“The attempted assassination of Hitler” most often refers to the July 20, 1944, plot in which German Army officer Claus von Stauffenberg placed a bomb at a military briefing attended by Adolf Hitler. Hitler survived, and the coup attempt that followed collapsed within hours; the Nazi regime then executed or otherwise persecuted thousands of people connected to the resistance.
Why German officers plotted against Hitler
Opposition to Hitler existed in Germany before the war, but it was never a single, unified movement. It included conservative critics, religious opponents, socialists, students, and members of the armed forces. The July 1944 conspirators were part of a network of civilian and military opponents who believed Hitler’s dictatorship had brought Germany to disaster and that removing him might allow a new government to end the war.
By 1944, Germany’s military position had deteriorated sharply. Allied forces had landed in Normandy in June, while the Soviet Union was advancing from the east. Officers involved in the plot also knew of the regime’s mass murder and other crimes. Their motives were not identical: some were driven by concern for Germany’s defeat, others by moral or political opposition to Nazi rule, and some by a mixture of these reasons. The conspirators did not represent all Germans or the whole German military.
Their plans combined assassination with a takeover of government. Killing Hitler was intended to create the opening for action by the military reserve, whose units could be ordered to secure key sites in Berlin and elsewhere. The conspirators hoped to arrest leading Nazi officials and establish a new authority that could seek an end to the war. The plan depended on quick communication, obedience to orders, and Hitler’s death; each proved uncertain.
How the July 20 bomb plot unfolded
Stauffenberg, a colonel who had access to Hitler’s military headquarters, became the central figure in the final attempt. On July 20, 1944, he carried a briefcase containing an explosive device into a conference at the Wolf’s Lair, Hitler’s headquarters in East Prussia, now in Poland. He armed one bomb before the meeting, but circumstances prevented him from preparing a second charge.
Stauffenberg placed the briefcase near Hitler and left the room, using a telephone call as a reason to depart. Another officer moved the case behind a thick table support. The bomb exploded during the briefing, killing four people and injuring others. Hitler was hurt but survived. The heavy table and the movement of the briefcase helped shield him from the blast. The explosion was not a separate attempt that failed to detonate: the bomb did explode, but it did not kill its intended target.
Stauffenberg left the headquarters believing Hitler was dead. He returned to Berlin, where conspirators began implementing their coup plan, known as Operation Valkyrie. The operation was based on existing orders for mobilizing reserve forces in an emergency; plotters altered how those orders would be used, presenting the crisis as an alleged uprising by the SS.
Why the coup failed
The coup depended on the false report that Hitler had died. As confirmation remained uncertain and then evidence of his survival reached Berlin, some officers hesitated or refused to act. Communications were slow and confused, and Nazi authorities used the radio and telephone network to reassert control. Orders issued by the conspirators were countermanded, and the reserve army did not secure the government’s key institutions as planned.
Stauffenberg and several fellow conspirators were arrested at the Bendlerblock, the Berlin military headquarters used by the plotters. That night, July 20, Stauffenberg, Friedrich Olbricht, Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, and Werner von Haeften were shot in the courtyard. Colonel-General Ludwig Beck, another leading conspirator, was allowed to attempt suicide and was then killed after surviving his first attempt.
The plot’s failure was not simply a matter of the bomb missing Hitler. The conspiracy needed the assassination and the political takeover to work together. Hitler’s survival undermined the orders on which the coup relied, while divisions and hesitation among potential supporters made it difficult to regain momentum.
Arrests, trials, and the Nazi response
The regime carried out a sweeping investigation after the failed coup. The People’s Court, led by Roland Freisler, tried many suspects in proceedings that were designed to display and reinforce Nazi power rather than provide an impartial hearing. Senior conspirators, including Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben and former foreign minister Ulrich von Hassell, were among those executed in the months that followed.
Thousands of people were arrested in the wider crackdown, including relatives and associates of suspects. The exact number depends on whom a count includes; not everyone arrested was tried or executed. Hundreds of people were executed in connection with the resistance and the aftermath of July 20, though estimates vary by definition and source. The executions and reprisals extended well beyond the officers immediately involved in the bomb attempt.
Other attempts on Hitler’s life
July 20 was the best-known military conspiracy, but it was not the only attempt to kill Hitler. In November 1939, carpenter Georg Elser planted a time bomb in Munich’s Bürgerbräukeller, where Hitler had addressed supporters on the anniversary of the failed 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler left earlier than expected, and the bomb exploded after his departure, killing eight people and injuring many more. Elser was arrested and later murdered at Dachau in 1945.
There were also other plans that did not reach their intended moment or were abandoned. Their circumstances differed, and they should not be confused with the July 20 plot. The distinction is important: the phrase “the attempted assassination of Hitler” can refer broadly to several efforts, but it commonly means Stauffenberg’s bomb and the associated coup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Hitler die in the July 20, 1944, attempt?
No. The bomb exploded, but Hitler survived with injuries. He died by suicide in Berlin on April 30, 1945, as Germany was near defeat.
Who placed the bomb?
Claus von Stauffenberg carried the bomb into the Wolf’s Lair and placed the briefcase near Hitler. Other members of the resistance helped plan the attack and the coup that was meant to follow.
Why did the bomb fail to kill Hitler?
The bomb detonated, but a heavy table support and the briefcase’s position reduced the force reaching Hitler. The conference was also held in a room where the blast could disperse differently than it would in a more enclosed space.
What was Operation Valkyrie?
It was an existing German military plan for deploying reserve forces during an emergency. The conspirators repurposed it to seize control, claiming that the SS had launched a coup, but the plan unraveled after Hitler’s survival became known.
Was July 20 the only attempt on Hitler’s life?
No. Georg Elser’s 1939 bombing in Munich is another well-documented attempt. Several additional plots were planned or considered, although many were abandoned before an attack could take place.
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