Countdown to Valkyrie: The July Plot to Assassinate Hitler - Hardcover

Nigel Jones

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1848325088 ISBN 13: 9781848325081

Publisher: Frontline Books, 2009

Synopsis

Afterword with Count Berthold Von StauffenbergAlthough there were more than 40 plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler, none came closer to success than the July Plot of 1944. The attempt was masterminded by Count von Stauffenberg, a member of the German General Staff, who had been rushed back from Africa after losing his left eye and right hand. For his injuries, he had been decorated as a war hero. Never a supporter of Nazi ideology, he was increasingly attracted by the approaches of the German resistance movement. After a attempt to assassinate Hitler in November 1943 failed, Stauffenberg developed a new plot to kill him at the Wolf's Lair Headquarters on 20th July 1944. Besides the Fuhrer's assassination, Stauffenberg organised plans to take over command of the Germany forces and sue for peace with the Allies.The attempt ultimately failed. Only one bomb was detonated and Hitler was only injured: his life was probably saved because the bomb, hidden in Stauffenberg's suitcase, had been placed behind a heavy table leg which reduced the impact of the black.In remarkable detail, with photographs, explanatory maps and diagrams, author Nigel Jones dissects the lead up to the attempt, the events of the day in minute-by-minute detail, and the aftermath in which the conspirators were hunted down. No other work on the July Plot contains such accessible detail and full explanation of this attempt on Hitler's life.

About this title

Review:

"An engrossing narrative which is a testament to the courage of a few genuine German heroes."

Book Description:

"...succeeds admirably in presenting not only the doomed course of Operation Valkyrie but its background: failures of other assassination plots, difficulties of organizing resistance in a totalitarian state, the desperate courage of the men and women who risked their lives."

About this edition

• Publisher: Frontline Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1848325088
• ISBN 13: 9781848325081
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320