Les tentatives d'assassinat d'Adolf Hitler

Summary

هذا الخلاصة تلخص قصة مثيرة حول محاولة القتل لآدولف هتلر من قبل عدة رجال من شأنهم. يتضمن النص التفاصيل الهامة حول محاولة الانتحار الفاشل لجون جورج Elser، ومحاولات الانقلاب العسكري التي قادها اللواء هانين فين تريسكوف، وفابيان فون شلابرندروف، رودولف فون غيرسبورد، و كلاوس فون شتاوفنبرغ. تشير القصة إلى الفشل المتكرر في محاولات الاغتيال، بسبب الحظ المبارك الذي يتمتع به هتلر، وتأثير الأحداث التاريخية الكبيرة مثل معركة ستالينغراد، والهجوم على الشمال والغرب، وعمليات الNormandy. وتشير الأحداث إلى الصراع الداخلي الذي شهدته ألمانيا بين العدالة والشرف، والتزام البعض بحماية الوطن من الديكتاتورية، حتى توفي البعض في محاولة لتغيير الأحداث. وتختم القصة بأحداث الانتحار ل هتلر في بيرلين، وتأثير هذه الأحداث الكبيرة على الأحداث التاريخية.

Takeaways

• 🔫 **المحاولة الأولى على حيات هتلر**: جوهن جورج إلسر، النجار المحترف، يحاول القضاء على هتلر بصنع قنبلة ووضعها في المكان الذي سيلقي فيه هتلر خطابه، لكن الخطة تفشل بسبب اختصار خطاب هتلر.
• 🇩🇪 **الدعم العسكري للنازية**: بعد السيطرة على السلطة، يمنح نفسه هتلر اللقب "قائد للشعب الألماني" ويُعد رئيسًا عاليًا للجيش، مما يربط العدالة الشخصية بالführer.
• 👥 **محاولات القضاء على هتلر**: بعد السيطرة النا粹ة على السلطة، تفشل أكثر من 30 محاولة لقمع هتلر، مما يظهر ما يُعرف بـ "حظ الشيطان" المحمي له.
• 💣 **المحاولات المتكررة**: عدة أضباط وضابطين يحاولون القضاء على هتلر، ولكنهم يفشلون جميعًا بسبب تعزيز الأمان وعدم معرفة لجهم وحركاته.
• 🇷🇺 **الحرب الروسية**: تبدأ ال纳粹 الهجمات على روسيا وتشتعل حرب惨烈، مما يؤدي إلى تراجع الجيوش الألمانية وتدمير الخيال بالانتصار الكامل.
• 🚑 **الفشل في استمرار الخطة**: بعد الفشل في القضاء على هتلر، يحاول الضباط الناซี السيطرة على السلطة في برلين من خلال تنفيذ خطة "فالكيريا"، ولكن الخطة تفشل بسبب الأخطاء والأخطاء التنظيمية.
• 🔥 **التفجير في الباراغون**: يحاول إلسر القضاء على هتلر من خلال تركيز قنبلة في الباراغون، ولكن يفشل التفجير مرة أخرى بسبب اختصار خطاب هتلر.
• 🎼 **الفشل في التفجير في المليئة**: يحاول von Stauffenberg القضاء على هتلر خلال التفجير في المليئة، ولكن التفجير يفشل مرة أخرى بسبب تغيرات في موقع الاجتماع وحركة القنابل.
• 🛂 **الاعتقال وال处决**: بعد الفشل في محاولة ال暗杀، يتعرض العديد من الضباط والمسؤولين الناซีين للاعتقال وال处决، ويتم تبني الأحداث على التلفزيون والصحف لصالح ال纳粹.
• 🎥 **الأحداث السينمائية**: تصور ال处决ات النازية للضباط الناซีين الناقدين للنظام، وترسل اللقطات إلى قيادة ال纳粹 في كل ليلة.
• ☠️ **النهاية**: ينتهي مطاف الحياة ل هتلر بنفسه عندما يختار الانتحار في بونكر الرئاسي في برلين، مع ال入口 من الروس على العاصمة الألمانية.

Q & A

ジョルジュ・サンド是谁，为什么她的名字与巴黎的一个地点联系在一起？

ジョルジュ・サンド是20世纪初的一位著名法国女性作家，以其文学成就和独立精神而闻名。她的名字与巴黎联系在一起，因为她在巴黎生活和创作，对这座城市的文化生活产生了重要影响。

希特勒在1933年掌权后，为何他能够迅速获得德国民众的广泛支持？

希特勒在1933年掌权后，通过承诺恢复国家经济和民族自豪感，以及利用民众对凡尔赛条约和大萧条后经济困境的不满，迅速获得了德国民众的广泛支持。他的宣传技巧和群众动员能力也起到了关键作用。

乔治·艾尔瑟是如何准备并实施对希特勒的暗杀企图的？

乔治·艾尔瑟是一名熟练的木匠和共产主义同情者。他在慕尼黑的啤酒馆工作坊里花了三个月时间准备炸弹。他选择了1939年11月8日希特勒在慕尼黑的演讲作为行动日期，并在演讲地点的柱子中隐藏了炸弹，设置了定时装置。不幸的是，希特勒由于天气原因改变了行程，提前离开了演讲地点，导致暗杀企图失败。

为什么希特勒在多次暗杀企图中都能幸存下来，他有什么特别的保护措施吗？

希特勒在多次暗杀企图中幸存下来，部分原因是他的运气，但同时也因为他采取了严格的安全措施。他的个人保镖、医生和厨师始终陪伴在他身边，他的飞机和车辆都经过特别定制以提高安全性。此外，他的行踪和日程经常保密，使得潜在的刺客难以预测他的下一步行动。

为什么说希特勒的死可能会改变世界历史？

希特勒的死可能会改变世界历史，因为他是纳粹德国的独裁者和第二次世界大战的主要发起者。如果他早些时候被暗杀，可能会导致德国的战争政策和侵略行为提前结束，从而减少战争带来的破坏和生命损失。此外，欧洲的政治格局和战后的世界秩序可能会因此而不同。

冯·施陶芬贝格是如何参与暗杀希特勒的行动的，他的行动结果如何？

冯·施陶芬贝格是德国陆军的一名上校，也是反对希特勒的抵抗运动的重要成员。1944年7月20日，他携带炸弹进入希特勒的会议地点——狼窝，并将装有炸弹的公文包放在会议室的桌下。由于一系列意外情况，包括另一位军官移动了公文包的位置，导致炸弹的爆炸并未致命希特勒。尽管施陶芬贝格认为希特勒已死，并试图在柏林发动政变，但最终行动失败，希特勒幸存下来。

为什么冯·特雷斯科夫和其他军官决定采取行动反对希特勒？

冯·特雷斯科夫和其他一些军官对希特勒的暴政、对德国和其他国家人民的残酷对待，以及他发动的战争导致的灾难性后果感到愤慨。他们认为希特勒是德国和世界的公敌，他们出于对国家和人民的责任，决定采取行动以消除希特勒。

为什么说希特勒的死亡可能避免了更多的战争和屠杀？

希特勒是纳粹德国的领导人，对第二次世界大战的爆发和期间的大屠杀负有主要责任。如果他早些时候被暗杀，可能会提前结束德国的侵略行为，从而避免了更多的战争破坏和无辜平民的死亡，尤其是犹太人大屠杀的进一步扩大。

冯·特雷斯科夫在策划暗杀希特勒的行动中扮演了什么角色？

冯·特雷斯科夫是德国陆军的一名上校，也是反对希特勒的抵抗运动的核心人物之一。他参与了多次暗杀希特勒的策划和准备，包括1944年7月20日的炸弹暗杀企图。他还帮助制定了“瓦尔基里行动”的修改版，该计划旨在希特勒死后迅速控制柏林并建立新政府。

为什么说暗杀希特勒的行动是一次失败的抵抗？

尽管有多起暗杀希特勒的企图，包括冯·施陶芬贝格和冯·特雷斯科夫等人的行动，但最终都未能成功。这些行动的失败导致了抵抗运动的成员被逮捕和处决，同时希特勒继续其独裁统治，直到第二次世界大战结束前夕才自杀。这些失败的暗杀行动未能改变德国和世界历史的进程。

希特勒在1944年7月20日的暗杀企图中幸存下来后，德国内部发生了什么变化？

希特勒在1944年7月20日的暗杀企图中幸存下来后，他加强了对军队和政府内部的清洗，处决了许多涉嫌参与暗杀企图的军官和官员。他还利用这一事件加强对德国人民的宣传，声称自己是被一小撮野心勃勃的军官背叛的，从而增强了自己在民众中的形象。此外，希特勒还加强了对德国国内的控制和镇压，导致德国的抵抗运动受到严重打击。

Outlines

00:00

😀 Assassination Attempts on Hitler

The first paragraph introduces various individuals, including Georg Elser and four aristocratic officers, who sought to assassinate Hitler due to his unacceptable leadership. It discusses their honor, the underestimated strength of Hitler's protection, and the backdrop of World War II. It also covers the early German victories and eventual hardships faced during the Russian campaign, highlighting Hitler's delusional promises and the reality of war.

05:00

🎯 Elser's Bomb Plot and Hitler's Narrow Escape

Paragraph 2 details Georg Elser's efforts to build a bomb and plant it at the Bürgerbräukeller, where Hitler was scheduled to speak. It outlines Elser's meticulous planning, his solitude in the act, and the unfortunate timing that led to Hitler's premature departure from the event, causing the bomb to detonate without harming Hitler. The subsequent investigation and Elser's arrest are also covered, along with the propaganda used by the German authorities to discredit the act as a British-led operation.

10:05

🏰 Hitler's Conquests and the French Campaign

This paragraph describes the swift and brutal defeat of the French army by the German forces, led by Hitler. It portrays the French government's capitulation and Hitler's subsequent tour of Paris, showcasing his triumph. It also touches upon the failed assassination attempt during a planned parade and Hitler's shift of focus back to the Eastern Front with the launch of Operation Barbarossa.

15:09

🇷🇺 The Brutality of Operation Barbarossa

Paragraph 4 delves into the horrific details of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It discusses the massive scale of the invasion, the devastation wrought upon the Red Army, and the inhumane treatment of prisoners by the Nazis. The narrative also includes the internal resistance within the German military, the moral conflict faced by its officers, and the numerous failed attempts to assassinate Hitler.

20:13

✈️ The Failed Assassination Plot on Hitler's Plane

The fifth paragraph narrates an assassination attempt on Hitler's life via a bomb on his airplane. It describes the preparation of the bomb, disguised as a package of cognac, and the meticulous planning behind the operation. However, the plot failed due to a last-minute change in Hitler's schedule, leading to the recovery of the unexploded package and the quick thinking of one of the conspirators, Schlabrendorff, who replaced the bomb with real bottles of cognac.

25:15

🔥 The Heroes' Memorial Day Bomb Plot

Paragraph 6 recounts another failed assassination attempt during a remembrance ceremony at the military museum. Colonel von Gersdorff, prepared to sacrifice himself, carried a bomb with a timed detonator. However, Hitler's unexpectedly short visit to the museum thwarted the plan, forcing Gersdorff to defuse the bomb in a restroom. The paragraph also highlights Hitler's continued survival through multiple assassination attempts and the eventual Allied invasion of Normandy.

30:16

🚔 Rommel's Role and the Stauffenberg Conspiracy

This paragraph discusses Erwin Rommel's popularity and the hope among German resistors that he would support their cause against Hitler. It also covers Rommel's tragic death in a car attack by Allied forces. The narrative then shifts to Colonel von Stauffenberg's preparation for a critical assassination attempt on Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, carrying two bombs intended to ensure success.

35:16

💣 Stauffenberg's Assassination Attempt at the Wolf's Lair

Paragraph 8 details Stauffenberg's planting of a bomb at a meeting with Hitler and other high-ranking officials. It describes the setting of the timer, the unexpected move of the briefcase containing the bomb, and the failed explosion due to the briefcase being moved behind a supporting pillar. The paragraph concludes with the chaos following the blast, Stauffenberg's belief that Hitler was dead, and the subsequent failure of Operation Valkyrie due to miscommunication and delays.

40:19

🕊️ The Aftermath of the July 20 Plot

The ninth paragraph describes the failure of the July 20 plot to assassinate Hitler and the brutal retaliation that followed. It details Hitler's survival, the arrest and execution of the conspirators, and the betrayal by General Friedrich Fromm. The narrative also includes the suicide of General Henning von Tresckow and the final fate of the conspirators, who were stripped of their honors and executed.

45:23

🏛️ The End of Hitler and the Reich

The final paragraph outlines the final days of Hitler, the fall of Berlin, and the end of the Third Reich. It describes Hitler's marriage to Eva Braun, his private will, and their subsequent suicides. The paragraph also covers the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp, the death of Georg Elser, and the symbolic raising of the red flag over the Reichstag, marking the end of Hitler's rule and the conclusion of World War II in Europe.

Keywords

💡Hitler

Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party and the Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945. His aggressive policies and militaristic ambitions led to World War II and the Holocaust, making him one of the most infamous figures in history. In the video, Hitler is the central figure whose assassination is attempted by various individuals in an effort to stop the war and his crimes against humanity.

💡Assassination Attempts

The script details multiple attempts to assassinate Hitler by individuals who opposed his regime. These attempts were driven by a desire to end the war and Hitler's reign of terror. Each attempt, as described in the video, was meticulously planned but ultimately failed due to a combination of luck and circumstances.

💡World War II

World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, involving many of the world's major powers. It was marked by significant events and atrocities, including the Holocaust and the use of nuclear weapons. In the context of the video, World War II serves as the backdrop for the various plots to assassinate Hitler.

💡Operation Valkyrie

Operation Valkyrie was a German military plan that existed to take control of the country in the event of Hitler's death or incapacity. In the video, it is mentioned as part of the plan to seize power in Germany after Hitler's intended assassination, with the aim of establishing a new government to end the war.

💡Conspiracy

The term refers to a secret plan by a group to overturn a government or to carry out a plot. In the video, it is used to describe the efforts of German officers and individuals who conspired against Hitler, planning his assassination and the subsequent actions to take control of the country.

💡Claus von Stauffenberg

Claus von Stauffenberg was a German army officer and a key figure in the German Resistance against the Nazi regime. He is most known for his role in the failed July 20 plot to assassinate Hitler. In the video, Stauffenberg is depicted as a man of honor who attempts to kill Hitler in order to save Germany and the world from his tyranny.

💡Holocaust

The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime during World War II. It represents one of the most horrific genocides in history. The video alludes to the Holocaust as part of the atrocities that the conspirators were trying to prevent by assassinating Hitler.

💡Nazi Regime

The Nazi regime refers to the totalitarian government of Germany led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) from 1933 to 1945. It was characterized by its aggressive foreign policy, racial purity ideology, and genocidal campaigns. The video highlights the efforts of those who opposed this regime and sought to end it by removing Hitler from power.

💡Resistance

In the context of the video, resistance refers to the opposition groups and individuals who worked against the Nazi regime. These resistors, including military officers and civilians, undertook various actions, including assassination attempts, to disrupt Hitler's rule and bring about its end.

💡Georg Elser

Georg Elser was a German worker who independently attempted to assassinate Hitler in 1939 by planting a bomb in the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich. His attempt is highlighted in the video as an example of individual courage and the desire to change the course of history.

💡SS

The SS, or Schutzstaffel, was a major paramilitary organization under the Nazi Party, led by Heinrich Himmler. It was responsible for many war crimes and the orchestration of the Holocaust. In the video, the SS is mentioned in the context of Hitler's security and the execution of those involved in the resistance.

Highlights

Five men, including a simple workman and four officers, plotted to assassinate Hitler due to his unacceptable leadership.

Hitler's survival through numerous assassination attempts was attributed to his 'luck of the Devil'.

German troops initially met with success in Russia, but their fortunes changed with the onset of winter.

Johann Georg Elser, a skilled carpenter, spent months preparing a bomb to assassinate Hitler.

Hitler's early departure from a planned speech at Bürgerbräukeller in Munich thwarted Elser's assassination attempt.

Investigation into the failed bomb attempt led to the swift arrest of Georg Elser as he tried to cross the Swiss border.

Hitler used the failed assassination attempt to bolster his image as divinely protected by the German people.

The rapid defeat of the French army and the capitulation of the French government in World War II showcased Hitler's military successes.

Erwin Rommel, despite being a popular figure, was hesitant to join the anti-Hitler conspiracy due to his oath of allegiance.

The Battle of Stalingrad marked the end of Hitler's invincibility and led to a realization among officers that they had been misled by Hitler.

Count Henning von Tresckow and others formed a resistance group within the military to eliminate Hitler, but all their attempts failed.

The Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, were a significant turning point in World War II against Hitler's Germany.

Claus von Stauffenberg's attempt to assassinate Hitler on July 20, 1944, at the Wolf's Lair failed due to a combination of factors including a moved briefcase.

The failed Operation Valkyrie led to the execution of Stauffenberg and many other co-conspirators.

Hitler's end came by his own hand in his bunker, with the Soviet forces closing in on Berlin.

Georg Elser was killed in his cell on Hitler's orders just weeks before the fall of Berlin.

The story highlights the courage and honor of those who attempted to assassinate Hitler, even though their efforts ultimately failed.

Transcripts

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.