police;- c) all office bearers and subdivisions of the NSDAP and those of its affiliated associations;
- d) the transportation services and public utilities
- 3. The entire Waffen-SS is integrated into the army with immediate effect.
- 4. The holders of executive power are responsible for the maintenance of order and public security. They especially have to ensure:
- a) the protection of the communication
- b) the elimination of the SD
SicherheitsdienstSicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
(Security Service).
Any opposition against the military power of enforcement is to be broken ruthlessly.
In this hour of highest danger for the FatherlandGermanyGermany , 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...
, unity of the WehrmachtWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
and the maintenance of full discipline is the uppermost requirement.
That is why I make it the duty of all commanders of the armyHeer (1935-1945)The Heer was the Army land forces component of the German armed forces from 1935 to 1945, the latter also included the Navy and the Air Force...
, the navyKriegsmarineThe Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
, and the air forceLuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
to support the holders of executive power to carry out their difficult task with all means at their disposal and to guarantee the compliance of their directives by the subordinate sections. The German soldier stands before a historical task. It will depend on his energy and attitude whether Germany will be saved.
Popular culture
The failed plot has been represented in historical dramatic films. Georg Wilhelm PabstGeorg Wilhelm Pabst
-Biography:Pabst was born in Raudnitz, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary , the son of a railroad employee.Returning from the United States, he was in France when World War I began...
's Jackboot Mutiny
Jackboot Mutiny
It Happened on July 20th is a 1955 Austria film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst about the July 20 Plot to kill Adolf Hitler. Bernhard Wicki as Stauffenberg...
(Austria, 1955), Lawrence Schiller
Lawrence Schiller
Lawrence Julian Schiller is a noted American film producer, director and screenwriter.-Career:Schiller was born in 1936 in Brooklyn, and grew up outside of San Diego, California...
's The Plot to Kill Hitler
The Plot to Kill Hitler (film)
#The Plot to Kill Hitler is a 1990 television movie. It is about the 20 July 1944 plot by German officers to kill Adolf Hitler. Brad Davis stars as Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg who plants a bomb in the conference room of the Führer's headquarters in East Prussia.- Plot summary :“The...
(U.S., 1990), the German television production Stauffenberg
Stauffenberg (Film)
Stauffenberg is a German-Austrian TV movie released in 2004 by Das Erste , about Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and the 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler....
and Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
's full length movie Valkyrie
Valkyrie (film)
Valkyrie is a 2008 American historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country...
(U.S., 2008) have addressed the plot. In the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, it was depicted in the third part of the film series Liberation
Liberation (film series)
Liberation is an epic five-part film series considered the most large-scale World War II film ever made in the Soviet Union. Filmed from 1967 to 1971, the first part was released during 1970 for the 25th anniversary of Victory Day...
. It was also depicted in an episode of Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...
, titled "The Valkyrie".
A spoof on Operation Valkyrie under optimum conditions (with the setting relocated to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) is depicted in the Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
war comedy Which Way to the Front?
Which Way to the Front?
Which Way to the Front? is a 1970 film starring Jerry Lewis. It would be Lewis' last released film for eleven years , until 1981's Hardly Working. The unreleased The Day the Clown Cried was filmed in the years between...
.
Operation Valkyrie is mentioned in the video game Medal of Honor: Frontline
Medal of Honor: Frontline
-External links:*...
and in the comicbook I Am Legion
I Am Legion
I Am Legion is French comic book series written by Fabien Nury, drawn by John Cassaday and published by Les Humanoïdes Associés, then in English by Humanoids Publishing/DC Comics and later by Humanoids/Devil's Due Productions.-Publication history:The series was originally published by Les...
.
Operation Valkyrie is the name of a Mythbusters episode that examined the effect of an explosive in enclosed and open-space rooms in an attempt to determine if the last minute change of meeting venue permitted Hitler to survive.
The event is referenced in the UK television sitcom Red Dwarf. The character Lister inadvertently foils the plot by stealing von Stauffenberg's briefcase in the episode Timeslides
Timeslides
"Timeslides" is the fifth episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series III, and the seventeenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 12 December 1989. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the plot deals with Lister's desire to...
.
See also
- Assassination attempts on Adolf HitlerAssassination attempts on Adolf HitlerThis is an incomplete list of documented, realized attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler.All attempts occurred in the German Reich, except where noted...
- July 20 plotJuly 20 PlotOn 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
- List of members of the 20 July plot
- Stauffenberg (film)Stauffenberg (Film)Stauffenberg is a German-Austrian TV movie released in 2004 by Das Erste , about Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and the 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler....
- Valkyrie (film)Valkyrie (film)Valkyrie is a 2008 American historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country...
- Fighter Pilots ConspiracyFighter Pilots ConspiracyThe Fighter Pilots Conspiracy Legend refers to the poorly documented verbal rebellion of the leading officers of the Luftwaffe against the incompetence of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.-Background:...
English
- Joachim FestJoachim FestJoachim Clemens Fest was a German historian, journalist, critic and editor, best known for his writings and public commentary on Nazi Germany, including an important biography of Adolf Hitler and books about Albert Speer and the German Resistance...
, Plotting Hitler's Death: The German Resistance to Hitler, 1933–1945, 1996 (ISBN 0-8050-5648-3) - Hans Bernd GiseviusHans Bernd GiseviusHans Bernd Gisevius was a German diplomat and intelligence officer during World War II. A strong opponent of the Nazi regime, he served as a liaison in Zürich between Allen Dulles, station chief for the American OSS and the German Resistance forces in Germany.-Pre World War II:Gisevius was born...
, Valkyrie: An Insider's Account of the Plot to Kill Hitler, 2009 reprint of one volume abridgement of two volume text, To the Bitter End, 1947. Foreword by Allen Welsh DullesAllen Welsh DullesAllen Welsh Dulles was an American diplomat, lawyer, banker, and public official who became the first civilian and the longest-serving Director of Central Intelligence and a member of the Warren Commission...
, introduction by Peter Hoffmann. Translated by Richard and Clara Winston; Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA ISBN 978-0-306-81771-7 - Nigel Jones, Countdown to Valkyrie: The July Plot to Assassinate Hitler. Frontline, 2009
German
- Helena Page, General Friedrich Olbricht: Ein Mann des 20. Julis, 1993, Bouvier Verlag, Bonn ISBN 3-416-02514-8
- Dr. phil. Gerd R. Ueberschär: Auf dem Weg zum 20. Juli 1944, Motive und Entwicklung der Militäropposition gegen Hitler.,http://www.bpb.de/publikationen/XR9P2V,0,0,Auf_dem_Weg_zum_20_Juli_1944.html
- Bernd Rüthers: Spiegelbild einer Verschwörung – Zwei Abschiedsbriefe zum 20. Juli 1944. Juristenzeitung 14/2005, pp. 689–698
- Hans-Adolf Jacobsen (Hrsg.): Spiegelbild einer Verschwörung. Die Opposition gegen Hitler und der Staatsstreich vom 20. Juli 1944 in der SD-Berichterstattung. Geheime Dokumente aus dem ehemaligen Reichssicherheitshauptamt. 2 Vol., Stuttgart 1984
- Peter Hoffmann: Widerstand, Staatsstreich, Attentat. Der Kampf der Opposition gegen Hitler. Munich 1985 Montserrat (reissue)
External links
- German Resistance to Hitler – Valkyrie Conspiracy – German Conspiracy against the German government culminating in the Coup Attempt of 20 July 1944
- The Conference Room at the "Wolf's Lair" after the Assassination Attempt (July 20, 1944) from German History in Documents and Images a project of the German Historical Institute
- Telex Message by the Conspiratorial Stauffenberg Group to the holders of executive Power (July 20, 1944) from German History in Documents and Images a project of the German Historical Institute
- The assassination attempt from July 20, 1944, and the operation "Valkyrie"
- Consequences