20 July plot

Overview

The 20 July plot, sometimes referred to as Operation Valkyrie, was a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany, and overthrow the Nazi government on 20 July 1944. The plotters were part of the German resistance, mainly composed of Wehrmacht officers. The principal mastermind of the conspiracy, Claus von Stauffenberg, tried to kill Hitler by detonating an explosive hidden in a briefcase. However, due to the location of the bomb at the time of detonation, the blast only dealt Hitler minor injuries. The planners' subsequent coup attempt also failed and resulted in a purge of the Wehrmacht.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The 20 July plot was an internal attempt by members of the German resistance, principally Wehrmacht officers, to assassinate Adolf Hitler and overthrow the Nazi government during World War II. The failure of the assassination—attributed to the position of the bomb at the moment of detonation, which left Hitler with only minor injuries—foreclosed the possibility of an internally driven end to Nazi rule. The failed coup that followed triggered a purge of the Wehrmacht, removing or eliminating officers associated with the resistance and consolidating Hitler's hold over the military establishment at a critical stage of the war.