Stauffenberg: The Real Valkyrie Operation
The recently released movie "Operation Target Hitler" has once again brought Stauffenberg back into people's memories. July 20, 1944, was an unremarkable day that would have been just a small mark in the flow of time if not for that event.
But it did happen. On that day, a group of German soldiers launched the "Valkyrie Operation," which began with the assassination of Hitler. Although it ultimately failed, its influence continues to this day. However, all fantasies are based on truth. And the truth is, as the only surviving participant in the assassination attempt, Ewald von Kleist told us.
Secret Order
At the end of January 1944, 22-year-old German army lieutenant Ewald von Kleist, who had been injured while fighting on the Eastern Front, suddenly received a telegram ordering him to return immediately. He thought he was being called back like other wounded soldiers because the Soviet army was getting stronger and the German army urgently needed reinforcements.
But when he returned to his unit, Kleist was astonished to discover that he had received no ordinary telegram!
This telegram was sent by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the head of the German reserve army staff, who was already the secret leader of the anti-Nazi movement in Germany. The most important task of this organization was to kill Hitler. At that moment, Stauffenberg gave Kleist specific instructions: The German army was about to change uniforms, and a batch of samples had already been produced. The factory decided to find a time to invite officers and soldiers to try them on for Hitler's inspection. This was an unprecedented good opportunity to assassinate Hitler; however, the assassin would surely sacrifice his own life.
An insider at the factory had reached a secret agreement with Stauffenberg, and the assassination was scheduled to take place during Hitler's review of the troops, with one of those trying on the uniforms being Kleist. According to the plan, Kleist was supposed to strap bombs to his abdomen and detonate them when Hitler came close for a detailed look, killing them both.
Stauffenberg had carefully considered why he chose Kleist. Kleist's father was a leading opponent of the Nazis, and his son would definitely be no less committed. But after listening to Stauffenberg's calm and even cold-blooded introduction, Kleist still could not immediately respond. After all, this was a matter of risking his life. He said to Stauffenberg, "Please give me 24 hours; I need to think carefully." Stauffenberg trusted Kleist greatly and waved him home.
As soon as he got home, Kleist locked the door and fully disclosed the plan to assassinate Hitler to his father. Kleist's old father loved his son, but he loved Germany and justice even more. Therefore, he firmly told his son, "If you don't seize this opportunity, you will regret it for the rest of your life." His father's resolute gaze and words left Kleist unable to resist, and he decided to go all out. This was no longer a matter of courage but rather a matter of conscience.
July 20
Just as preparations for the operation were proceeding in full swing, an unexpected event occurred. The new uniforms were destroyed during an Allied bombing raid, and Hitler ordered the cancellation of the parade. The anti-Nazi organization had to change plans and explore alternative methods. On July 20, 1944, Hitler convened a briefing meeting with various branches of the military, and Stauffenberg was one of the invited attendees — what a perfect opportunity! Thus, he immediately led the members of the assassination team to begin preparations.
At 8:00 AM on July 20, Stauffenberg flew to the "Wolf's Lair," the German Army's Eastern Front headquarters. He carried three items in his leather briefcase: two bombs, a timer detonation device, and a shirt.
At 11:00 AM, Stauffenberg arrived at the "Wolf's Lair" on schedule. A reception officer noticed that his briefcase was very heavy, but Stauffenberg remained calm: "We have many things to discuss." Since Hitler was going to meet Mussolini in the afternoon, the originally scheduled 3:00 PM meeting was moved up to 12:30 PM.
Stauffenberg, who was blind in one eye and had only three fingers on his left hand, hurriedly slipped into the toilet to begin assembling the bombs. The sweltering summer heat combined with extreme tension made Stauffenberg's movements slow. Under constant urging from Hitler's aide, he decided to reduce the planned two bombs to one, set the timer for 12 minutes, changed his soaked shirt, and rushed back to the meeting room.
The explosion happened right on time. After a tremendous blast, four of the 24 attendees died instantly, half the concrete roof collapsed, and a large crater formed on the ground. Hitler's survival was uncertain.
Meanwhile, Stauffenberg had already quietly returned to Berlin. He immediately notified Berlin to activate the "Valkyrie Operation" plan, intending to deprive Hitler of his dictatorial rule. This plan purported to mobilize the garrison area to suppress domestic unrest; organize 1,000 cavalrymen to control Berlin. They aimed to capture the core leadership of the National Socialist Workers' Party...
Therefore, Kleist had to ensure that Hitler's guards were disarmed, as these guards protected the government district. When the bomb exploded, Kleist and others had already gained control of most of the guard camp and issued orders to every soldier in the Western District and the military district.
However, a few hours later, they received news: Hitler was alive! Kleist immediately had an ominous premonition because Fromm had spoken directly with Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces High Command. He heard everything clearly. Fromm said, "So, Field Marshal Keitel, I can assure you, Hitler is not dead; he is alive!"
Kleist quickly reported to Stauffenberg, "We're in trouble now; you need to figure something out." At this point, Stauffenberg seemed unaffected by the failure of the assassination attempt, at least judging by his facial expression. He could still maintain control and calmly arrange countermeasures as usual.
At 6:00 PM, Kleist's conjecture was confirmed. Hitler delivered a speech: "A gang of ambitious and irrational officers attempted regicide and usurpation of power... But providence allows me to continue serving the people."
News of Hitler's survival spread through Germany like a storm, and various plans to assassinate Hitler began to surface. Kleist recalled, "Some people thought we should wait longer, looking for a better opportunity to ensure success. In fact, this failure only shows that we were not decisive or ruthless enough. It's impossible to deal with someone like Hitler without bloodshed."
Conclusion
Furious, Hitler immediately launched a bloody reprisal. He arrested approximately 7,000 "suspected men and women" and executed nearly 5,000 of them, most of whom had not directly participated in the assassination. Both Stauffenberg and Kleist's father were shot, but they were relatively lucky. Many others suffered brutal torture at the hands of the Gestapo and were hanged with piano wire or hooked with iron hooks. Some of the process was even filmed for Hitler's "appreciation."
Stauffenberg was eventually captured, and he and four other companions were sentenced to death, dragged outside, and immediately executed. According to eyewitnesses, he still appeared righteous in his final moments, desperately exonerating his comrades and shouting, "Long live our Holy German Empire!"
Kleist was also detained. He prepared himself for the worst outcome, thinking of Dante's "Divine Comedy" and walking into hell, abandoning all thoughts of escape. Unexpectedly, Kleist was not executed but instead sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where he was isolated for several months.
By December 1944, the German army was suffering repeated defeats, and Hitler had too much to handle on the front lines to deal with this unknown person. The related investigations were simply canceled, allowing Kleist to escape execution and become the sole survivor of the "July 20 Conspiracy."
At the time, most Germans were still deceived by Hitler, and such an assassination attempt on the head of state was naturally regarded as "treason." After the assassination attempt failed, Kleist had to face the fear caused by it, as well as the deaths of his father and friends, but he endured it all. Now people know that when Stauffenberg placed the bomb briefcase under the table, someone meddlesome discovered the briefcase and casually moved it elsewhere, causing the bomb to explode in another location without harming Hitler.
Someone asked, why didn't Stauffenberg bind the bomb to himself to ensure the successful assassination of Hitler? If so, Hitler would have certainly been killed. Kleist revealed that during the planning of the assassination, Stauffenberg indeed first proposed binding the bomb to himself. However, the conspirators disagreed with him sacrificing his life because if the assassination succeeded, a new government must be established immediately, and Stauffenberg was an irreplaceable leader. Therefore, Stauffenberg himself had to survive while eliminating Hitler.
Regret
When many people look back on this assassination attempt, they think that if Hitler hadn't been so lucky, the plot would have succeeded long ago. In reality, there were at least three crucial aspects of the "Valkyrie Operation" that required coordination, and the possibility of achieving such coordination was almost zero.
First, completing the assassination mission was unimaginably difficult—anyone approaching Hitler had to undergo a physical examination and couldn't carry even a small knife. Second, seizing power in the Third Reich and firmly holding it in the hands of the anti-Nazi faction. Finally, coordinating with the German forces on the front lines, announcing an immediate ceasefire once the assassination succeeded.
Looking back, Kleist was still somewhat frightened. He said, "You must realize that most Germans at the time were extremely loyal to Hitler and strongly opposed the assassination. Moreover, the work of the Gestapo was nearly flawless, and the Nazi Party had developed an extremely complex organization. It was already a miracle that the assassination plan wasn't leaked during preparation, thanks to Stauffenberg's and our high level of organizational discipline."
What pains Kleist to this day is that their actions received no help from the Allies. Kleist's father had visited London in 1938 on behalf of Ludwig Beck to discuss some "political issues." Beck was then the Chief of the General Staff and had been trying to persuade his generals to resign to prevent war.
Unfortunately, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who advocated the policy of appeasement, categorically told the elder Kleist that he could not get involved in their affairs. He even wrote a letter to Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax, instructing him: "Kleist supports violent anti-Nazism and particularly hopes to mobilize his German friends. But I think we cannot fully trust what he says."
Kleist remarked, "The German resistance movement received no support from any other country. People spent years plotting to assassinate Hitler and failed every time. After World War II, I once asked Churchill why Britain did not support our actions, and he only grunted a few times without giving a clear answer. People today simply do not understand why so many admired Hitler. Dictators do not rely solely on terrorism but make the majority believers. In this regard, he was an expert."