1 WW 2 History Club 22-Apr-2015 Killing Hitler

2 Meeting Agenda 1.Pledge of Allegiance 2.Administration 3.Killing Hitler Introduction 4.Margaret Sgritta 5.Video 6.Q&A 7.Closing

3 WW2 Vets WW2 vets are meeting before each regular Wednesday meeting ( 1:30 to 3:00 ) See Lou Branch

4 WW2 Vets WW2 vets are meeting for breakfast at Lil’ Bits Cafe (off Rte 466) the Tuesday following each regular Wednesday meeting See Lou Branch

5 Web Site The place to find out what is going on The place for interesting items on WW2 (daily)

6 Future Meetings 4 th Wednesday of the month Colony Cottage  May 2015:POWs  Jun 2015:German Military Commanders  Jul 2015:British Military Commanders  Aug 2015:End of War Alternatives  Sep 2015:Beginning of War Alternatives

7 Movie Night 3 rd Wednesday of the month Seabreeze Rec Center  May 2015:Unbroken  Jun 2015:TBD  Jul 2015:TBD

8 WWII Book Club NEW!! 4 th Friday of the month Colony 1PM to 3PM May 2015:Unbroken details on web site

9  WW2 Vets flown to Wash DC  Over 450 vets so far  Lots more in the queue  Next regular Mission is 27May’15  WW2HC donated $3,500 in Feb’15

10 WW 2 History Club 22-Apr-2015 Killing Hitler

Assassination Attempts Against World Leaders Hitler – 4 attempts before 1933 prior to seizing power; 10 attempts post 1933 after seizing power; attempts Churchill – 2 attempts Stalin –7 attempts FDR – 1 attempt All US presidents – 20+ attempts Source -- Wikipedia

Killing Hitler Hitler proved amazingly difficult to kill Multiple assassination attempts but only wounded during one Was this due to divine providence (guardian angel), inept security, or bumbling assassins? 12

Hitler’s Health and Safety Obsessed with his own mortality –Preoccupied by thoughts of a potential assassination attempt Security measures –Carried a pistol in public –Had armed personal bodyguards –Demanded security be constantly updated & intensified –Multiple security organizations SA, SS, Leibstandarte, RSD

Security Nightmares Unpredictable routine Reckless behavior Transportation arrangements –Multiple cars; preferred open-top More important to be seen than safe –Airplanes –Train

Security Lapses Background checks lax –Not all were Nazi supporters/party members –Staff members hired based on who they knew or personal recommendations –Little or no screening of people meeting with Hitler Guards not always conscientious Little or no training –Don’t be rude in public –Served as messengers or errand boys Competition between multiple security organizations –No one organization became too powerful

16 Killing Hitler  Over 30 known assassination attempts  Some quite famous, most relatively obscure  Several more were “mental exercises”, e.g., Albert Speer’s gas attack in Feb 1945  More still were well-thought-out plans that did not go operational, e.g., Operation Foxley  Probably many more that were aborted for some reason unknown to historians

17 Killing Hitler  Although the elimination of Hitler seemed like a good idea  Many analysts would argue that he did more harm to the Axis cause while alive than if he had been eliminated

18 Time Line DateLocationAttempted By < 1933Various4 attempts between 1923 and Various10 attempts 1934BerlinBeppo Römer 1934BerlinHelmut Mylius 1934Unknown 1934Unknown

19 Time Line DateLocationAttempted By 1935BerlinMarwitz group 1935BerlinPaul Josef Stuermer 20-Dec-1936NurembergHelmut Hirsch 1937BerlinJosef Thomas 1937Berlin SportpalastUnknown man in SS uniformSS 9-Nov-1938FeldherrnhalleFeldherrnhalle, MunichMunichMaurice Bavaud

20 Time Line DateLocationAttempted By 5-Oct-1939Warsaw Michał Karaszewicz-TokarzewskiMichał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski, [2] Service for Poland's Victory [2] Service for Poland's Victory 8-Nov Bürgerbräukell erBürgerbräukell er, MunichMunich Johann Georg Elser 1939BerlinErich Kordt 1940ParisParis, FranceFranceErwin von Witzleben 1941BerlinNikolaus von Halem (several) BerlinBeppo Römer

21 Time Line DateLocationAttempted By 1943WalkiWalki, USSRUSSR Hubert LanzHubert Lanz, Hans Speidel, Hyazinth Graf von StrachwitzHans SpeidelHyazinth Graf von Strachwitz 13- Mar Flight to Smolensk, USSR Smolensk USSR Henning von TresckowHenning von Tresckow, Fabian von SchlabrendorffFabian von Schlabrendorff March 1943 SmolenskSmolensk, USSR USSR Friedrich KönigFriedrich König, Philipp von BoeselagerPhilipp von Boeselager 21- Mar ZeughausZeughaus, Berlin Henning von TresckowHenning von Tresckow, Fabian von Schlabrendorff, Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von GersdorffFabian von SchlabrendorffRudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff 1943 Wolf's LairWolf's Lair, East Prussia East Prussia Unknown PolePole

22 Time Line DateLocationAttempted By 16-Nov-1943 Wolf's Lair, East Prussia Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche- Streithorst January 1944 Wolf's Lair, East Prussia Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist- Schmenzin 11-Mar-1944 BerghofBerghof, Obersalzberg Obersalzberg Eberhard von Breitenbuch 1944 (several)BerlinClaus von Stauffenberg 20-Jul-1944 Wolf's Lair, East Prussia Claus von Stauffenberg

23 Time Line DateLocationAttempted By 30-Apr-1945 Führerbunker, Berlin Hitler

Killing Hitler Book Club Discussion Maurice Bavaud Georg Elsner The Abwehr Polish Resistance The Soviet Union The British July 20 th, von Stauffenberg Albert Speer 24

25 Killing Hitler  So, after numerous attempts on his life, Hitler died at his own hand on 30-Apr-1945? Or did he?  The evidence is pretty convincing but …  There are also uncomfortable inconsistencies in the “facts”, evidence and testimony