How Hitler cheated death in 1943 coup... thanks to the Allies

Scotland on Sunday ^ | April 22, 2007 | by MURDO MACLEOD

[karnage]

Fascinating if true.

[Diogenesis]

[Tailgunner Joe]

They wanted to kill Hitler because he was losing the war and they wanted to win it.

[Vigilanteman]

Wow! Sounds like Axel von dem Bussche was a remarkable man and a patriot of the highest order whose destiny was cheated by an ill-timed allied bombing raid. Like Hitler, the guy who took office just days before Bussche’s natural death on January 26, 1993 defeated a man with a similar name for the presidency of the United States and like Hitler, proceeded to install a rogue regime with which we are still suffering.

[Draco]

Hitler would travel that far east for a “fashion show”? Not criticizing the plotters’ motives, but there would need to be more to it than the latest in winter wear.

[fogofbobegabay]

I don’t give much weight to this authors opinions. He does not know his geography that’s for sure. I have been to the “Wolf’ Lair”, it’s in Poland not Kaliningrad.

[FreedomCalls]

They wanted to kill Hitler because he was losing the war and they wanted to win it.

They weren't really 'losing' in November 1943 yet.

[Mr. Mojo]

Hitler would travel that far east for a “fashion show”?

He and his "inner circle" probably also would've made the trip for a Broadway musical or a screening of any film starring Judy Garland.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Yes, they were.

[poindexter]

Sounds like a harebrained plot. If someone wanted to kill Hitler in a suicidal manner, all that would be necessary would be to pull out a Luger and shoot him. The shooter might even get away with some luck.

[John123]

The Allies dominated the skies in Europe by the end of 1943. They eliminated the German submarine threat and I believe Italy was out of the war...

The tide was turning in favor of the Allies...

[AntiGuv]

Germany was definitely ‘losing’ after the failed Kursk offensive against Russia and the Allied landings in Sicily, both of which took place July 1943.

[PzLdr]

To the professionals of the German General Staff they were. They’d already been driven out of Africa, with the loss of some 325,000 troops. The 6th Army, and elements of the Fourth Panzer Army had surrendered at Stalingrad, with the loss of almost 300,000 troops. They’d lost the Battle of Kursk, with massive losses in troops and more importantly, armor that could not be replaced. The Allies were in mainland Italy, and had already taken Sicily. The Battle of the Atlantic was going against the Navy. The Luftwaffe was playing defense on every front. The Allies were expected to land in France in 1944, leading to two main theaters of operations for the German Army. The handwriting was on the wall by November, 1943.

[D.P.Roberts]

If we added up all the Germans who plotted to kill Hitler it would nearly equal the membership of the French Resistance.

[PzLdr]

Hitler was actually crazy about Donald Duck cartoons. Had ‘em brought in through the German Embassy in Spain. We knew about that, which is why there were so many Donald Duck cartoons that were anti-Nazi.

[MindBender26]

In the military minds of the gerneals, they most certainly were about to lose.

In the mind of Hitler, absolutely not, ergo the plot.

[PzLdr]

They put a bomb on his plane disguised as a bottle [or bottles] of brandy. Failed to detonate.

[Wil H]

I'm not sure how true this is.

I visited the site back in 1968. At that time the story was that it was a briefcase bomb, not a suicide bomber, and that the bomb did detonate but was very weak and Hitler was saved by the solidity of the table in the conference room where the attempt took place.

The site itself is imposing. The bunkers are massive, with concrete walls about twenty feet thick. It was constructed by hand by Polish prisoners of war who were then executed so they could not divulge the location of the HQ.

[chaosagent]

You are talking about the July 1944 attempt.

This one was supposed to take place in 1943!