Kill Hitler! The Luck of the Devil

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KILL HITLER! THE LUCK OF THE DEVIL Georg Elser, Henning von Tresckow Fabian von Schlabrendorff, Rudolf von Gersdorff and Claus von Stauffenberg. A simple workman and four officers, aristocrats. Five men who refused to accept the unacceptable. Five men of honour. Five men who wanted to kill Hitler. What they didn't know was that Hitler was protected. By the luck of the Devil. This is their story. The Germans troops were singing when they first swept across the Russian plains. Hitler called the tune as he led Germany to the brink of world conquest. He had promised his men victory, but he gave them hell. The songs of glory soon faded in the Russian winter. And Hitler's insane dreams vanished in the icy winds. Hitler is an imbecile and a criminal. We have to put an end to this society. It's not about telling Hitler the truth. It's about killing him, and I'm ready to do it myself. Is there not a single officer in Hitler's HQ who's able to slay this beast? History may have overlooked them, but a few determined men, some of those who were closest to him, did try to slay the beast. After Hitler first seized power in 1933, more than 30 attempts to eliminate him failed. Hitler had the luck of the Devil on his side. BERLIN, AUGUST 1934 As the new Chancellor of the Reich, Hitler gave himself the title of "Führer of the German people". "The guide". He also declared himself to be the supreme chief of the army. And it was to him that soldiers had to swear obedience and loyalty. The army and its officers were bound to Hitler personally. We were all very ill at ease, because according to proper Prussian military tradition, we had sworn allegiance to a man who was a foreigner to us, and utterly despicable. But who could have guess that Hitler would use our oath to entrap us within criminal factions? Rare were the officers such as Baron von Gersdorff who disapproved of the Nazis' methods. In the late 1930's, Hitler was adored by almost 90% of his fellow citizens. The rest remained silent or were in prison. But millions formed an ardent swastika around their Führer. In Munich, one man decided to act. His name was Johann Georg Elser. A skilled carpenter and a communist sympathizer, Elser worked in his workshop for three months, preparing a bomb. Conditions in Germany could only change with the elimination of the powers that be. By the powers, I mean the superiors. I mean Hitler, Goering and Goebbels. I was convinced that the elimination of these three men would enable others to enter government, and help to improve the social conditions of the working classes. Elser was not alone. General Beck, chief of the General Staff, along with several fellow officers, was also preparing a putsch against the Führer they despised. Hitler forced them to resign, and after Austria and Czechoslovakia, he launched his troops against Poland on September 1st, 1939. Nothing could resist the German armies, as Stukas inaugurated the first terror attacks on Warsaw. It was a full-scale dress rehearsal, where the first victims were civilians. In Munich, Elser continued his preparations, now the only man who could stop Hitler. I learned the next meeting the leaders would attend was to be held on November 8th and 9th at the Bürgerbräukeller. I left the smaller hall, where I almost always sat at the same place, and went through the dressing-room into the main hall, which was never locked. I hid in a storeroom near the exit, the door of which was hidden by a large screen. After dining at the beer hall, and finding a way to be locked inside, Georg Elser spent 35 nights preparing a hiding place for his bomb in a pillar near the lectern where Hitler would give his speech. Finally, on November 6th, he installed the bomb in the cavity, setting the timing mechanism for the device to explode on November the 8th between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. On the evening of November 8th, Hitler boarded his private plane and headed for Munich. He was one of the first politicians to prefer flying to the train, as it allowed him to speak at several places in a single day. The plane was tailor-made for security and comfort. And Hitler was able to work on his legendary speeches. ...for we are a powerful nation. It was not yet eight o'clock when the Führer entered the packed Bürgerbräukeller. He took the stage at 20:08. He surprisingly ended his speech at 20:58. Victory! Hitler left the room at 21:09. He seemed to be in a hurry and preoccupied. Hans Bauer, his pilot, had told him the weather conditions meant he would have to take the train. For a simple question of timing, Hitler cut his speech in two, ruining Georg Elser's meticulous planning. The bomb went off at 21:20 as planned, killing eight people and injuring 63 others. Hitler was on his way to Berlin. Barely an hour later, investigators discovered the remains of a home-made bomb. The explosive was of a type used in quarries, and the timer was made from clock parts. This information greatly facilitated the investigation and the very next day, November 9th, it was all over. Georg Elser was arrested as he attempted to cross the Swiss border. My only considerations involved ways in which the lot of the working classes could be improved, and war avoided. I was encouraged by no one. And I was never influenced by anyone else, in any way. I never heard conversations of a similar nature. I never heard Radio Moscow say that the German government and regime had to be overturned. I did it so that no more blood would be spilled. I acted alone and was encouraged by no one. I never doubted the worthiness of my action. For the German authorities, it was unthinkable that a single man, a man of the people, could have come so close to succeeding. The press published photos of two British agents who were said to have attempted to assassinate the Führer with Elser's help. It was pure propaganda. Georg Elser, the loner, was sent to a prison camp, to await a trial intended to denounce the role of the British. Without a change in the weather, Hitler should have died. Elser's failed attack was a boon for the Führer. He was able to say that he was protected by divine Providence. Soon after the funerals of the victims of the attack, a report drawn up by the SS's intelligence service, the SD, noted: "The assassination attempt in Munich has greatly strengthened the notion of solidarity among the population. And love for the Führer has intensified." Despite the reticence of his staff, it was time for Hitler to attack Western Europe. On May 10th 1940, he sent his troops to attack Holland, Belgium and France. Reputed to be the best in the world, the French army was swept aside in barely five weeks. Audacious German planning and the brutality of the Blitzkrieg overcame the French forces, betrayed by defective leadership. The French government capitulated. The appalling defeat was consummated with marshall Pétain's request for an armistice on June 20th. For Adolf Hitler, victory was total. General Keitel, chief of the Supreme Command, now called Hitler "Grösster Feldherr aller Zeiten". The greatest natural leader of all time. Hitler's insane wager had paid off. He was now the master of France and of Europe. For the conquering hero, it was time to explore his new domain. On June 23rd 1940, at six o'clock in the morning, Hitler made a lightning tour of Paris, escorted by cameramen from the propaganda department. The Arc de Triomphe, the Opera, Madeleine, the Invalides and Napoleon's tomb, and finally, the Trocadero esplanade, where Hitler posed for the cameras before the Eiffel Tower. A few months later, officers under field-marshall Erwin von Witzleben planned to kill Hitler during a parade down the Champs-Élysées. But Hitler never set foot in Paris again. With the war won in the West, Hitler turned back to the East. It was time to attack the Soviet Union, or the Judeo-Bolshevik empire, as he called it. On June 22nd 1941, at dawn, Operation Barbarossa began. Hitler sent 125 divisions against the Soviet Union. Preceded by thousands of planes which devastated Soviet defences in just a few hours, three huge armies with 5 million men and 4,300 tanks swept over the Red Army, heading north toward Leningrad, east toward Moscow, and south toward the Ukrain grain belt and the Caucasus oilfields. The greatest military invasion of all time. A warfaring of steamroller. Leningrad was soon within artillery range. Moscow, less than a hundred kilometres away, and Kiev, already captured. Nothing could stop Hitler from expanding his lebensraum, or living space. Red Army losses were colossal. Millions of prisoners were taken, few of whom would survive the Nazis' barbarism. At the Wehrmacht HQ, marshall Keitel handed out orders to his officers. A license to kill. Permission to assassinate. The most frightful document landed on my desk. It bore Hitler's signature and ordered that any commissar or political leader from the Red Army who came into our hands should be delivered to the Security Services in order to be eliminated or shot in situ. The war was already brutal. And led by Hitler, it would only get worse. Every Wehrmacht unit was to be followed up by an SS group, the Einsatzgruppen, entrusted with "mopping up" operations. Savage arrests, mass assassinations and executions. No holds were barred. And they enjoyed total impunity, beyond all jurisdiction. Their victims were communists, and above all, the Jews. We are soldiers. Not assassins. As long as I am Chief Operation Officer at the Army Group Centre, there will be no execution of political agents or prisoners. May such things never be allowed to happen. We must act now. In hundreds of years, the world will still remember what we have done. People were made to undress, dig their own graves, and wait for the coup de grace. Almost a million men, women and children were slaughtered in what history has called "the holocaust by bullets". The men who govern us, in my view, are nothing more than common criminals. Their unlawful methods, employed both within the Reich and in conquered territories, are unworthy of a civilised country. They dishonour Germany and lead it towards its ruin. Schlabrendorff was adjutant to colonel Henning von Tresckow at the Army Group Centre HQ. Von Tresckow would formed a group of allies, all prepared to eliminate Hitler. Numerous attempts were made. All of them failed. Hitler's security was reinforced and his schedule and movements kept secret. Schmundt, Hitler's chief of staff, had told me that all of Hitler's vital organs were protected from small arms' fire by an effective bulletproof vest and that his cap was lined with a metal plate. The world held its breath when German and Soviet forces faced off at Stalingrad, between July 1942 and February 1943. The battle of Stalingrad was the bloodiest and most costly in human lives in all military history. Six months of combat. 2 million dead. Stalingrad became a symbol. Hitler forbade his troops from taking one step back. Surrounded, overwhelmed, and beaten by the Soviets, the cold and hunger, on February 2nd 1943, more than 90,000 German soldiers surrendered. Including 2,500 officers, 24 generals, and a marshall, Friedrich von Paulus. Stalingrad put an end to the myth of Hitler's invincibility. In the aftermath of the Stalingrad defeat, many officers realised they had been duped by a mad man. Despite their oath of allegiance, some considered turning against their master, the Führer. At his headquarters in Smolensk, colonel Henning von Tresckow was waiting to take action. ARMY GROUP CENTER HEADQUARTERS We had learned that Hitler was planning to visit Kluge's command post. The opportunity was too good to miss. I believed that the highest German military authorities were incapable of initiating a coup d'État They would only follow orders. In order to act quickly, I therefore decided to take the first steps myself. There was absolutely no alternative if we wanted to maintain our dignity ad self-respect. It had to be done. We dealt with the final preparations ourselves. Tresckow had envisaged the following strategy: to be sure of the effect, we favoured not one, but two explosive devices. We made a package that resembled the shape of two bottles of cognac. Then we had to rig the package so that it would be possible to set off the detonator without damaging the box. Two identical Condors from Eastern Prussia were preparing to land. Security precautions meant that no one knew which plane Hitler was on. The convoy was escorted by fighters. Halt! Get your rifles ready! The Führer spent the morning in meetings with his staff. Lunch was served in the officer's mess. Rifles down! At ease. At table, we had to put up with Hitler's good mood, as he was pleased to be among real soldiers. The Führer had brought his personal cook and the doctor entrusted in tasting his food. Hitler trusted no one. 12 food tasters were at his service. And his personal SS guard, cooks and doctor, accompanied him everywhere. Hunched over his plate, with his elbows on the table, and only sitting up straight to take a swig from his glass, he was a contemptible sight. ...a German city. We had to act quickly. The Führer was about to leave. I therefore approached colonel Brandt, who was to travel on the same plane. I casually asked him if he would take a package for me. I said I had lost a stupid bet with colonel Stieff, from the Army Supreme Command, and that it'd cost me two bottles of cognac. That was my excuse. Thank you. Prepare the car! Car is ready. ...from this city to a renowned place... Attention! Colonel Brandt agreed to transport the package. All Schlabrendorff had to do was to prime the bomb. -Brandt ! -Departure! Thank you. Relieved, and certain their duty was done, Tresckow and Schlabrendorff watched the Führer's convoy F200 take off. Hoping it was destined for Hell. We were aware that Hitler's plane had a special security system. It was composed of several separate cells. Hitler's place was armoured and designed to enable an immediate escape by parachute. In our opinion, the explosive charge had to be sufficient to blow up the whole plane. If, against all expectations, this didn't occur, the explosion would tear apart such a considerable part of the fuselage that the plane, in any event, would crash to the ground. Accompanied by its twin, another fighter escort, Hitler's plane set course for Berlin. Colonel Brandt was unaware he had smuggled a bomb on board his leader's aircraft. SELLING FORBIDDEN Back at HQ in Smolensk, nerves were fraught as they waited by the radio. The explosion was to take place after 30 minutes, when, according to our calculations, the plane would not be far from Minsk. At any moment, we were hoping to receive a message from one of the fighters escorting the Führer's plane, saying it had exploded. But we heard nothing. Finally, after two hours, a routine message arrived from Berlin, saying that after an inspection visit on the eastern front, Hitler had safely returned to Berlin and reached his headquarters at the appointed time. So we had to face the facts. As incredible as it may seem, our attempt had failed. Tresckow and myself were literally stunned. For the two conspirators, it was vital to recover the package that could seal their fate. Schlabrendorff flew to Berlin with real bottles of cognac and exchanged them, explaining to colonel Brandt that a mistake had been made. Schlabrendorff and von Tresckow would soon find another opportunity to use their bombs. A remembrance ceremony at the military museum was planned to celebrate Heroes' Memorial Day, Heldengedentag. It was a fine opportunity. According to the schedule, the Führer was going to attend, accompanied by Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Goering. Any of us who was determined to kill Hitler had to be prepared to sacrifice his own life. At the Zeughaus, the old arsenal, on Unter den Linden, Hitler was welcomed by Hermann Goering, General Keitel and Heinrich Himmler. My friend, colonel von Gersdorff, after a few moments' thought, said to me: "I will carry out this mission. I will do it. For the country's salvation." As every year, the ceremony began with a concert in the court of honour. On the programme this year: "Bruckner's 7th symphony". I suggested that the volunteer who agreed to carry out the attack should place a bomb in each of his coat sleeves, trigger the detonator at just the right moment, then position himself as close as possible to the Führer. In this way, the man prepared to sacrifice his own life would at least have the greatest chance of attaining the objective. After the concert, Hitler was to visit the museum, to inspect trophies and weapons taken from the Soviets. Colonel Gersdorff was to act as his guide. In order to be able to salute with his right arm, Gerdorff placed only a single bomb in his left sleeve. After triggering the chemical detonator, he would need 15 minutes to act. At that point, Gersdorff who be close to Hitler and the mission would be accomplished. When the Führer entered the exhibition hall, general Schmundt, Hitler's aide-de-camp, came up to me and told me that the Führer would only be spending five minutes to inspect the trophies. It was therefore no longer possible physically to carry out the plan, as I needed at least ten minutes. Five minutes. The longest five minutes in Gersdorff's life. He had accepted the ultimate sacrifice, to blow himself up with the dictator. Hitler barely glanced at the trophies. He raced around the exhibition in less than ten minutes. The visit was over. Hitler seemed in a hurry. As if sensing danger. And to his staff's surprise, he left the building. The detonator was triggered, but had no time to take effect. Gersdorff just had time to rush to the restroom and defuse the deadly device. Gersdorff was safe and sound, but the mission had failed. The second failure within a week. Unaware of the mortal danger he had avoided, Hitler was now greeting the troops assembled in his honour along Unter den Linden. In the weeks that followed, the Führer would emerge unscathed from two further assassination attempts. As Germany was losing the war on the eastern front, the Allies prepared the Normandy landings. Hitler rewarded general Rommel for his exploits with the Afrika Corps with his marshall's baton. Erwin Rommel was one of the most popular figures in the Nazis' film propaganda. For the Germans, he was an icon. Tresckow and the anti-Hitler Wehrmacht officers longed for the support of a man Germany loved and would follow. But Rommel, like many high-ranking officers, felt he had to respect the oath he had sworn to his Führer. In the winter of 43-44, Hitler sent Rommel, his favourite officer, to strengthen the Atlantic wall, the defence system intended to prevent landings on the French coast. The wall would fall. The Allies were expected, and indeed arrived, as Rommel himself had predicted. "The landings will take place in Normandy and that day will be the longest day." On June 6th 1944, 1,213 warships, 736 support ships, 864 cargo vessels and 4,126 barges and landing crafts landed 20,000 vehicles and 156,000 men on the beaches of Normandy. The Allies set foot in France and nothing could have stopped them on their march towards Berlin. Rommel knew the battle was lost and even wanted to negotiate a separate peace with the Allies. Montgomery from Britain, Eisenhower from the USA. German resistants had sounded Rommel out, but he hesitated, knowing that an attempt was to be made on Hitler's life. Perhaps he sympathized with the conspiracy, but he imposed his own conditions. Hitler should be arrested and tried. He was resolutely opposed to assassination. July 17th, and as usual, Rommel was inspecting his troops on the front. As ever, adjutant Daniel was driving, as captain Elmut Lang watched the skies. Allied planes were everywhere. It was almost impossible to move around. But Rommel didn't care. The Desert Fox had seen worse. It was five p.m. when a Spitfire patrol spotted Rommel's car on the road to Vimoutiers. Two enemy aircrafts approaching. They are on their way to attack us. The two pilots decided to descend and strafe the vehicle. Captain Lang saw the planes bearing down on them. It was too late to seek shelter. Rommel ordered Daniel to accelerate and to take evasive action. The long straight road offered no safe haven and the car was already in the fighters' sights. Machine guns crackled and bullets ripped through the car. Daniel was hit and killed instantly. The car skidded and spun and hurtled into a ditch. The fighters were already soaring into the clouds above. Rommel lay on the Normandy grass, with a severe head wound. For Stauffenberg, von Tresckow and the resistance, it was an irredeemable loss. They were deprived from the most popular and competent officer who could have rallied to the cause. The generals have achieved nothing. So now it is up to the colonels to act. As officers, it's our duty to save Germany. We've accepted that challenge before God, in our consciences. It has to be done. Because that man, Hitler, is pure evil. The 20th of July 1944 was destined to be the big day. In Berlin, colonel von Stauffenberg and his aide-de-camp, Werner von Haeften, set off for the Wolf's Lair near Rastenburg. In his bags, Stauffenberg had two bombs. The same bombs that had been used for the failed attacks in Smolensk and Berlin. A colonel and a count from an old Prussian aristocracy, von Stauffenberg was one of the military nobles who had welcomed Hitler's rise to power. He was a brilliant officer and served under Rommel in North Africa. In 1943, he was seriously wounded and lost an eye, his right hand and two fingers of his left hand. His long convalescence was a period of painful soul-searching. His conscience and sense of honour led him to act. He joined the resistance led by von Tresckow. His appointment to the Army HQ made him a valuable asset, as he could approach Hitler regularly. It was he who brought to the Führer the version of Operation Valkyrie that had been modified by general Olbricht, colonel Tresckow and himself. As usual, Hitler signed the documents without reading them. The trap was set, as the modified plans enabled those who possessed them to take control of Berlin, if need be. Kill Hitler, launch Operation Valkyrie, and set up a new government. Germany's fate now rested on colonel von Stauffenberg's knees. After a flight of two and a half hours, Stauffenberg and von Haeften arrived at the Wolf's Lair. RASTENBURG, "WOLF'S LAIR" 11:30 AM Open the gate. Go on. Before them stood Hitler's bunker. It was behind these thick concrete walls that strategy meetings usually took place. And it was here that Stauffenberg wanted to strike. The concrete would intensify the blast from the explosion, making it an ideal location. However, because of the heat, and reconstruction work, Hitler had decided to hold the meeting in one of the barracks. -Heil my Führer. -First Lieutenant Stauffenberg. Lieutenant. Cowards have no place on this earth. 12:20. After greeting Hitler and his staff, Stauffenberg asked for permission to freshen up and change his clothes, as the heat was stifling. Hitler and his entourage headed for the barrack's conference room. In a further blow to Stauffenberg, the meeting had been brought forward an hour, due to a visit from Mussolini that afternoon. I asked to get to the washroom. It was very hot. And my very visible war wounds meant that no one asked any questions. The conference room would be less likely to intensify the explosion than the underground bunker. So it seemed more prudent to prime both explosive devices. Von Haeften handed me the briefcase containing the bombs. We placed two detonators in the explosives. And I began to set the first timer. Coming! -Lieutenant? -Yes! Suddenly, I heard someone calling me through the door. -First Lieutenant Stauffenberg? -Just a second! There was a call for me from general Fellgiebel. It's urgent. The first charge was set. There was no time for the second. It was in von Haeften's briefcase. Only one bomb. Never mind. It should be enough. 12:25. Around 20 Reich dignitaries and generals gathered in the room around Hitler. Marshall Keitel presented a report on the situation in the East. Hitler followed attentively, studying troops positions on maps. At 12:30, Stauffenberg sat down at the end of the table to the Führer's right. He greeted his neighbour, colonel Heinz Brandt, I put my briefcase on the floor, under the table. Next to colonel Brandt's foot. I told him I was leaving it there for a moment, as I had an urgent call to make to Berlin. No one was surprised, as all the officers at this type of meeting are very busy and there were lots of calls to be made to the front. Everything was in place. It was merely a question of time. I found a new excuse to leave the room. RASTENBURG, "WOLF'S LAIR" 12:40 PM -I have a call to make. -Go ahead. The briefcase was in Brandt's way and he moved it, planted it against the thick pillar that supported the heavy oak table. With this casual but faithful gesture, colonel Brandt unintentionally deflected the blast away from Hitler. It's time. I'll wait for you. 12:40. Stauffenberg had left the building. It was only a matter of time. I felt the blast on my cheeks. Hitler was dead. No one could have survive such an explosion. -General, where's the Führer? -Alert! -Alert! -The Führer is in the shack! The conference room was blown apart. There was total confusion as guards and soldiers rushed to remove the wounded from the wreckage. Call for help! Where's the rescue team? Stauffenberg was convinced that Hitler was dead. He saw his body on a stretcher. My back! 12:47. Stauffenberg and von Haeften rushed to their car. They had to reach Berlin as soon as possible. Clear the road! The conspirators believed their accomplices had cut all communication between the Wolf's Lair and Berlin. But in their haste, a number of possibilities had been overlooked. Contradictory reports were already circulating. At 1:15, Claus von Stauffenberg took off from the aerodrome, heading for Berlin. For him, the operation was a success. Hitler was dead. In Berlin, the sealed orders for Operation Valkyrie had been distributed and provisional government formed by general Beck. But nothing was to go as planned. Co-conspirators general Olbricht and colonel Quirnheim were waiting for confirmation to launch the operation. Three precious hours were lost before Stauffenberg landed and told them that Hitler was dead. At four p.m., Operation Valkyrie was launched at last. All the officers mobilised for Valkyrie had received a sealed envelope containing brief orders. All the heads of the SS were to be arrested immediately and their men disarmed. As well as Goering, Bormann, Himmler and Goebbels. But nothing was to go as planned. Suddenly, towards the end of the afternoon, a voice rang out from every loudspeaker in the city. The Führer's. "A very small clique of ambitious and unscrupulous officers formed a conspiracy to do away with me." RASTENBURG, "WOLF'S LAIR" 4:00 PM Hitler was alive and kicking. He put on a new uniform to welcome his friend Mussolini at the station, only hours after the explosion. Hitler told Il Duce: "I regard this as a confirmation of the task imposed upon me by Providence. Nothing is going to happen to me. Everything can be brought to a good end." A misplaced briefcase, a solid table leg, wooden walls that absorbed the blast, and a few minutes for Stauffenberg to prime the second bomb. Those were the reasons for Hitler's miraculous escape. As Hitler said goodbye to Mussolini, reprisals were already well underway in Berlin. And they would be brutal. Major Otto Remer, the guard regiment commander, had been ordered to arrest Goebbels. The hunt for the insurgents began and Operation Valkyrie was doomed. ...until we emerge victorious! That evening, general Olbricht, colonel von Quirnheim, lieutenant von Haeften and colonel von Stauffenberg were arrested and sentenced to death without trial, by general Fromm. GENERAL FRIEDRICH FROMM Fighting for his own survival, Fromm betrayed his fellow conspirators. The witnesses to his collaboration had to disappear. Take aim! Close to midnight, Stauffenberg and his friends were executed. Fire! They were initially given a soldier's burial with their uniforms and medals. But Hitler, furious, had their bodies dug up, stripped of their medals and cremated. For count Henning von Tresckow, recently promoted general, the soul and brain behind the resistance to Hitler, it was time to make his will. To protect his wife Erika and their children, he decided to disguise his suicide as an ambush. Numerous Russian partisans in the forests made frequent raids. On July 21st, despite the morning mist, it was a fine day in Ostrow, on the eastern front. In his parting words, Tresckow said: "He who can keep his childhood dreams alive and pure, who can preserve them in his bare, defenceless heart, who, despite the world's mockery, dares to live as he dreamed as a child, until his final days, then, he is a man. A true, complete man. The whole world will attack and vilify us now. But as ever, I am still totally convinced that we did the right thing. Hitler was the archenemy, not only of Germany, but of the entire world. When, in few hours' time, I go before God to account for what I have done, and left undone, I know I will be able to justify what I did in the struggle against Hitler. In the same way that God promised Abraham that he would not destroy Sodom if just ten righteous men could be found in the city, I hope that for our sake, out of respect for us, God will not destroy Germany. I would have liked for you to witness my death. I have no wish to allow my enemies to take me from this life. Farewell. We shall meet again in a better place." In civilian clothes, stripped of their rank and discharged, the conspirators appeared in court. There would be a single verdict for them all. Death. The court was presided by judge Roland Freisler, already responsible for sentencing thousands of Germans to death for opposing the regime. Almost 200 of them would be sentenced to death, including a marshall, 19 generals, 26 colonels, two ambassadors, seven diplomats, one minister, three secretaries of state, and the Reich's chief of police. Hitler said he wanted to see their bodies hung up like slabs of meat on butcher's hooks. To make the hangings more painful, and above all slower, the hemp rope was replaced by piano wire. And for the Führer's personal pleasure, the executions were filmed. Death was not immediate. The agony could go on for 20 minutes. The reels of film were taken each night to Hitler's headquarters. A bill for 500 Reichsmarks was sent to each of the families by the Berlin administration. 125 Reichsmarks was set aside for the hangman's wages. Now! On October 18th 1944, Hitler offered a state funeral to his favourite field marshall, Erwin Rommel. In his eulogy, marshall von Runstedt said: "His heart belonged to the Führer." But only four days previously, at midday, two generals had arrived at Rommel's home to propose a rather sinister deal. During the post-Valkyrie investigation, Rommel's name was said to have been mentioned during interrogations. Hitler therefore ordered that Rommel should face the ignominy of a trial, or commit suicide, with honour, and the guarantee that nothing would happen to his family. After kissing his wife and his son, Manfred, Rommel climbed on board the generals' car. Five minutes later, he swallowed to cyanide capsules. The Germans' greatest military hero had just officially died from an embolism. Hitler had threatened to unleash a storm on the world. But now, it was over Germany that his storm raged. Since his failed attack at the beerhall, on November 8th, 1939, Georg Elser had been locked up. He was known as "the secret prisoner" or "Hitler's prisoner". At the Dachau concentration camp, on April 9th 1945, on orders from the Führer himself, two SS officers shot Elser in his cell. 20 days later, American forces liberated the camp. 20 days too late to save the man who tried to kill Hitler. On April 21st 1945, the first Soviet shells fell on Berlin. Two million more would follow them. In an attempt to stop the Soviets' T34 tanks, arms were distributed to old men and young boys. Hitler's last army was made up of children not yet 12 years old. After saluting them, and sending them to their deaths, Hitler returned to his bunker. He would not leave it again alive. The battle of Berlin raged for more than ten days. A bitter desperate fight. But the Soviets were irresistible. Losses on both sides were appalling. 2,000 Soviets tanks were rendered ineffective, some by unarmed children. The city had no intention of surrendering to the Russians. But it was too late. The Reich, due to last for thousand years, collapsed. At one o'clock in the morning, on April 29th 1945, Hitler's mistress of 13 years, Eva Braun, finally married her Fürher at a short ceremony. The witnesses were Goebbels and Bormann, assisted by a Nazi civil official. The guests shared some sparkling wine with the newlyweds. Eva Braun, delighted, was now Frau Hitler. Around three o'clock in the morning, Hitler dictated his private will to his secretary. Three typed pages, where he announced: "I myself and my wife, in order to escape the disgrace of deposition or capitulation, choose death. It is our wish to be burnt immediately." April 30th. The red flag flies over the Reichstag. At 3:30 p.m., Hitler retires to his room with his wife Eva. She has chosen poison, he fires a bullet into his temple. At 3:50, the two bodies are taken outside. 200 litres of petrol are poured over them and ignited. Many people wanted to kill Hitler, but he died by his own hand. When he wanted and where he wanted. In the heart of his capital city, Berlin. War is madness. We have to prevent it. The key figure is Hitler. He has to be killed. The world has to be saved from the greatest criminal of all time. We have to kill him. Like a mad dog. Threatening all humanity. They were guided by their courage and their honour. Tresckow, Schlabrendorff, Gerstorff, Stauffenberg, Elser. They all wanted to kill Hitler. They all failed. If but one of these men had succeeded, millions of lives could have been saved. And the history of the world may have been very different.

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Length: 52min 28sec (3148 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 06 2024