Operation Valkyrie: The German Generals' Plot Against Hitler

by Pierre Galante

Overview

The bomb that exploded in the "Wolf's Lair"—Hitler's command headquarters—on July 20th, 1944 was the closest any assassination attempt ever came to ridding the world of the Nazis' Führer. Pierre Galante's account of the years that led up to the attempt, and its grim aftermath, offers an illuminating look at how dissent among the German officer corps grew until something had to be done. Conspirator General Adolf Heusinger, who met with Hitler on hundreds of occasions, provides his personal accounts of the disintegrating obedience of the German commanders as the war turned against them. Their plan to kill Hitler, establish a provisional government, and negotiate with the Allies for peace—known as Operation Valkyrie—is described here in depth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461732136
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/08/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	328
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Pierre Galante (1918-1998), a French citizen, also wrote The Berlin Wall.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	vii
	Preface	ix
1.	July 20, 1944: The Wolf's Lair	1
2.	July 20, 1944: Paris	18
3.	1934-1935: The Army Swears Fealty	34
4.	1936-1937: "They Call Him Hermann"	43
5.	1938: "A Swine, But a Lucky Swine"	51
6.	1939: First Soldier of the Reich	80
7.	1940: "I Can Force Them to Obey Me"	93
8.	1941: "We Have Nothing to Fear from the Americans"	108
9.	1942: "The Russians Are Done For"	128
10.	1942-1943: Stalingrad	154
11.	1943: Infernal Machines	174
12.	1944: "When the Oxcart Gets Stuck in the Mud"	206
13.	July 20, 1944: Exercise Completed	224
14.	After July 20, 1944: The Last Knights	235
15.	March 1945-May 1945: "In the Best Interests of the Nation"	256
Appendix	Interview with General Heusinger	268
	Glossary of German Military Terms	277
	Sources	279
	Bibliography	287
	Index	291
	Maps
	The Battle of France, 1940	101
	Operation Barbarossa, 1941-1942	112
	The Eastern Front After Stalingrad, 1943-1945	162
	D-Day and the Liberation of France, June 1944-1945	215

Editorial Reviews

Lively and well documented.

Le Figaro

Heusinger's brilliant personality, the clarity of his insights, the objectivity of his judgements…as well as the invaluable aid of his personal diaries have enabled Pierre Galante to recreate a dramatic and decisive period in contemporary history.

Méridional La France

Lively and well documented.--Le Figaro

Heusinger's brilliant personality, the clarity of his insights, the objectivity of his judgements...as well as the invaluable aid of his personal diaries have enabled Pierre Galante to recreate a dramatic and decisive period in contemporary history.--Méridional La France

From the Publisher

Heusinger's brilliant personality, the clarity of his insights, the objectivity of his judgements…as well as the invaluable aid of his personal diaries have enabled Pierre Galante to recreate a dramatic and decisive period in contemporary history.

Méridional La France

Heusinger's brilliant personality, the clarity of his insights, the objectivity of his judgements…as well as the invaluable aid of his personal diaries have enabled Pierre Galante to recreate a dramatic and decisive period in contemporary history.

Meridional La France