German Resistance

Timeline highlighting key events and figures in the German resistance leading up to the July 20, 1944, assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler:

January 1944

- Early January: Discussions among high-ranking military officials, including Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and his Chief of Staff, General Hans Speidel, intensify regarding Germany's deteriorating military situation and the need for a change in leadership.

February 1944

- February 15: The destruction of the monastery atop Monte Cassino by Allied bombing underscores the escalating intensity of the war.

March 1944

- March 15: Allied forces launch a significant assault on German-held positions at Monte Cassino, further pressuring German military leadership.

April 1944

- Throughout April: Resistance activities, including clandestine meetings and the distribution of anti-Nazi literature, increase as opposition to Hitler's regime grows within Germany.

May 1944

- May 18: The German evacuation of Monte Cassino and its capture by Allied forces highlight the worsening military situation.

- Late May: Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg emerges as a central figure in the conspiracy against Hitler, advocating for decisive action.

June 1944

- June 6: The Allied D-Day landings in Normandy intensify the urgency among German resistance members to act against Hitler.

- June 17: Stauffenberg is appointed Chief of Staff to General Friedrich Olbricht at the Reserve Army headquarters on Bendlerstrasse in Berlin, providing him with access to Hitler's military briefings.

- June 20: Stauffenberg attends his first briefing with Hitler, beginning his direct involvement in assassination planning.

July 1944

- July 11: Stauffenberg meets with fellow conspirators, including General Ludwig Beck and Carl Goerdeler, to finalize plans for the coup, known as Operation Valkyrie.

- July 15: An initial assassination attempt is aborted due to unforeseen circumstances.

- July 20: Stauffenberg successfully plants a bomb at Hitler's Wolf's Lair headquarters. Although the bomb detonates, Hitler survives with minor injuries. The subsequent coup attempt in Berlin fails, leading to the arrest and execution of many conspirators, including Stauffenberg and Olbricht.

Key Figures in the Resistance:

- Field Marshal Erwin Rommel: Initially skeptical of assassination, Rommel favored removing Hitler from power to negotiate peace. He was implicated in the conspiracy and forced to commit suicide in October 1944.

- General Hans Speidel: Rommel's Chief of Staff, who played a significant role in resistance activities and later served in the post-war German military.

- Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg: The primary executor of the July 20 assassination attempt, whose actions made him a central figure in the German resistance.

- General Friedrich Olbricht: A key planner of Operation Valkyrie, who was executed following the failed coup.

- General Ludwig Beck: A former Chief of the General Staff and prominent conspirator, who was also executed after the coup's failure.

- Carl Goerdeler: A former mayor of Leipzig and civilian leader in the resistance, who was arrested and executed in 1945.