The July Plot of 1944 - Essay Example

July Plot of 1944     Inserts His/Her   Inserts Grade Inserts inserts   The eventof July Plot The July plot of 1944, the glorious failure, has marked in history as an event that counted the lives of hundreds of people. It constitutes a series of arrests and trials which ended with mass killing and execution in Germany. Analyzing the history one can find that there were number of attempts to assassinate Hitler, the Nazi leader in Germany. The mass murder shows that the task was not an easy one but something furious. Historians have noticed many reasons that related with personal, political, psychological and military reasons behind the failure. Distorted political circumstances of the country in Germany wiped out the war situation and Hitler’s public interaction has reduced in monthly visit in Berlin. The leaders of the conspiracy included Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, General Ludwig Beck, Lieutenant Colonel Claus, and Count Schenk von Stauffenberg, The conspirators like Himmler and Stauffenberg were suspicious and they had their own personal intentions than the unified goal. Stauffenberg took the responsibility to carry out the assassination attempt. During the time of German Campaign against Soviet Union, Stauffenberg became frustrated with Hitler’s misrule. Beginning of his career Stauffenberg has revealed his loyalty and responsibility to Hitler and to Nazi Germany. But towards the end of 1930s, like others Stauffenberg began to think that Hitler’s misrule pull the nation in to the disaster. Stauffenberg’s plan was to plant a briefcase with the bomb in Hitler’s conference room. Stauffenberg’s words reveal his will power and intention. The article remarks;” In August 1942, he told a friend: “They are shooting Jews in masses. These crimes must not be allowed to continue” (Peter, 2004 P. 2). After the unsuccessful attempt of July plot Stauffenberg was honored as a courageous warrior who made an unending fight against Hitler’s despotic rule. A dreadful reality is that the purpose of the conspirators has changed and it came to be observed by some of them as achieving the military honors themselves. Most of them have worked under Hitler’s administration in their past. Martin Collier, Philip Pedley state that; “In Berlin, the conspiracy was paralyzed by indecision and vacillation” (Martin Collier& Philip Pedley, 2005 p. 122) Field Marshal Witzleben was a soldier who participated in the event of July plot 1944. Witzleben and others were found guilty and sentenced to hang. His dreadful death proves that he was a courageous fighter. The following comment about the conspirators underlines the fact that the conspirators are courageous people. It remarks that; “They were heroic because they knew their chances of success were slight and that the result of their failure would undoubtedly be a terrible death” (Ian Kershaw, 2009). Historians have marked one of the major reasons for the failure of the July plot is the failure of communication. Operation Walkuer have contained a series of planned action Against the General Adolf Hitler. Based on the plot after the assassination of the General the conspirators used the service of the army to take control over the major cities and Gestapo during the time of power vacuity. Later hours of 20th July General Eric Fellgiebel, who engaged in the plot had informed the other plotters that Hitler had escaped the explosion executed by Stauffenberg. This impetuous action proved that the plotters had personal intention other than their collective responsibility. Defective planning took away the successes of the plot. Benderblock, one of the conspirators refused to obey the orders and it reveals the fact that Conspirators of the July plot had their own personal intentions and goals. Analyzing the event of July plot one can find that bad luck and indecisiveness have played a vital role in Hitler’s escape. Communication failure has reached its zenith when Stauffenberg landed near Berlin after three hours later to the explosion. Due to construction work and the heavy heat of the day, the function where Hitler would have been killed took place at another place. Besides this, unlike Stauffenberg other conspirators had not much confidence and technicality. The Conspirators had planned the entire operation but the problem was the failure of the bomb that had been designed for the attempt. Conspirators failed to take control over radio stations and other important places; and as a result of this the news of Hitler’s escape could not be prevented. The conspirators were not sure whether Hitler was deceased or not. The event of July plot is considered as the conclusion of the German Resistance Armies plans to remove Hitler from power. German Resistance group, consisted of various political and ideological groups had an isolated stature. These cultural groups represented the different layers of the German society. Lack of common support became another reason for the failure of the secret plot against the German ruler. Hans Rothfels’ comment about the German Resistance group is helpful to understand more about their intentions. After the analysis one can find that the event of July plot had a serious and noble aim. The author comments that; “Stauffenberg, Goerdeler and Beck – were motivated by an ethical and moral hatred of Nazism and were united in a desire to forge a new Germany based on principles of freedom and the rule of law out of ashes of the Nazi regime” (Frank, 2001). Continuous torturing of the members of the Resistance army paved the way for searching more direct and planned approach against Hitler. Many people were arrested and imprisoned without proper trial and search. The early part of the Russian campaign, the aims and objectives are clear and visible for the military commanders, But the remaining part of the campaign objectives and methods are deviated from national interests. Gradually the Army lost control over acts which happened behind the Army region. Mass killings and military crimes forced the soldiers to react against Hitler. Then the commanders began to think about the way in which Hitler could be dethroned. The journal article named History Of The Attempt On Hitlers Life (20 July 1944) helps one to increase his/her knowledge about the reasons of the failure of July plot. The author remarks; “That is why the conspiracy originated only with members of the higher commands; it is also why so many persons now say that they knew practically nothing of the crimes” (D., Freiherr Rudolf Christoph von Gersdorff & Generalmajor A, n. d.). The decision came from the knowledge of the cruel and uncivilized methods practiced in the land of Russia such as the persecution of Jews, sufferings in the concentration camps, other devilish acts promoted by the Nazi politics. Researchers have noticed that one of the vital reasons for the failure of the plot was that the soldiers had no knowledge about the crimes and atrocities. Analyzing the history one can easily reach at the solution that Hitter deserved death. But the leaders of the conspiracy have failed to organize different groups for the successful implementation of collective responsibility. Absolute certainty of success has provided some confusion and fear to the mind of the authorities who engaged the plot. The leaders of the conspiracy have failed to make unity in opinion. In the beginning Field Marshal Erwin Rommel has refused the suggestion and He claimed that such kind of attempt would turn Hitler in to a martyr or a national hero. The leaders of the conspiracy have proved their bravery and will power through their dealings. In case of Stauffenberg one can see that he was a person of valor and a real leader. As the leader of the plot Stauffenberg has shown a deep moral courage and he stood both among the dithering group of conspirators and in his crucial actions at Rastenburg. The leaders of the July plot believed that it is the final chance to assassinate Hitler and this time the commanders of the plot began to think of themselves as condemned persons. Their plans were more symbolic than real. One can see that the time of planning the operation the conspirators who had enough moral support in the idea of killing Hitler but then they had lost it partly when they were receiving the horrible news of the murder at the city of Auchwits. Ian Kershaw remarks; “They were heroic because they knew their chances of success were slight and that the result of their failure would undoubtedly be a terrible death” (Ian Kershaw, 2009). This may forced a reader to think that lack of confidence haunted the conspirators of July plot. Initial stage of the conspiracy the plotters hoped to remove Hitler from thorn and put him on trial for his barbarous crimes, but the possibility of a civil war forced them to reach the conclusion that Hitler must be killed. This uncertainty had haunted the conspirators to the end. The July bomb plot came almost closer to success in assassinating Hitler, which was carried out by the military officers who came to believe that Germans would taste bitterness of defeat in the Second World War and so they preferred to end it. What prompted them to do so was the firm belief that the allies would be accepting any offer for negotiations only after Hitler’s death. That the Germans had been approaching defeat was strong especially with the Russian victory at Stalingrad. “Hitler had frequently warned those in his inner circle that they all faced the problem of assassination attempts. Reinhard Heydrich had been assassinated in Prague and in 1942 there had been a failed attempt on Goebbels life. However, Hitler took great steps to prevent such attempts” (The July Bomb Plot, 2009). “Hitler never trusted the professional army officers. His disdain came about because of the poor generalship in World War I that killed millions of German soldiers. He was always worried that the Army would attempt to take over the government” (The Plot to Assassinate Hitler July 20, 1944, 2007). Hitler the proponent of the Aryan Supremacy theory was a ruthless leader of blind nationalism, and his ideas were quite disturbing taking into account the massive destruction to human life that those ideas caused. This has to be seen particularly in the light of the efforts to extirpate the Jewish race from the face of the earth. The eventual fall that the Germans were to face and the horrors that would befall the entire world, if his ideas continued to dominate the scene at the Second World War, were well anticipated by the generals of his own army. The dissatisfaction and the abhorrence of people who were sure of the mistakes and dangers in the efforts of Hitler, took a concrete step in the July assassination plot on Hitler. To them, and the people who wished to see Germany not go into the hands of other nations in the event of a defeat if Hitler continued to dictate, the July plot was of a noble cause. Not only his belief that the poor generalship during the first war led the destruction millions of German soldiers, but also a sense of danger to his life which was seen in his not permitting anyone carrying arms to come near him made him doubt the intentions of his own generals during the second world war. The prominent men engaged in the efforts to assassinate Hitler were: A noted spymaster in the Nazi army, Wilhelm Canaris wanted to see peace established and for this purpose he wanted to assassinate Hitler, in which effort he conspired with some other high ranking German officers. He tried to protect the German opposition against Hitler. His own words bear witness to his noble purpose behind the assassination attempt at Hitler. “I die for my fatherland. I have a clear conscience. I only did my duty to my country when I tried to oppose the criminal folly of Hitler” (Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, 2009). While noting this, we may also find a contradiction in what he says since very easily we can see that this very person was behind the conviction trial of people of the opposition. In addition to this, it is quite baffling that it is he who made ready the plans for the cruel acts of Hitler in the third Reich. As a submarine captain he did outstanding work at the First World War and was a sung war hero of that time. In the year 1938, when Hitler tried to attack Czechoslovakia, it is this man who tried preventing Hitler’s action. His action against Hitler could be justified from his own viewpoint as we see that he tried to save many people who were condemned to the concentration camp. One of Canaris’ friends, Hans Bernd Gisevius, tells about the Admiral in his book from 1947 To the Bitter End: “Canaris hated not only Hitler and Himmler, but the entire Nazi system as a political phenomenon. He was everywhere and nowhere at once. Everywhere he traveled, at home and abroad and to the front, he always left a whirl of confusion behind him. In reality this small, frail, and somewhat timid man was a vibrating bundle of nerves. Extremely well read, oversensitive, Canaris was an outsider in every respect. In bearing and manner of work he was the most unmilitary of persons.” Hans Oster was born as the son of a protestant clergyman, and became a noted soldier during the First World War. After the murder of Bredow during the Night of the Long Knives Oster became a strong opponent of Adolf Hitler (Spartacus, 2009). His notable works were that he succeeded in sending important documents regarding what Hitler planned to do, to other nations. Warned about the dangers the nations like Czechoslovakia and Poland faced from the hands of Hitler. On July 20, 1944 the area under Stulpnagel’s command was the only place where all the conspirators’ plans for the day of the coup were successfully implemented. When it became clear that the attempt to kill Hitler had failed, Stulpnagel tried to commit suicide, seriously wounding himself (Biographies, Stülpnagel. 2009). He was a general staff officer during the First World War. Following the failure of his plan to assassinate Hitler, he was condemned by the people’s court. Ludwig Beck began his career as a cadet in the Prussian army, and in 1935 he rose to the position of the Chief of Army General Staff. “Until 1938 Beck attempted to influence Hitlers foreign policy with papers, memoranda, and presentations. He concurred with Carl Goerdeler in his uncompromising rejection of the risk a war would involve. In the summer of 1938 Beck unsuccessfully called upon the senior generals to resign simultaneously to prevent the impending war in Europe” (Biographies, Ludwig Beck, 2009). He was one of the masterminds behind the assassinating effort and was to become head of state secretary if Hitler died. While Germany invaded Russia in 1941, and following Russian winter which caused the death several German soldiers, Olbricht worked out a plan with general Staff—a plan to assassinate Hitler, and take the reigns. “The coup was planned for 20th July, 1944, and when word reached Olbricht that a bomb had been detonated in Hitler’s headquarters, he and Colonel Albrecht Ritter Mertz von Quirnheim mobilized the Reserve Army. The plan soon faltered when word arrived that Hitler was still alive and the Nazis regained control of the situation” (Silvester, 2009). Count Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a noted and glorious figure who did noble work during the second world war. Though a German army officer, he could not digest the plans of Hitler, and turned against the Nazi regime, and eventually landed in the group who planned to execute Hitler. Von Stauffenberg planted a briefcase bomb during a staff meeting with Hitler on 20 July 1944. The bomb went off as planned, but by chance Hitler was shielded by a heavy conference table and survived (Claus von Stauffenberg Biography, 2009). Though he escaped to Berlin, he was caught and killed. In June 1944, the conspiracy took a major step forward when Stauffenberg was promoted to full colonel and made the Chief-of-Staff to General Fromm. In July, 1944, Stauffenbesrg was made the Chief of Staff and this necessitated that he attends the meetings called by Hitler. It was now necessary for Stauffenberg to attend meetings that were headed by Hitler. “He first met Hitler on June 7th, 1944, just one day after D-Day. Now the German Army was faced with the probability of destruction on two fronts - something that the conspirators could not allow. Hence, speed became the essence. Tresckow sent Stauffenberg a message from the Eastern Front:"The assassination must be attempted, at any cost. Even should that fail, the attempt to seize power in the capital must be undertaken. We must prove to the world and to the future generations that the men of the German resistance movement dared to take the decisive step and to hazard their lives upon it. Compared with this, nothing else matters” (July bomb plot, 2009 Para 6). Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, who was once the mayor of Leipzig, preferred to act from basic ethical notions, in opposing Hitler’s policy and also in his role in trying to end the rule of Hitler. “He disagreed with conspirators who believed they must kill the dictator, but he was intensely active in the political preparations for a post-Hitler government and in efforts to win British support for the aims of the German Resistance”(The Second world war, 2009). The noble purpose of the plot of 1944 could be seen as the result of the reasoning of many men who desired to see the end of the world warII, and to save the mankind from the scourge of immense torture like that the Jews faced at the hand of Hitler, the notorious man who propagated the evil notions of blind patriotic spirit and a vehement desire to capitalize on other nations and people. Looking at this from this view point, we may see that the men behind the plot had noble ideals as they wanted to put an end to unnecessary suffering imposed on humanity by the ruthless dictators like Hitler. This point is justified as we look at this statement at Ireland’s first Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration in January 2003: “If the plot had succeeded, the war could have been shortened, the slaughter ended, and the lives of millions of Jews saved” (The Hitler Plot, 20 July 1944, 2009). This is illustrative of the fact that the people who underwent immense suffering and those who heard of the torture unleashed by Hitler, in the succeeding generations were totally opposed to the tyrannical and destroying attitude of Hitler especially his steps towards extirpating the Jewish race from the face of this earth. Why the plot failed? There had been many attempts at Hitler’s life before the plot of July1944. Following the failure of the operation Valkyrie, the German secret police were after the conspirators. The steps of Von Stauffenberg were noteworthy in this regard as they decided to go on with their attempts. Further problems complicated matters in mid-July when senior officers sympathetic to their cause, including Field Marshal Kluge who was sent to the Eastern Front, and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel who was wounded when his car was attacked by a fighter, were no longer available to help (Silvester, 2009).We may take into account the noble purpose for which the conspirators took such a drastic and dangerous steps as this but with regard to planning their operation in an effective manner, it is to be noted that it did not come up and work out as expected. Their date of executing the plan was fixed for July 20, 1944. Von Stauffenberg, the mastermind behind the plot, was to attend a meeting at the Wolf’s Lair with Hitler. The meeting was to begin at I pm, and in the meanwhile the conspirators were worried of the time and Gestapo making it almost impossible for them to execute their plan. Von Stauffenberg entered the meeting hall, with the briefcase which contained the bomb and placed it near Hitler, and soon he left the room. The bomb soon exploded but Hitler survived. Major Otto Remer was given powers to capture those behind the conspiracy against Hitler. Soon, there was a chaotic situation at many places as the plotters were the cause behind the scenario, strongly motivated by the faith that Hitler had already died. General Fromm attempted an arrest on von Stauffenberg and General Olbricht. The conspirators themselves were not sure of what they should do immediately. Within a few hours Fromm in an attempt to save him arrested and put to death some of the prominent figures like von Stauffenberg, Olbricht, and Haeften, but later this very man himself was put to death. Exactly what had happened at the hall was that Colonel Heinz Brandt finding the briefcase in his way moved it to the other side. Thus when the bomb exploded it killed not the person targeted by the conspirators—Hitler, but some others at the scene. Hitler now went on a rampage ordering the deaths of even the distant relatives of the men who tried to conspire against him and then kill him. Hitler’s faith in the German cause became deeply rooted as he sang of the failure of the assassination attempt as confirming the task given by Providence. However this was an attempt to remove the very man who imposed cruelty and horrors and tortures on innocent lives, and to save the world from the disastrous effects that a war waged ruthlessly and unreasonably would bring. Works cited: Admiral Wilhelm Canaris. 2009. 6 December 2009 . Claus von Stauffenberg Biography. 6 December 2009. 6 December 2009 . McDonDonough, Frank, Opposition and Resistance in Nazi Germany, 2001. (Document 1provided by the customer). Freiherr Rudolf Christoph von Gersdorff & Generalmajor a. D. History Of The Attempt On Hitlers Life (20 July 1944) from http://www.allworldwars.com/Attempt-on-Hitler-life-20-July-1944-by-von-Gersdorff.html German resistance memorial center. 2009. 6 December 2009 . Ian Kershaw, Luck Of The Devil: The Story Of Operation Valkyrie, January 2009 (Document I1, Provided by customer). Martin Collier, Philip Pedley. Hitler and the Nazi state. Heineman, 2005. Peter Homann. Review of, Stauenberg. H-German, H-Net Reviews. March, 2004. http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=15352 Silvester, William. General Friedrich Olbricht, . 5 May 2009. 6 December 2009 . Spartacus Educational . 6 December 2009 . The July Bomb Plot. 2009. 6 December 2009 . The Plot to Assassinate Hitler July 20, 1944. 2007. 6 December 2009 . The July Bomb Plot. 2009. 6 December 2009 para 6 . Widerstand, Gedenkstätte Deutscher. Biographies, Ludwig Beck. 2009. 6 December 2009 . Widerstand, Gedenkstätte Deutscher. Biographies, Carl Heinrich von Stülpnagel 2009. 6 December 2009 http://www.gdw-berlin.de/bio/ausgabe_mit-e.php?id=197. The Second World War - A Day by Day Account Carl Friedrich Gördeler, December 6 2009http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/people/peopleg.htm The Hitler Plot, 20 July 1944, , December 6 2009 http://www.hetireland.org/uploads/file/Hitler%20plot.pdf Silvester, William. The Plot to Kill Hitler 13 Dec 2008. 6 December2009 http://ww2history.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_plot_to_kill_hitler%20. Read More

 

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