This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2015) |
On 20 July 1944, Adolf Hitler and his top military associates entered the briefing hut of the Wolf's Lair military headquarters, a series of concrete bunkers and shelters located deep in the forest of East Prussia, not far from the location of the World War I Battle of Tannenberg. Soon after, an explosion killed three officers and a stenographer, injuring everyone else in the room. This assassination attempt was the work of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, an aristocrat who had been severely wounded while serving in the North African theater of war, losing his right hand, left eye, and two fingers of his left hand. [1]
The bomb plot was a carefully planned coup d'état attempt against the Nazi regime, orchestrated by a group of army officers. Their plan was to assassinate Hitler, seize power in Berlin, establish a new pro-Western government and save Germany from total defeat. [1]
Immediately after the arrest and execution of the plot leaders in Berlin by Friedrich Fromm, the Gestapo (the secret police force of Nazi Germany) began arresting people involved or suspected of being involved. This opportunity was also used to eliminate other, unrelated critics of the Nazi regime. [2] In total, an estimated 7,000 people were arrested of which approximately 4,980 were executed, some slowly strangled with piano wire on Hitler's insistence. A month after the failed attempt on Hitler's life, the Gestapo initiated Aktion Gitter. [3]
Some of those involved include:
Portrait | Name | Position | Fate | Year of death |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Otto Armster | Colonel | Survived | 1957 |
![]() | Ludwig Beck | General and Chief of the General Staff of the German Army High Command | Executed (Shot) | 1944 |
![]() | Robert Bernardis | Lieutenant Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() ![]() | Albrecht Graf von Bernstorff | Diplomat | Executed (Firing squad) | 1945 |
![]() | Gottfried Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen | Member of the Reichstag | Survived | 1949 |
| Hans-Jürgen von Blumenthal | Major | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Hasso von Boehmer | Lieutenant Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Georg von Boeselager | Colonel | Killed in action | 1944 |
![]() ![]() | Philipp von Boeselager | Lieutenant Colonel | Survived | 2008 |
![]() | Eugen Bolz | Member of the Reichstag | Executed (Guillotine) | 1945 |
![]() | Dietrich Bonhoeffer | Theologian | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Klaus Bonhoeffer | Lawyer | Executed (Shot) | 1945 |
![]() | Eduard Brücklmeier | Diplomat | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Axel von dem Bussche | Major | Survived | 1993 |
![]() | Wilhelm Canaris | Admiral and Head of the Abwehr | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
| Walter Cramer | Businessman | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Gustav Dahrendorf | Member of the Reichstag | Survived | 1954 |
![]() | Alfred Delp | Priest | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Heinrich zu Dohna-Schlobitten | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Hans von Dohnanyi | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Fritz Elsas | Deputy Mayor of Berlin | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Joseph Ersing | Member of the Reichstag | Survived | 1956 |
![]() | Alexander von Falkenhausen | General | Survived | 1966 |
![]() | Erich Fellgiebel | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Eberhard Finckh | Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Reinhold Frank | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Wessel Freytag von Loringhoven | Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Joseph-Ernst Graf Fugger von Glött | Member of the Reichstag | Survived | 1981 |
![]() | Ludwig Gehre | Captain | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Otto Gerig | Member of the Reichstag | Executed (Concentration camp) | 1944 |
![]() | Rudolf-Christoph von Gersdorff | General | Survived | 1980 |
![]() | Eugen Gerstenmaier | Theologian | Survived | 1986 |
![]() | Otto Gessler | Minister of Defence | Survived | 1955 |
![]() | Hans Bernd Gisevius | Diplomat | Survived | 1974 |
![]() | Eric Gloeden | Architect | Executed (Guillotine) | 1944 |
![]() | Elizabeth Gloeden | Teacher | Executed (Guillotine) | 1944 |
![]() | Carl Friedrich Goerdeler | Mayor of Leipzig | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Fritz Goerdeler | Mayor of Kwidzyn | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Gereon Goldmann | Priest | Survived | 2003 |
![]() | Nikolaus Gross | Journalist | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
Karl Ludwig Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg | Colonel and journalist | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 | |
![]() | Hans Bernd von Haeften | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Werner von Haeften | Lieutenant | Executed (Firing squad) | 1944 |
![]() | Albrecht von Hagen | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Nikolaus von Halem | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Eduard Hamm | Minister of the Economy | Suicide | 1944 |
![]() | Georg Hansen | Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Carl-Hans von Hardenberg | Major | Survived | 1958 |
![]() | Ernst von Harnack | Member of the Reichstag | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Paul von Hase | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Ulrich von Hassell | Ambassador of Germany to Italy | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Theodor Haubach | Member of the Reichstag | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Albrecht Haushofer | Diplomat | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Egbert Hayessen | Major | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Wolf-Heinrich Graf von Helldorff | Member of the Reichstag and Chief of the Berlin Police | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Otto Herfurth | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Andreas Hermes | Minister of Finance | Survived | 1964 |
![]() | Erich Hoepner | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Caesar von Hofacker | Lieutenant Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Roland von Hößlin | Major | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Friedrich Gustav Jaeger | Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Hans John | Lawyer | Executed (Firing squad) | 1944 |
![]() | Otto John | Lawyer | Survived | 1997 |
![]() | Jakob Kaiser | Lawyer | Survived | 1961 |
![]() | Otto Kiep | Diplomat | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Hans Georg Klamroth | Major | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Friedrich Klausing | Captain | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Ewald von Kleist-Schmenzin | Diplomat | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin | Lieutenant | Survived | 2013 |
![]() | Günther von Kluge | Field Marshal | Suicide | 1944 |
![]() | Hans Koch | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Alfred Kranzfelder | Lieutenant Commander | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Carl Langbehn | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Julius Leber | Member of the Reichstag | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Heinrich Graf von Lehndorff-Steinort | Landowner | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
Paul Lejeune-Jung | Member of the Reichstag | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 | |
![]() | Ludwig Freiherr von Leonrod | Major | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Bernhard Letterhaus | Trade Unionist | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Franz Leuninger | Trade Unionist | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
Wilhelm Leuschner | Member of the Reichstag | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 | |
![]() | Fritz Lindemann | General | died of injuries in custody | 1944 |
![]() | Hans Otfried von Linstow | Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Paul Löbe | Member of the Reichstag | Survived | 1967 |
![]() | Ewald Löser | Lawyer | Survived | 1970 |
![]() | Ferdinand von Lüninck | Member of the Reichstag | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
Hermann Maaß | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 | |
![]() | Rudolf von Marogna-Redwitz | Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Michael von Matuschka | Member of the Landtag of Prussia | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Joachim Meichßner | Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim | Colonel | Executed (Firing squad) | 1944 |
![]() | Joseph Müller | Priest | Executed (Guillotine) | 1944 |
![]() | Arthur Nebe | General and Chief of Kriminalpolizei | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Hans-Ulrich von Oertzen | Major | Suicide | 1944 |
![]() | Friedrich Olbricht | General | Executed (Firing squad) | 1944 |
![]() | Hans Oster | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
Margarethe von Oven | Secretary | Survived | 1991 | |
![]() | Rolf Friedemann Pauls | major/ambassador | Survived | 2002 |
![]() | Erwin Planck | Diplomat | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Kurt von Plettenberg | Landowner | Suicide | 1945 |
![]() | Johannes Popitz | Minister of Finance of Prussia | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Erwin Rommel | Field Marshal | Suicide (Forced) | 1944 |
![]() | Friedrich von Rabenau | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Adolf Reichwein | Economist | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Alexis von Roenne | Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
Karl Sack | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 | |
![]() | Joachim Sadrozinski | Lieutenant Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Anton Saefkow | Lawyer | Executed (Guillotine) | 1944 |
![]() | Fabian von Schlabrendorff | General | Survived | 1980 |
Rüdiger Schleicher | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 | |
![]() | Ernst Schneppenhorst | Ministers of War of Bavaria | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Werner Schrader | Lieutenant Colonel | Suicide | 1944 |
![]() | Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg | Ambassador of Germany to the Soviet Union | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg | Oberpräsident of the Province of Silesia | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Ludwig Schwamb | Member of the Reichstag | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Ulrich Wilhelm Graf Schwerin von Schwanenfeld | Major | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Günther Smend | Lieutenant Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Hans Speidel | General | Survived | 1984 |
![]() | Franz Sperr | Major | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg | Judge | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Claus von Stauffenberg | Leader of the plot and Colonel | Executed (Firing squad) | 1944 |
![]() | Hellmuth Stieff | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
Theodor Strünck | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 | |
![]() | Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Carl Szokoll | Major | Survived | 2004 |
![]() | Fritz Thiele | General | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Busso Thoma | Major | Executed (Hanging) | 1945 |
![]() | Georg Thomas | General | Survived | 1946 |
![]() | Karl Freiherr von Thüngen | General | Executed (Firing squad) | 1944 |
![]() | Henning von Tresckow | General | Suicide | 1944 |
![]() | Adam von Trott zu Solz | Diplomat | Executed (Firing squad) | 1944 |
![]() | Nikolaus von Üxküll-Gyllenband | Colonel | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Eduard Wagner | General | Suicide | 1944 |
![]() | Hermann Josef Wehrle | Priest | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Carl Wentzel | Landowner | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Joachim von Willisen | Diplomat | Survived | 1983 |
![]() | Josef Wirmer | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Erwin von Witzleben | Field Marshal | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
![]() | Peter Yorck von Wartenburg | Lawyer | Executed (Hanging) | 1944 |
Gustav Heistermann von Ziehlberg | General | Executed (Firing squad) | 1945 |
Sicherheitsdienst, full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Established in 1931, the SD was the first Nazi intelligence organization and the Gestapo was considered its sister organization through the integration of SS members and operational procedures. The SD was administered as an independent SS office between 1933 and 1939. That year, the SD was transferred over to the Reich Security Main Office, as one of its seven departments. Its first director, Reinhard Heydrich, intended for the SD to bring every single individual within the Third Reich's reach under "continuous supervision".
Claus von Stauffenberg was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair.
The 20 July plot was a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the chancellor and leader of Nazi Germany, and overthrow the Nazi regime on 20 July 1944. The plotters were part of the German resistance, mainly composed of Wehrmacht officers. The leader of the conspiracy, Claus von Stauffenberg, tried to kill Hitler by detonating an explosive hidden in a briefcase. However, due to the location of the bomb at the time of detonation, the blast only dealt Hitler minor injuries. The planners' subsequent coup attempt also failed and resulted in a purge of the Wehrmacht.
Job Wilhelm Georg Erdmann Erwin von Witzleben was a German Generalfeldmarschall in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. A leading conspirator in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, he was designated to become Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht in a post-Nazi regime had the plot succeeded.
Operation Valkyrie was a German World War II emergency continuity-of-government operations plan issued to the Territorial Reserve Army of Germany to implement in the event of a general breakdown in national civil order due to Allied bombing of German cities, or an uprising of the millions of foreign forced labourers working in German factories.
Hans Paul Oster was a general in the Wehrmacht and a leading figure of the anti-Nazi German resistance from 1938 to 1943. As deputy head of the counter-espionage bureau in the Abwehr, Oster was in a good position to conduct resistance operations under the guise of intelligence work.
Arthur Nebe was a German SS functionary who held key positions in the security and police apparatus of Nazi Germany and was, from 1941, a major perpetrator of the Holocaust.
Carl-Heinrich Rudolf Wilhelm von Stülpnagel was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who was an army level commander. While serving as military commander of German-occupied France and as commander of the 17th Army in the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa. Stülpnagel participated in German war crimes, including authorising reprisal operations against civilian population and cooperating with the Einsatzgruppen in their mass murder of Jews. He was a member of the 20 July Plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, being in charge of the conspirators' actions in France. After the failure of the plot, he was recalled to Berlin and attempted to commit suicide en route, but failed. Tried on 30 August 1944, he was convicted of treason and executed on the same day.
The Schwarze Kapelle was a term used by the Gestapo to refer to a group of conspirators in Nazi Germany, including many senior officers in the Wehrmacht, who plotted to overthrow Adolf Hitler. Unlike the Rote Kapelle, the name given by the Gestapo to the Soviet spy network in the Third Reich, many members of the Black Orchestra were of aristocratic background, felt contempt for the ideology of the Nazi Party, and were politically close to the Western Allies.
The People's Court was a Sondergericht of Nazi Germany, set up outside the operations of the constitutional frame of law. Its headquarters were originally located in the former Prussian House of Lords in Berlin, later moved to the former Königliches Wilhelms-Gymnasium at Bellevuestrasse 15 in Potsdamer Platz.
Caesar von Hofacker was a German Luftwaffe Lieutenant Colonel and member of the 20 July plot against Adolf Hitler.
Robert Bernardis was a German army officer and Austrian resistance fighter involved in the attempt to kill Nazi Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler in the 20 July Plot in 1944.
Friedrich Olbricht was a German general during World War II. He is known for being one of the plotters involved in the 20 July Plot, an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944.
Roland-Heinrich von Hößlin, or Hösslin was a German Army officer involved in the 20 July Plot to kill Adolf Hitler.
The German resistance to Nazism included unarmed and armed opposition and disobedience to the Nazi regime by various movements, groups and individuals by various means, from attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler or to overthrow his regime, defection to the enemies of the Third Reich and sabotage against the German Army and the apparatus of repression and attempts to organize armed struggle, to open protests, rescue of persecuted persons, dissidence and "everyday resistance".
The Oster Conspiracy of 1938 was a proposed plan to overthrow German Führer Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime if Germany went to war with Czechoslovakia over the Sudetenland. It was led by Generalmajor Hans Oster, deputy head of the Abwehr, and other high-ranking conservatives within the Wehrmacht who opposed the regime for behavior that was threatening to bring Germany into a war that they believed it was not ready to fight. They planned to overthrow Hitler and the Nazi regime through a storming of the Reich Chancellery by forces loyal to the plot to take control of the government, who would either arrest or assassinate Hitler, and restore the Monarchy under Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, the grandson of Wilhelm II.
Eberhard Finckh was a German colonel on the general staff of the German Army, a longtime opponent of Nazism and a member of the German resistance to Adolf Hitler's regime.
Fr. Otto Müller (1870-1944) was a German Roman Catholic priest, active in the Christian Worker's movement and the German Resistance against Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. Implicated in the July Plot, Müller died in custody in 1944.
Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945, initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and was central to the Holocaust. He was hated by his persecuted enemies and even by some of his own countrymen. Although attempts were made to assassinate him, none were successful. Hitler had numerous bodyguard units over the years which provided security.