German Resistance Memorial Center - Topic 'The Assassination Attempt of July 20, 1944'


	Topic - Stauffenberg and the Assassination Attempt of July 20, 1944

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The Failure of the Coup

The conspirators hoped to be able to mobilize formations in Berlin and throughout Germany against the National Socialist leaders through normal command channels. To do so, they required intact lines of communication. Since Hitler had survived the bombing, the conspirators' helpers at Hitler's headquarters were not able to interrupt telephone and radio communications with the outside world for long. This put Hitler, Himmler, Bormann, and Keitel in a position to issue countermanding orders late in the afternoon that frustrated all the conspirators' efforts. Many officers in key positions on Bendlerstrasse and in the military districts now cited their oath of allegiance and remained loyal to Hitler.		After the failure of the attempted coup.
Friedrich Fromm, commander of the Reserve Army, refused to join the conspirators. Late that evening he ordered the execution of the four main conspirators by a firing squad.		Proceedings in the "People's Court."

After the Assassination Attempt

After the unsuccessful assassination attempt, Hitler addressed the German public in a radio speech. He depicted himself as an instrument of "providence," accusing "a small clique" of ambitious officers of having committed treason in their hunger for power. The following days brought with them a profusion of speeches avowing loyalty. Appeals, newspaper articles, and speeches were staged to stir up public sentiment throughout Germany. The aim was to irreversibly transform the Wehrmacht into a mainstay of National Socialist ideology while neutralizing the influence of the officer corps.		Party newspaper Völkischer Beobachter.
The propaganda soon began to take effect. Accounts of public morale gave the impression that Hitler was again able to kindle renewed enthusiasm among the German people. While many bulletins were exaggerated, many Germans undoubtedly disapproved of the assassination attempt.		Hitler at his headquarters "Wolf's Lair." July 21, 1944.