July plotters

[Sam H.]

How are the July plotters remembered in History? Will they/should they go down as traitors to the German people or will they be remembered as brave men who risked it all for their country?

[nondescript handle]

The memorial plaque at the courtyard of the Bendler Block:

"Here died for Germany..."

The Website of the German Resistance Memorial: http://www.gdw-berlin.de/nav-e.htm

Regards
Mark

[Dan W.]

I thought that new officers in the Bundeswehr take their oath on July 20th, the anniversary of the plotters?

I'm fairly sure there is a strasse named after von Stauffenberg in Berlin.

We took this challenge before our lord and our conscience, and it must be done, because this man, Hitler, he is the ultimate evil."

[nondescript handle]

I thought that new officers in the Bundeswehr take their oath on July 20th, the anniversary of the plotters?

Not officers, 200 conscripts. The pledge is part of the memorial ceremony.

I'm fairly sure there is a strasse named after von Stauffenberg in Berlin.

The former Bendlerstrasse was 1955 renamed Stauffenbergstrasse.

Other Berliner streets named after "July plotters":
Haeftenzeile - Oberleutnant Werner von Haeften (1908-1944)
Friedrich-Olbricht-Damm - General d. I. Friedrich Olbricht (1888-1944)
Ludwig- Beck-Platz - Generaloberst Ludwig Beck (1880-1944)

Regards
Mark

[Beppo Schmidt]

They are revered as men who sacrificed themselves trying to save their country. There is a street and a town named after von Stauffenberg. There is also a street named after Erwin Rommel and a statue of von Moltke.

[Tancred]

Revered? What for? In July 1944 it was far too late to salvage anything from the war; they should have acted sooner. Had Stauffenberg succeeded it is unlikely that Germany would have ended up any differently from now. The Allies flatly refused to negotiate with the plotters.

[Beppo Schmidt]

The Allies flatly refused to negotiate with the plotters.

I would tend to view that as the Allies' failure, not the plotters'. just my two cents on it. Even Churchill, who had refused to negotiate during the war, expressed respect for them afterwards.

[Lawrence Tandy]

Maybe by bringing about Hitlers death and seizing power from Himmler, Goebbels and crew, the war weary population would have been convinced to lay down their arms. This would have saved thousands and thousands of lives.

[fdewaele]

Revered? What for? In July 1944 it was far too late to salvage anything from the war; they should have acted sooner.

They're were also attempts in 1939 and 1943 but those failed.

[Marcel1975]

In the Atlantic charter Churchill and Roosevelt expressed their will to destroy Nazi Germany.

I believe if the coup had succeeded especially Stalin and Churchill would certainly have considered any German offer to end the war immediately.

But as the conspirators themselves said just before the attempt (they knew the odds were against them), 'we should go through with it regardless of what happenes, if only for Germany'

[Hasso]

When was the allied announcement of Unconditional Surrender? I believe it was during the Tehran Conference, was it not? I could be wrong there.

If it was during the Tehran Conference, then the allies refusal to negotiate with the plotters is completely understandable for a number of reasons.

First, unconditional surrender means just that. No dealing, no negotiations (other than timing).

Second, the precondition for "dealing with the plotters" was to have Hitler (and Himmler for that matter) removed from the picture. Did that occur? No. Therefore, no "dealing."

Just my opinion, thanx!

[Sam H.]

When was the allied announcement of Unconditional Surrender? I believe it was during the Tehran Conference, was it not? I could be wrong there.

If it was during the Tehran Conference, then the allies refusal to negotiate with the plotters is completely understandable for a number of reasons.

First, unconditional surrender means just that. No dealing, no negotiations (other than timing).

Second, the precondition for "dealing with the plotters" was to have Hitler (and Himmler for that matter) removed from the picture. Did that occur? No. Therefore, no "dealing."

Just my opinion, thanx!

I believe it was after the Casablanca conference. Before the surrender of Italy.

[Hasso]

I believe you're right, Sam. Thanx for the clarification.

This would then put it significantly before the July 20, 1944 plot, and thus unconditional surrender was the name of the game.

[Jacky Kingsley]

The July 1944 plotters were only the last in a long line of attempts to kill Hitler and every one of them failed. The first were long before the war started. The devil certainly looks after his own.

Jacky

[Alfred Naujocks]

I've read that Hitler took a keen interest in watching a film of the July plotters being executed. Is this true? Was the film recovered? What became of it? Thanks