Historical Figure
Claus von Stauffenberg
1907–1944
German army officer (1907–1944)
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Biography
Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, part of Operation Valkyrie, a plan that would have seen the arrest of the Nazi leadership in the wake of Hitler's death and an earlier end to World War II.
Timeline
The story of Claus von Stauffenberg, told in moments.
Severely wounded in Tunisia when his staff car was strafed by a fighter plane. He lost his left eye, his right hand, and two fingers on his left hand. While recovering, he decided Hitler had to die.
Planted a briefcase bomb under a conference table at the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's East Prussian headquarters. The blast killed four people. Hitler survived with minor injuries. A heavy oak table leg had deflected the explosion.
Executed by firing squad in the courtyard of the Bendlerblock in Berlin, hours after the failed assassination. His last words: "Long live our sacred Germany." He was 36.
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