operation valkyrie

Introduction

Operation Valkyrie is the title most associated with the attempted assassination of Hitler in July 1944. Ironically Operation Valkyrie was a plan approved by Hitler, which was to be put into operation if there was a breakdown in communication between Hitler and the High Command in Nazi Germany as a result of Allied bombing or an uprising. The conspirators involved in the July Bomb Plot planned to use Operation Valkyrie - which effectively passed command of Germany over to the Reserve (Home) Army - to remove the power of the SS, Gestapo and SD - three major bastions of Hitler's power base. 

The Reserve (Home) Army was under the command of General Fromm - one of the conspirators. He was to take over Germany if there was a breakdown of law and order. The death of Hitler would have been sufficient to introduce Valkyrie as quite clearly there would have been no communication between Hitler and Berlin. Aside from Hitler, only the commander of the Home Army could put Operation Valkyrie into effect. This was General Fromm.

 With the success of the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and the costly defeat of the German army at Stalingrad on the Eastern Front, many high ranking German officers believed that the destruction of Nazi Germany was now only a matter of time. To prevent this they decided to eliminate Hitler and open negotiations with the Allies for honorable peace terms.

Plot to Assassinate Adolf Hitler

t would not be an easy task. Hitler was well aware that assassination attempts were being plotted against him and he took steps to make his movements as unpredictable as possible. He frequently changed his plans at the last minute, arriving early or late or not at all. No one knew until the last moment if he would travel by plane or car or train. No one could get close to him with a weapon. Security was very tight in the Chancellery in Berlin or at Hitler's mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden in Bavaria or most recently the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia.

Colonel von Stauffenberg

Despite all these factors, a group of German officers decided to make the attempt. The plan was simple. Due to his position as chief of staff and his injuries, von Stauffenberg was above suspicion and met with Hitler regularly. He had lost two fingers on his left hand, his right forearm and hand and ...