20 July plot (1944)
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| 20 July plot (1944) | |
|---|---|
| Conflict | 20 July plot (1944) |
| Partof | World War II |
| Date | 20 July 1944 |
| Place | Wolfsschanze, near Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany |
| Result | Plot failed; consolidation of Nazi Germany leadership under Adolf Hitler |
| Combatant1 | Conspirators within Wehrmacht and Abwehr |
| Combatant2 | Nazi Party and loyalist Schutzstaffel |
| Commander1 | Claus von Stauffenberg; Ludwig Beck; Henning von Tresckow; Friedrich Olbricht |
| Commander2 | Adolf Hitler; Heinrich Himmler; Wilhelm Keitel; Joseph Goebbels |
20 July plot (1944) was an attempt by German military officers and civilians to assassinate Adolf Hitler and initiate a coup against the Nazi Party near the end of World War II. The conspiracy brought together figures from the Wehrmacht, Abwehr, conservative conservative resistance, and civilian circles who sought to replace the Nazi regime with a new administration and negotiate peace with the Allied powers, particularly the Western Allies.
Background
By mid-1944, the strategic situation after the Battle of Stalingrad, Operation Bagration, and the Normandy landings had exposed the weakening of Nazi Germany and eroded support for Adolf Hitler among some officers of the Wehrmacht and members of the Abwehr like Hans Oster. Plots germinated among figures loyal to constitutional monarchist and conservative traditions such as Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord and jurists influenced by the July 20th conspirators circle around Carl Goerdeler and former diplomats like Ulrich von Hassell. Opposition included veterans of the Kapp Putsch era and members of the Confessing Church allied in moral opposition to Nazi ideology with contacts to military dissidents like Henning von Tresckow and Claus von Stauffenberg. The Eastern Front, losses at Kursk and the collapse of Army Group Centre heightened urgency among advocates of a negotiated settlement with the Western Allies and the United States.
Conspiracy and Planning
Key planners from the Wehrmacht General Staff—Friedrich Olbricht, Hans Speidel, Erwin von Witzleben and Ludwig Beck—coordinated with Abwehr officers including Adolf von Trotha associates and diplomatic contacts such as Ernst von Weizsäcker and Ulrich von Hassell. Claus von Stauffenberg, a Reserve officer and staffer at the OKH headquarters, became central after losing a hand and eye at Tunis and developing conviction that removing Adolf Hitler was necessary. The conspirators prepared Operation Valkyrie, adapting the existing Valkyrie continuity-of-government directive drafted by the Reserve Army staff under Olbricht to seize control of Berlin through Heinz Guderian-style occupation of key installations like the Reich Chancellery, Berlin radio and Oberkommando der Wehrmacht communication centers. Contacts extended to civilian leaders including Carl Goerdeler, Johannes Popitz, and industrial figures who sought rapid recognition from the Western Allies, British and United States of America negotiators.
The Attempt on Hitler's Life
On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg attended a conference at the Wolfsschanze headquarters near Rastenburg and placed a briefcase bomb beneath a table during a meeting with Adolf Hitler, Wilhelm Keitel, Alfred Jodl, and other staff. The explosive device detonated but was displaced by a conference table leg, and Adolf Hitler survived with relatively minor injuries; nearby officers such as Walter Warlimont and Erich Fellgiebel were spared or affected differently. Stauffenberg flew back to Berlin where conspirators activated modified provisions of the Valkyrie plan, mobilizing units under officers like Friedrich Olbricht and Werner von Haeften through the Reich Reserve Army to seize ministries, arrest Nazi Party leaders, and control communications at Funkhaus and Luftwaffe headquarters. Confusion and delayed orders—exacerbated by loyalty of figures such as Heinrich Himmler and the rapid countermeasures by Joseph Goebbels—allowed the Nazi command to rally pro-Hitler forces and declare the plot treason.
Aftermath and Repression
Following the failed assassination, Adolf Hitler addressed the nation and summoned decisive reprisals; Joseph Goebbels orchestrated propaganda portraying conspirators as traitors while Heinrich Himmler and Wilhelm Keitel directed arrests across the Wehrmacht, Abwehr and civil service. The Gestapo and Sicherheitsdienst executed an extensive purge, detaining aristocrats, officers, diplomats and civilians linked to figures like Carl Goerdeler and Ludwig Beck. The collapse of the coup led to intensified measures by the Nazi Party leadership, the strengthening of Heinrich Himmler's influence over internal security, and the marginalization of moderates such as Erwin Rommel—whose alleged involvement sparked propaganda and later debates.
Trials and Executions
Detainees faced rapid military and political trials before special tribunals including the People's Court presided over by Roland Freisler. Prominent defendants—Ludwig Beck, Friedrich Olbricht, Claus von Stauffenberg, Hans Oster affiliates, and civilian leaders like Carl Goerdeler—were convicted and executed; methods included staged shootings, hangings, and public displays at Plötzensee Prison. High-profile executions of conspirators such as Claus von Stauffenberg, Friedrich Olbricht, Ludwig Beck and others were used in Nazi propaganda to deter further dissent. The purge extended to families and associates, and prominent figures like Erwin von Witzleben and Ulrich von Hassell were killed following coerced confessions under Gestapo interrogation.
Legacy and Historical Assessment
Post-war assessments in Federal Republic of Germany and among historians have debated the motives, scope, and effectiveness of the conspirators, with figures like Claus von Stauffenberg becoming symbols in memorials such as the German Resistance Memorial Center and in cultural works including films like Valkyrie. Scholars contrast the moral courage of officers like Henning von Tresckow and Ludwig Beck with criticisms that conspirators lacked a coherent plan for post-Hitler governance and failed to secure external guarantees from Allied leaders such as Winston Churchill or Franklin D. Roosevelt. Recent historiography examines links to German conservative traditions exemplified by Carl Goerdeler and the interplay with institutions like the Reichswehr and Oberkommando des Heeres. The episode remains central to debates over resistance within Nazi Germany, the role of the Wehrmacht during Holocaust policies, and the legal and ethical legacy for post-war Germany.