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WW 2 History Club

22-Apr-2015

Killing HitlerKilling Hitler

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Meeting Agenda

1. Pledge of Allegiance2. Administration3. Killing Hitler Introduction4. Margaret Sgritta5. Video6. Q&A7. Closing

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WW2 Vets

WW2 vets are meeting before each regular Wednesday

meeting( 1:30 to 3:00 )

See Lou Branch

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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

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Web Site

The place to find out what is going on

The place for interesting items on WW2 (daily)

www.ww2hc.org

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Future Meetings4th 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

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Movie Night3rd Wednesday of the month

Seabreeze Rec Center

May 2015: Unbroken Jun 2015: TBD Jul 2015: TBD

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WWII Book ClubNEW!! 4th Friday of the month

Colony 1PM to 3PM

May 2015: Unbroken

details on web site

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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

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WW 2 History Club

22-Apr-2015

Killing HitlerKilling Hitler

Assassination AttemptsAgainst World Leaders

• Hitler – 4 attempts before 1933 prior to seizing power; 10 attempts post 1933 after seizing power; 1934-1944 27+ 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?

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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

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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

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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

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Time LineDate Location Attempted By

< 1933 Various 4 attempts between 1923 and 1933

1933 Various 10 attempts

1934 Berlin Beppo Römer

1934 Berlin Helmut Mylius

1934 Unknown Unknown

1934 Unknown Unknown

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Time Line

Date Location Attempted By

1935 Berlin Marwitz group

1935 Berlin Paul Josef Stuermer

20-Dec-1936 Nuremberg Helmut Hirsch

1937 Berlin Josef Thomas

1937 Berlin Sportpalast Unknown man in SS uniform

9-Nov-1938 Feldherrnhalle, Munich Maurice Bavaud

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Time Line

Date Location Attempted By

5-Oct-1939 WarsawMichał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski,[2] Service for Poland's Victory

8-Nov-1939 1939

Bürgerbräukeller, Munich

Johann Georg Elser

1939 Berlin Erich Kordt

1940 Paris, France Erwin von Witzleben

1941 Berlin Nikolaus von Halem

1941-1943 (several)

Berlin Beppo Römer

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Time Line

Date Location Attempted By

1943 Walki, USSRHubert Lanz, Hans Speidel, Hyazinth Graf von Strachwitz

13-Mar-1943

Flight to Smolensk, USSR

Henning von Tresckow, Fabian von Schlabrendorff

March 1943

Smolensk, USSR

Friedrich König, Philipp von Boeselager

21-Mar-1943

Zeughaus, Berlin

Henning von Tresckow, Fabian von Schlabrendorff, Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff

1943Wolf's Lair, East Prussia

Unknown Pole

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Time Line

Date Location Attempted By

16-Nov-1943 Wolf's Lair, East Prussia

Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche-Streithorst

January 1944Wolf's Lair, East Prussia

Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin

11-Mar-1944Berghof, Obersalzberg

Eberhard von Breitenbuch

1944 (several) Berlin Claus von Stauffenberg

20-Jul-1944Wolf's Lair, East Prussia

Claus von Stauffenberg

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Time Line

Date Location Attempted 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 20th, von

Stauffenberg• Albert Speer

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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