Valkyrie

My family doesn't understand why I am always so interested in any film/documentary about Hitler. They are convinced that I must be one of the SS in my earlier lives. I would like to believe that I was Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg or at least one of those who helped him in the July, 1944 plot to eliminate Hitler. Never heard of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg? I hadn't either - till I saw the movie Valkyrie which is based on true events.

After the attempt to blow up Hitler's plane with a bomb hidden in a wine case fails, General Trescow advises his fellow conspirator General Olbricht to contact Colonel Stauffenberg as a replacement for a member of their secret committee who was recently arrested. Colonel Stauffenberg has recently lost one of his eyes, his right hand, and two fingers from his left hand in an Allied forces' attack.

At the meeting, Stauffenberg mentions that Operation Valkyrie - a plan by Hitler to deploy Reserve Army to maintain order in Germany in the event of his death - can be used to eliminate him.Stauffenberg rewrites the order to prevent the dreaded SS from taking control, thus leaving General Fromm - the head of the Reserve Army - in charge of Germany. The conspirators' attempt to turn General Fromm to their side fails though he doesn't report them to his superiors.Stauffenberg, however, along with his assistant Lieutenant Haeften, manages to get the order signed by Hitler at the Berghof.

According to the plan, Stauffenberg and Lieutenant Haeften will go to Hitler's bunker, the Wolf's Lair, to attend a military meeting. There Stauffenberg will ignite one of the pencil detonators given to him by a Colonel Quirnheim and then escape with the help of General Fellgiebel, who controls communications at the Wolf's Lair.The only condition by the secret committee is that both Hitler and head of the SS - Himmler be present when Stauffenberg sets the detonator off.
Valkyrie tells us how this plan went wrong.

The thing about this movie is that though all of us (or at least those who opened their history textbooks!) know that Hitler didn't die in any assassination but committed suicide in his bunker, that doesn't stop us from wishing that this movie were a fiction and we would see bits of the Fuehrer flying in every direction! We feel anger of those who know that Hitler is taking Germany to the brink of destruction. We feel the dread of those who cannot muster the courage to oppose him even though they know they should. And we feel sad when the plan fails.

For years I wondered how the Germans feel about this era of their nation's past. But after watching this movie, I feel as proud of Stauffenberg, Quirnheim, Witzleben, Goerdeler,Trescow, Olbricht, Haeften, and Beck as any German would feel because the heroes who dare oppose a tyrant are so rare that no one nation can claim them as solely its own!

Wikipedia tells me that the Bendlerblock now houses the Memorial to the German Resistance. If I ever get a chance to go to Germany, I am sure going to visit it.

Stauffenberg's words - "The portrait will be unhung and the man will be hung" - are a warning all budding dictators should keep in mind!