On 20 July 1944, Adolf Hitler and his top military associates entered the briefing hut of the Wolf's Lair military headquarters, a series of concrete bunkers and shelters located deep in the forest of East Prussia, not far from the location of the World War I Battle of Tannenberg. Soon after, an explosion killed three officers and a stenographer, injuring everyone else in the room. This assassination attempt was the work of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, an aristocrat who had been severely wounded while serving in the North African theater of war, losing his right hand, left eye, and two fingers of his left hand.
The bomb plot was a carefully planned attempt against the Nazi regime, orchestrated by a group of army officers. Their plan was to assassinate Hitler, seize power in Berlin, establish a new pro-Western government and save Germany from total defeat.
Immediately after the arrest and execution of the plot leaders in Berlin by Friedrich Fromm, the Gestapo (the secret police force of Nazi Germany) began arresting people involved or suspected of being involved. This opportunity was also used to eliminate other, unrelated critics of the Nazi regime. In total, an estimated 7,000 people were arrested of which approximately 4,980 were executed, some slowly strangled with piano wire on Hitler's insistence. A month after the failed attempt on Hitler's life, the Gestapo initiated .
PortraitNamePositionFateYear of deathOtto ArmsterColonelSurvived1957Ludwig BeckFormer General and Chief of the General Staff of the German Army High CommandExecuted (Shot)1944Robert BernardisLieutenant ColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Albrecht Graf von BernstorffDiplomatExecuted (Firing squad)1945Gottfried Graf von Bismarck-SchönhausenMember of the ReichstagSurvived1949Hans-Jürgen von BlumenthalMajorExecuted (Hanging)1944Hasso von BoehmerLieutenant ColonelExecuted (Hanging)1945Georg von BoeselagerColonelKilled in action1944Philipp von BoeselagerLieutenant ColonelSurvived2008Eugen BolzMember of the ReichstagExecuted (Guillotine)1945Dietrich BonhoefferTheologianExecuted (Hanging)1945Klaus BonhoefferLawyerExecuted (Shot)1945Eduard BrücklmeierDiplomatExecuted (Hanging)1944Axel von dem BusscheMajorSurvived1993Wilhelm CanarisAdmiral and Head of the AbwehrExecuted (Hanging)1945Walter CramerBusinessmanExecuted (Hanging)1944Gustav DahrendorfMember of the ReichstagSurvived1954Alfred DelpPriestExecuted (Hanging)1945Heinrich zu Dohna-SchlobittenGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1944Hans von DohnanyiLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1945Deputy Mayor of BerlinExecuted (Hanging)1945Member of the ReichstagSurvived1956Alexander von FalkenhausenGeneralSurvived1966Erich FellgiebelGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1944Eberhard FinckhColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Reinhold FrankLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1945Wessel Freytag von LoringhovenColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Friedrich FrommGeneral and Commander of the Replacement ArmyExecuted (Firing squad)1945Joseph-Ernst Graf Fugger von GlöttMember of the ReichstagSurvived1981Ludwig GehreCaptainExecuted (Hanging)1945Member of the ReichstagExecuted (Concentration camp)1944Rudolf-Christoph von GersdorffGeneralSurvived1980Eugen GerstenmaierTheologianSurvived1986Otto GesslerMinister of DefenceSurvived1955Hans Bernd GiseviusDiplomatSurvived1974Eric GloedenArchitectExecuted (Guillotine)1944Elizabeth GloedenTeacherExecuted (Guillotine)1944Carl Friedrich GoerdelerMayor of LeipzigExecuted (Hanging)1945Fritz GoerdelerMayor of KwidzynExecuted (Hanging)1945Gereon GoldmannPriestSurvived2003Nikolaus GrossJournalistExecuted (Hanging)1945Karl Ludwig Freiherr von und zu GuttenbergColonel and journalistExecuted (Hanging)1945Hans Bernd von HaeftenLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1945Werner von HaeftenLieutenantExecuted (Firing squad)1944Albrecht von HagenLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1944Nikolaus von HalemLawyerExecuted (Guillotine)1944Eduard HammMinister of the EconomySuicide1944Georg HansenColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Carl-Hans von HardenbergMajorSurvived1958Ernst von HarnackMember of the ReichstagExecuted (Hanging)1945Paul von HaseGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1944Ulrich von HassellAmbassador of Germany to ItalyExecuted (Hanging)1944Theodor HaubachMember of the ReichstagExecuted (Hanging)1945Albrecht HaushoferDiplomatExecuted (Hanging)1945Egbert HayessenMajorExecuted (Hanging)1944Wolf-Heinrich Graf von HelldorffMember of the Reichstag and Chief of the Berlin PoliceExecuted (Hanging)1944Otto HerfurthGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1944Andreas HermesMinister of FinanceSurvived1964Erich HoepnerGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1944Caesar von HofackerLieutenant ColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Roland von HößlinMajorExecuted (Hanging)1944Friedrich Gustav JaegerColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Hans JohnLawyerExecuted (Firing squad)1944Otto JohnLawyerSurvived1997Jakob KaiserLawyerSurvived1961Otto KiepDiplomatExecuted (Hanging)1944Hans Georg KlamrothMajorExecuted (Hanging)1944Friedrich KlausingCaptainExecuted (Hanging)1944Ewald von Kleist-SchmenzinDiplomatExecuted (Hanging)1945Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-SchmenzinLieutenantSurvived2013Günther von KlugeField MarshalSuicide1944Hans KochLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1945Alfred KranzfelderLieutenant CommanderExecuted (Hanging)1944Carl LangbehnLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1944Julius LeberMember of the ReichstagExecuted (Hanging)1945Heinrich Graf von Lehndorff-SteinortLandownerExecuted (Hanging)1944Paul Lejeune-JungMember of the ReichstagExecuted (Hanging)1945Ludwig Freiherr von LeonrodMajorExecuted (Hanging)1944Bernhard LetterhausTrade UnionistExecuted (Hanging)1944Franz LeuningerTrade UnionistExecuted (Hanging)1945Wilhelm LeuschnerMember of the ReichstagExecuted (Hanging)1944Fritz LindemannGeneralDied of injuries in custody1944Hans Otfried von LinstowColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Paul LöbeMember of the ReichstagSurvived1967Ewald LoeserLawyerSurvived1970Ferdinand von LüninckMember of the ReichstagExecuted (Hanging)1944Hermann MaaßLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1944Rudolf von Marogna-RedwitzColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Michael von MatuschkaMember of the Landtag of PrussiaExecuted (Hanging)1944Joachim MeichßnerColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Albrecht Mertz von QuirnheimColonelExecuted (Firing squad)1944Joseph MüllerPriestExecuted (Guillotine)1944Arthur NebeGeneral and Chief of KriminalpolizeiExecuted (Hanging)1945Hans-Ulrich von OertzenMajorSuicide1944Friedrich OlbrichtGeneralExecuted (Firing squad)1944Hans OsterGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1945Margarethe von OvenSecretarySurvived1991Rolf Friedemann PaulsMajorSurvived2002Erwin PlanckDiplomatExecuted (Hanging)1945Kurt von PlettenbergLandownerSuicide1945Johannes PopitzMinister of Finance of PrussiaExecuted (Hanging)1945Erwin RommelField MarshalSuicide (Forced)1944Friedrich von RabenauGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1945Adolf ReichweinEconomistExecuted (Hanging)1944Alexis von RoenneColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Karl SackGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1945Joachim SadrozinskiLieutenant ColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Anton SaefkowLawyerExecuted (Guillotine)1944Fabian von SchlabrendorffGeneralSurvived1980Rüdiger SchleicherLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1945Ernst SchneppenhorstMinisters of War of BavariaExecuted (Hanging)1945Werner SchraderLieutenant ColonelSuicide1944Friedrich-Werner Graf von der SchulenburgAmbassador of Germany to the Soviet UnionExecuted (Hanging)1944Fritz-Dietlof von der SchulenburgOberpräsident of the Province of SilesiaExecuted (Hanging)1944Ludwig SchwambCivil ServantExecuted (Hanging)1945Ulrich Wilhelm Graf Schwerin von SchwanenfeldMajorExecuted (Hanging)1944Günther SmendLieutenant ColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Hans SpeidelGeneralSurvived1984Franz SperrMajorExecuted (Hanging)1945Berthold Schenk Graf von StauffenbergJudgeExecuted (Hanging)1944Claus von StauffenbergLeader of the plot and ColonelExecuted (Firing squad)1944Hellmuth StieffGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1944Theodor StrünckLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1945Carl-Heinrich von StülpnagelGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1944Carl SzokollMajorSurvived2004Fritz ThieleGeneralExecuted (Hanging)1944Busso ThomaMajorExecuted (Hanging)1945Georg ThomasGeneralSurvived1946Karl Freiherr von ThüngenGeneralExecuted (Firing squad)1944Henning von TresckowGeneralSuicide1944Adam von Trott zu SolzDiplomatExecuted (Firing squad)1944Nikolaus von Üxküll-GyllenbandColonelExecuted (Hanging)1944Eduard WagnerGeneralSuicide1944Hermann Josef WehrlePriestExecuted (Hanging)1944Carl WentzelLandownerExecuted (Hanging)1944Joachim von WillisenDiplomatSurvived1983Josef WirmerLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1944Erwin von WitzlebenField MarshalExecuted (Hanging)1944Peter Yorck von WartenburgLawyerExecuted (Hanging)1944Gustav Heistermann von ZiehlbergGeneralExecuted (Firing squad)1945
See also List of people killed or wounded in the 20 July plot
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