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Remembering Claus Graf Schenk Von Stauffenberg

© Sylvia Cochran

July 20th marks the 61st anniversary of the unsuccessful attempt to end the Nazi regime by way of a coup. On July 20, 1944 several high-ranking German soldiers sought to assassinate Adolf Hitler by way of a briefcase bomb at the Führerhauptquartier "Wolfsschanze". Von Stauffenberg placed the ill-fated device near Hitler, but upon its detonation the latter survived, yet five of his minions were killed. The members of the coup (Verschwörer) were discovered and executed.

Who was Claus Philip Maria Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg?

Von Stauffenberg was a German aristocrat, born on November 15th, 1907. Entering the military in 1926, he gained considerable insight into the workings of German politics. Most surprising, in 1932 he campaigned in favor of Adolf Hitler when the latter sought to win the general election. In 1933 he could be found amongst the members of the SA (Sturmabteilung).

Continuing to climb the ranks of the military, he nonetheless was contacted in 1939 by Ulrich Graf Schwerin von Schwanenfeld who sought to involve von Stauffenberg in a coup attempt. Von Stauffenberg declined, but did not report von Schwanenfeld to the authorities. 1941 still found von Stauffenberg among Hitler's supporters, but a change of heart took place swiftly and in 1942 he is said to have joined the military resistance (militärischer Wiederstand).

Some speculate that the mass murder of Jews, Polish citizens, and Russians contributed to his decision, especially the Reichskristallnacht (November 9th) which saw an unprecedented violence against Jews and their property. Others cite his dissatisfaction with the leadership of the army, especially during the bloody Russian campaign in June of 1941, as being the pivotal moment in time that turned him against Hitler.

Regardless of his motives, together with his brother Berthold, von Stauffenberg joins the Kreisauer Kreis, as the resistance is called, and works on a plan to restore the rights and freedoms that were usurped when Hitler took power. Interestingly, they do not envision a parliamentary democracy in the wake of Hitler's demise.

Biding their time, events in 1944 forced the circle's hands. Several members had been arrested, and unrelated coup attempts had failed, and discovery appeared imminent. On July 5th, von Stauffenberg decided to personally attempt the assassination. On July 20th, at approximately 12:42 PM, the bomb which he placed near Hitler detonated. Because of communication problems with the other members of the coup, a warning of Hitler's survival is not sounded until it is officially done at 5:00 PM. Concurrently, the confusion about Hitler's life or death is not used to complete the coup. At this time several arrests have been made, and later that night, at about 10:30 PM, von Stauffenberg, too, is arrested.

Sometime in the late night of July 20th, or the early morning hours of July 21st (it is generally assumed that the time is 12:15 AM), Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg is executed by firing squad.

The story does not end there. The Nazis did not let the family members of those involved in the coup go unscathed, and von Stauffenberg's pregnant widow, as well as his oldest son Berthold, were sent to the concentration camps. His other children were sent to an orphanage, had their last name changed to "Meister", and were put up for adoption, nonetheless remained there until the end of the war.

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