Eighty-six years ago, on July 20, 1944, at 12:42, a bomb was closed in the conference room of Wolf’s Lire Military Headquarters in Eastern Prussia, was considered to kill Adolf Hitler until the end of the world until the eastern province of the German Reach, and was engaged by the German army officer Claus Shank Von Stoffen. Former enthusiastic national socialist now saw no oath option other than the killing of the dictator.
“There is nothing left, but to kill him,” Hey told his close confidant a few days ago.
Stoffenberg was not only killers, but also the most important organizers of the attempt of a large scale by people of conservative circles, including high -ranked military, diplomatic and administrative officials.
Shortly before the time bombings occurred on July 20, 1944, the officer left the barrack. He flew into a military aircraft towards Berlin, assuming that “Fauhar” was dead. In the German capital, “Operation Vulkari” was running.
Originally designed to suppress a potential rebellion as a Wehrmacht scheme, conspirators – wanted to reproduce “Valkyrie” for their own coup.
Wasted to fail
But Hitler only suffered minor injuries. The heavy oak table and the fact that barrack windows were widened due to hot weather, the force of the explosion was dried.
Despite this, the opportunity for a putch would not have been fulfilled yet – if everyone involved would have worked with Operation Vulkari. But there are delays, breakdowns and insufficient plans. In addition, some people involved remained inactive or even in the changed sides, facing the huge pressure to be discovered.
By evening, the coup attempt had failed. Hitler went on the radio to broadcast people and talked about “Providence” that saved him. Stoffenberg and several co-speculators were arrested by firing the squad that night. Others were discovered only later. In total, about 200 resistance fighters were killed.
Historian Wolfgang Benz believes that the main reason for the failure was that from that time “any of the famous military leaders”, such as General Irwin Romel, participated. “At least one of them needed bees in the helmet, that people would say: ‘Aha, Romel, so sees it in such a way that Hitler is a criminal,” Hey said.
Permanent symbol
Despite its failure, Hitler’s resistance became a strong symbol on July 20, 1944. A few days ago, Stoffenberg’s co-princely Hening concluded by Treskov that the success was no longer: the important thing is that “the German resistance movement dared to put their lives in front of the world and in front of history.”
There were more resistance operations, in 1939 search as a narrowly failed attempt by Carpenter George Elsar to kill Hitler using a homemade bomb in Munich Beer Hall, or a group of young friends known as The White Rose. They later explained the conspiracy of July 20, 1944, Volfgang Benz, “not to say” not to say “not to say, not to say”, not to say “not to say”.
‘Holocaust did not make him interested’
Operation Vulkari and murder attempt has been transferred over time. For a long time after the war ended, its creator was still considered a traitor. For example, Stoffenberg’s wife, initially forbidden pension by widows. Later, conspirators were designed as heroes: roads, schools and barracks were named after them, and public buildings were decorated with flags every 20 July. The swearing-in-mosques for the Bundesvehar Armed Forces were held in the Democratic Germany’s Army, which was implemented to the resistance fighters around the former Vahamachat officer.
But the people involved in the conspiracy were always criticized. Staffenberg’s biography Thomas Carlouf reported that the group first worked in the European summer of 1944, shortly after the friendly nation landed in Normandi. After Germany’s rapid military victory over Poland and France in 1940, Stoffenberg enthusiasts: “What changes in such letters time!” He and others who especially in military resistance “go a very, long way for improvement,” Benz said, “Holocaust didn’t give them interest at all.” Facing an emerging military necklace, they wanted to try to save “what could save” to Germany by starting a coup.
Stoffenberg, not a Democrat?
Fellow historian Johannes Hutter believes that Stoffenberg was not a Democrat: If the murder had been successful, it was a powerful form of the government for Germany.
Wolfgang Benz makes a little less rigorous decisions: “Under any circumstances, Germany must have become a constitutional state. But as we know, as this basic law was established in the Constitution, what is not the vision of the conspirators of 20 July.”
Many German men today think on July 20, 1944, when it comes to resistance against national socialism. As a result, Claus Sank Graf von Stoffenberg, has become its face. But there were other heroes who revolted against the terror of Nazi rule: Jews, Communists, people in Church, artists, biased. Certainly there were people who protested in silence and whose deeds have been forgotten since the attackers of 20 July.
This article was first published in German on 20 July 2019. It was updated in English on July 19, 2025.
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