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Carl Wentzel appearing before Judge Roland Freisler at the People's Court, 1944

On 20 July 1944, Adolf Hitler and his top military associates entered the briefing hut of the Wolf's Lair military headquarters, a series of concrete bunkers and shelters located deep in the forest of East Prussia, not far from the location of the World War I Battle of Tannenberg. Soon after, an explosion killed three officers and a stenographer, injuring everyone else in the room. This assassination attempt was the work of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, an aristocrat who had been severely wounded while serving in the North African theater of war, losing his right hand, left eye, and two fingers of his left hand.[1]

The bomb plot was a carefully planned coup d'état attempt against the Nazi regime, orchestrated by a group of army officers. Their plan was to assassinate Hitler, seize power in Berlin, establish a new pro-Western government and save Germany from total defeat.[1]

Immediately after the arrest and execution of the plot leaders in Berlin by Friedrich Fromm, the Gestapo (the secret police force of Nazi Germany) began arresting people involved or suspected of being involved. This opportunity was also used to eliminate other, unrelated critics of the Nazi regime.[2] In total, an estimated 7,000 people were arrested of which approximately 4,980 were executed, some slowly strangled with piano wire on Hitler's insistence. A month after the failed attempt on Hitler's life, the Gestapo initiated Aktion Gitter.[3]

Some of those involved include:


Portrait Name Position Fate Year of death
Otto Armster Colonel Survived 1957
Ludwig Beck General and Chief of the General Staff of the German Army High Command Executed (Shot) 1944
Robert Bernardis Lieutenant Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Albrecht Graf von Bernstorff Diplomat Executed (Firing squad) 1945
Gottfried Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen Member of the Reichstag Survived 1949
Hans-Jürgen von Blumenthal Major Executed (Hanging) 1944
Hasso von Boehmer Lieutenant Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1945
Georg von Boeselager Colonel Killed in action 1944
Philipp von Boeselager Lieutenant Colonel Survived 2008
Eugen Bolz Member of the Reichstag Executed (Guillotine) 1945
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Theologian Executed (Hanging) 1945
Klaus Bonhoeffer Lawyer Executed (Shot) 1945
Eduard Brücklmeier Diplomat Executed (Hanging) 1944
Axel von dem Bussche Major Survived 1993
Wilhelm Canaris Admiral and Head of the Abwehr Executed (Hanging) 1945
Walter Cramer Businessman Executed (Hanging) 1944
Gustav Dahrendorf Member of the Reichstag Survived 1954
Alfred Delp Priest Executed (Hanging) 1945
Heinrich zu Dohna-Schlobitten General Executed (Hanging) 1944
Hans von Dohnanyi Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1945
Fritz Elsas [de] Deputy Mayor of Berlin Executed (Hanging) 1945
Joseph Ersing [de] Member of the Reichstag Survived 1956
Alexander von Falkenhausen General Survived 1966
Erich Fellgiebel General Executed (Hanging) 1944
Eberhard Finckh Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Reinhold Frank Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1945
Wessel Freytag von Loringhoven Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Friedrich Fromm General and Commander of the Replacement Army Executed (Firing squad) 1945
Joseph-Ernst Graf Fugger von Glött Member of the Reichstag Survived 1981
Ludwig Gehre Captain Executed (Hanging) 1945
Otto Gerig [de] Member of the Reichstag Executed (Concentration camp) 1944
Rudolf-Christoph von Gersdorff General Survived 1980
Eugen Gerstenmaier Theologian Survived 1986
Otto Gessler Minister of Defence Survived 1955
Hans Bernd Gisevius Diplomat Survived 1974
Eric Gloeden Architect Executed (Guillotine) 1944
Elizabeth Gloeden Teacher Executed (Guillotine) 1944
Carl Friedrich Goerdeler Mayor of Leipzig Executed (Hanging) 1945
Fritz Goerdeler Mayor of Kwidzyn Executed (Hanging) 1945
Gereon Goldmann Priest Survived 2003
Nikolaus Gross Journalist Executed (Hanging) 1945
Karl Ludwig Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg Colonel and journalist Executed (Hanging) 1945
Hans Bernd von Haeften Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1945
Werner von Haeften Lieutenant Executed (Firing squad) 1944
Albrecht von Hagen Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1944
Nikolaus von Halem Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1944
Eduard Hamm Minister of the Economy Suicide 1944
Georg Hansen Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Carl-Hans von Hardenberg Major Survived 1958
Ernst von Harnack Member of the Reichstag Executed (Hanging) 1945
Paul von Hase General Executed (Hanging) 1944
Ulrich von Hassell Ambassador of Germany to Italy Executed (Hanging) 1944
Theodor Haubach Member of the Reichstag Executed (Hanging) 1945
Albrecht Haushofer Diplomat Executed (Hanging) 1945
Egbert Hayessen Major Executed (Hanging) 1944
Wolf-Heinrich Graf von Helldorff Member of the Reichstag and Chief of the Berlin Police Executed (Hanging) 1944
Otto Herfurth General Executed (Hanging) 1944
Andreas Hermes Minister of Finance Survived 1964
Erich Hoepner General Executed (Hanging) 1944
Caesar von Hofacker Lieutenant Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Roland von Hößlin Major Executed (Hanging) 1944
Friedrich Gustav Jaeger Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Hans John Lawyer Executed (Firing squad) 1944
Otto John Lawyer Survived 1997
Jakob Kaiser Lawyer Survived 1961
Otto Kiep Diplomat Executed (Hanging) 1944
Hans Georg Klamroth Major Executed (Hanging) 1944
Friedrich Klausing Captain Executed (Hanging) 1944
Ewald von Kleist-Schmenzin Diplomat Executed (Hanging) 1945
Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin Lieutenant Survived 2013
Günther von Kluge Field Marshal Suicide 1944
Hans Koch Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1945
Alfred Kranzfelder Lieutenant Commander Executed (Hanging) 1944
Carl Langbehn Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1944
Julius Leber Member of the Reichstag Executed (Hanging) 1945
Heinrich Graf von Lehndorff-Steinort Landowner Executed (Hanging) 1944
Paul Lejeune-Jung Member of the Reichstag Executed (Hanging) 1945
Ludwig Freiherr von Leonrod Major Executed (Hanging) 1944
Bernhard Letterhaus Trade Unionist Executed (Hanging) 1944
Franz Leuninger Trade Unionist Executed (Hanging) 1945
Wilhelm Leuschner Member of the Reichstag Executed (Hanging) 1944
Fritz Lindemann General died of injuries in custody 1944
Hans Otfried von Linstow Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Paul Löbe Member of the Reichstag Survived 1967
Ewald Löser Lawyer Survived 1970
Ferdinand von Lüninck Member of the Reichstag Executed (Hanging) 1944
Hermann Maaß Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1944
Rudolf von Marogna-Redwitz Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Michael von Matuschka Member of the Landtag of Prussia Executed (Hanging) 1944
Joachim Meichßner Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim Colonel Executed (Firing squad) 1944
Joseph Müller Priest Executed (Guillotine) 1944
Arthur Nebe General and Chief of Kriminalpolizei Executed (Hanging) 1945
Hans-Ulrich von Oertzen Major Suicide 1944
Friedrich Olbricht General Executed (Firing squad) 1944
Hans Oster General Executed (Hanging) 1945
Margarethe von Oven Secretary Survived 1991
Rolf Friedemann Pauls Major Survived 2002
Erwin Planck Diplomat Executed (Hanging) 1945
Kurt von Plettenberg Landowner Suicide 1945
Johannes Popitz Minister of Finance of Prussia Executed (Hanging) 1945
Erwin Rommel Field Marshal Suicide (Forced) 1944
Friedrich von Rabenau General Executed (Hanging) 1945
Adolf Reichwein Economist Executed (Hanging) 1944
Alexis von Roenne Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Karl Sack General Executed (Hanging) 1945
Joachim Sadrozinski Lieutenant Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Anton Saefkow Lawyer Executed (Guillotine) 1944
Fabian von Schlabrendorff General Survived 1980
Rüdiger Schleicher Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1945
Ernst Schneppenhorst Ministers of War of Bavaria Executed (Hanging) 1945
Werner Schrader Lieutenant Colonel Suicide 1944
Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg Ambassador of Germany to the Soviet Union Executed (Hanging) 1944
Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg Oberpräsident of the Province of Silesia Executed (Hanging) 1944
Ludwig Schwamb Member of the Reichstag Executed (Hanging) 1945
Ulrich Wilhelm Graf Schwerin von Schwanenfeld Major Executed (Hanging) 1944
Günther Smend Lieutenant Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Hans Speidel General Survived 1984
Franz Sperr Major Executed (Hanging) 1945
Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Judge Executed (Hanging) 1944
Claus von Stauffenberg Leader of the plot and Colonel Executed (Firing squad) 1944
Hellmuth Stieff General Executed (Hanging) 1944
Theodor Strünck Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1945
Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel General Executed (Hanging) 1944
Carl Szokoll Major Survived 2004
Fritz Thiele General Executed (Hanging) 1944
Busso Thoma Major Executed (Hanging) 1945
Georg Thomas General Survived 1946
Karl Freiherr von Thüngen General Executed (Firing squad) 1944
Henning von Tresckow General Suicide 1944
Adam von Trott zu Solz Diplomat Executed (Firing squad) 1944
Nikolaus von Üxküll-Gyllenband Colonel Executed (Hanging) 1944
Eduard Wagner General Suicide 1944
Hermann Josef Wehrle Priest Executed (Hanging) 1944
Carl Wentzel Landowner Executed (Hanging) 1944
Joachim von Willisen Diplomat Survived 1983
Josef Wirmer Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1944
Erwin von Witzleben Field Marshal Executed (Hanging) 1944
Peter Yorck von Wartenburg Lawyer Executed (Hanging) 1944
Gustav Heistermann von Ziehlberg General Executed (Firing squad) 1945

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 20 July conspirators.

References

  1. ^ a b How Hitler's Bodyguard Worked 2015.
  2. ^ The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler 2015.
  3. ^ Shirer 1960, p. 1393.

Sources

Printed[edit]

  • Shirer, William (1960). The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-62420-0.
  • Hoffmann, Peter (1996). History of the German Resistance, 1933–1945. Kingston, Ontario: McGill-Queen's Press. ISBN 9780773566408.

Online[edit]

Categories