THE PLOT TO KILL HITLER 197
Planned by a group of senior German
military officers, the July Plot was set
in motion when Colonel Claus von
Stauffenberg planted a briefcase-bomb in
a meeting at the “Wolf’s Lair,” Hitler’s
field headquarters in East Prussia. After
the bomb went off, Stauffenberg flew
to Berlin to claim that the SS had
assassinated Hitler and order the German
Replacement Army to overthrow the Nazi
regime. However, Hitler was not dead.
Although three other Nazis were killed,
Hitler suffered only minor injuries.The conspiracy fails
Not realizing that Hitler was still alive, the conspirators instructed the
Replacement Army to arrest various officials; meanwhile, counter-
orders were given by Hitler. When Major Otto Remer, acting on the
conspirators’ orders, arrived to arrest the Propaganda Minister Joseph
Goebbels, he was informed by Goebbels that the Führer was still
alive. To prove his point, Goebbels phoned Hitler, who spoke to
Remer and ordered that he crush the rebellion immediately. Remer’s
troops moved on the War Ministry, where, after a brief gun battle, the
conspirators surrendered. The leading figures were sentenced to
death, with Stauffenberg shot that same evening.THE PLOT TO
KILL HITLER
As the Allies drew closer on two fronts, within Germany
a hostile faction plotted to overthrow Hitler and make
peace. On July 20, 1944, there was an assassination
attempt that came close to success.
△ Key plotter
After being severely injured in
Tunisia in 1943, Stauffenberg
joined other conspirators to save
Germany from destruction.▷ Living to tell the tale
Hitler greets Joseph
Goebbels only hours after
surviving the bomb blast that
was intended to assassinate
him. Following the attempted
coup, more than 7,000
alleged conspirators were
arrested; up to 5,000 ended
up dead, either executed or
forced to commit suicide.US_196-197_F_The_plot_to_kill_Hitler.indd 197 04/03/19 10:47 AM