Throughout all the atrocities of World War II, the German leader Adolf Hitler appeared to be uncontested in his power as Führer of Germany. However, as World War II progressed, several individuals including several of Hitler’s top generals realized that German victory at that point was impossible. One of those top men was a man named Claus Von Stauffenberg. Rather than wait for the direct invasion of the Allied Forces into Germany and sign a treaty that he knew would be unfair for Germany, Stauffenberg took matters into his own hands and decided to make an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler for July 20, 1944.
Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was born on November 15, 1907 to a wealthy Roman Catholic aristocratic family in Jettingen, a town in Swabia, which is in present-day Bavaria or southern Germany. He parents were Alfred Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, a Württemberg Army officer, and Caroline Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, and they were again part of a very noble family that had dominated social circles for centuries. Claus was the youngest of three brothers, his other two being twins Berthold and Alexander. Claus grew up to be an ambitious young man, full of energy and great potential. He entered the German Youth movement at a young age, and he became associated with the Nazi Party.
As the Stauffenberg boys grew up, their education centered around literature, but Claus eventually decided to become involved with the military as he entered the War Academy in Berlin and then joined the General Staff in 1938. He served as a quartermaster in General Erich Hoepner's 1st Light Division, which was renamed 6th Panzer Division in November 1939.
Claus traveled quite frequently, and the campaigns his regiment took carried over into countries such as the Sudentenland, France, Poland, and Tunisia. During Operation Barbarossa undertaken by the Germans, Claus saw several brutal atrocities committed by the Schutz Staffeinel (SS), the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), and the Gestapo that convinced him of the evils of the Nazi Regime. He was particularly appalled by the Nazi treatment of Russian prisoners-of-war, the brutal treatment of the Russian citizens when they were occupied by the Nazis, and especially the mass murder of the Jews in the concentration camps. He then became associated with Nazi resistance movements that had surfaced in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
“You cannot expect people who have broken their spine once or twice to stand up straight when a new decision has to be made.”-Claus von Stauffenberg
Stauffenberg then was moved to Erwin Rommel’s 10th Panzer Division in early 1943. However, as he was in Sebkhet en Noual, south of Mezzouna in the North African desert, he was attacked by British air bombers who destroyed Stauffenberg’s vehicle and seriously injured him. Claus lost his left eye, his right forearm, and the four and fifth fingers on his left hand. This experience caused him to take a more active role in destroying the Nazi Regime by specifically assassinating Hitler.
“We took this challenge before our Lord and our conscience, and it must be done, because this man, Hitler, he is the ultimate evil.”-Claus von Stauffenberg
Claus Stauffenberg then decided to recruit for a massive undertaking against Adolf Hitler’s life. Although more than 7000 were arrested and 4980 were executed by the Gestapo, Stauffenberg joined specifically with by Wilhelm Canaris, Carl Goerdeler, Julius Leber, Ulrich Hassell, Hans Oster, Henning von Tresckow, Fabin Schlabrendorff, Peter von Wartenburg, Ludwig Beck, and Erwin von Witzleben into what is now famously known as the July 20 plot. Stauffenberg had before tried six times to assassinate the top three officials of the Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler, Hermann Goering, and Heinrich Himmler, but because of Hitler’s inconsistency and often sporadic locations, Stauffenberg could often not pin down Hitler in once spot to kill him.
“Is there no officer over there in the Fuhrer's headquarters capable of shooting that beast!”-Claus von Stauffenberg
However, on July 20, 1944, Stauffenberg had his opportunity to kill Hitler. After being appointed a Chief of Staff to Home Military Commander Friedrich Fromm, Claus gained personal access to briefing meetings with Hitler’s top military commanders. The July 20 plot entailed not only killing Hitler but staging a coup in which all communication lines would be cut, key military buildings would be seized, and Ludwig Beck, Erwin von Witzleben and Friedrich Fromm were to take full control of the army. Stauffenberg entered a meeting at the Wolf’s Lair, one of Hitler’s main headquarters. As Stauffenberg entered the room, he placed a bomb in a briefcase underneath the main desk right next to Hitler’s feet. As he left the room to “make an important phone,” Stauffenberg did not realize that an officer had moved the briefcase to another spot to make room for his feet. At 12:42 P.M., the bomb exploded and sent the hut in flames. Claus, thinking that no one could have survived the blast, got on an airplane and headed back to Berlin. However, the blast had only wounded Hitler in the arm.
“Long live our holy Germany!”-Claus von Stauffenberg
Afterwards, the coup completely fell apart. No action was made to cut off the communication lines, so Joseph Goebbels, the minister of propaganda, announced to all of Germany that Hitler had indeed survived the attack. Fromm, too scared to make any action, immediately pointed to Stauffenberg as the leader of the conspiracy. Stauffenberg was arrested that night along with three others, and they were shot to death at 12:30 A.M. Before he was shot, Stauffenberg shouted his final last words, “Long live our holy Germany!” This final call shows that Stauffenberg was a man committed to his country and to the well-being of the state. His act of patriotism still inspires people today to overtake ruthless leaders in government. Claus left a legacy that still resonates in Germany, as he is considered a national hero. Claus von Stauffenberg definitely overcame popular interest in a man so evil, and he made the right attempt to take out this dictator to save hundreds of lives.
