Nazi Germany - Resistance

July Plot

20th July 1944

• ·       (Failed) bomb attempt to assassinate Hitler

• Lieutenant Colonel Claus and Count Schenk von Stauffenberg travel to Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair (East Prussia), place a briefcase with 2 bombs under Hitler’s table, to be claimed as part of an “attempted coup”. Once dead, Operation Valkyrie would be implemented:

  o   Reserve Army seize key installations in Berlin + arrest high-ranking Nazi officials (e.g. Goebbels, Göring, Himmler), disarm loyal SS units, Stülpnagel consolidate army power in France. New government established with Goerdeler as Chancellor, Beck as President, ready to negotiate armistice to end the war.

The failure of the plot

• Stauffenberg placed one bomb in a briefcase, unable to arm second bomb in time; a last minute change in meeting rooms → briefcase was (coincidentally) moved under support of heavy table leg, detonating and killing a stenographer and 3 officers, but not Hitler (who was shielded by the oak conference table),

the aftermath of the plot

·4 captured, tried and executed by firing squad. General Ludwig von Beck allowed to commit suicide.

180-200 plotters were shot/hanged; Hitler ordered massive hunt for conspirators (lasted months), captured, tortured by Gestapo and appeared in the People’s Courts to Judge Roland Freisler for show (this ended as it gave conspirators a platform to condemn the regime).

·       Over 7000 people arrested, 4980 executed.

Johann Jacob Elser

• 8 November 1939 (16th Munich Putsch anniversary)

• 35 days @ 10 minute intervals working on bomb

Hitler had appointed Rudolph Hess to speak, but last-minute stepped in.

unexpectedly was rushed out of the hall (13 minutes before the explosion was set) to catch a train.

o   Speech lasted 57 minutes instead of usual 90 minutes.

·       8 people were killed, 63 injured (including Hitler’s mistress).

·       Elser was arrested trying to cross into Switzerland, for having “suspicious items,” died @ Dachau 1944

Hitler quote from 8 Nov 1939

• Hitler said ““I had a most extraordinary feeling and I don’t myself know how or why, but I felt compelled to leave the cellar just as quickly as I could. The fact that I left the Burgerbraukeller earlier than usual is a corroboration of Providence’s intention to let me reach my goal.” 

August Lendmesser

o   August Landmesser refused to perform the Nazi salute, stood with hands crossed, was persecuted + punished for this, and for breaking Nuremberg laws by marrying & having a child with a Jewish Woman.

• Landmesser was sent to a camp and sentenced to 2 years hard labor but was never seen again.

at the launch of the naval training vessel Horst Wessel on 13 June 1936. Photographer: unknown

Refusal to salute - law enforcement

• 1934 – special courts established to punish those who refused/incorrectly/failed to perform salute:

o   Sondergerichte and The People’s Court (Volksgerichtshof)

o   Punishments included: imprisonment (concentration camps), intimidation, fines (from 10-150 Reichsmarks)

Hiding Jewish People

• Thousands of Jews went into hiding in Nazi occupied Europe: E.g. in Germany, about 10000-15000 tried to go into hiding, only 1500-5000 survived the war.

• at least 28 000 people recognised for helping, many anonymous

Oskar Schindler – member of Nazi Party but saved 1200 Jews during the Holocaust

Anton Schmid – helped to hide and save Jews even while working in the Wehrmacht

Hans von Dohnanyi – while working in the Abwehr, helped Jews escape Germany, worked with German resistance

Helen Jacobs - helped victims of Holocaust by giving them food, false passports, accommodation (in her apartment/organizing places for them to stay).

Underground Press

• women - handbags - for photographs

• 30-50 different papers (at least), copies ranged from dozens to hundreds)

Die Innere Front

·       Die innere Front (The Inner Front)

o   1941-1942, created by John Sie in Germany.

o   Resistance magazine written twice a month

o   Written in 6 languages), describing the Nazi treatment and Gestapo policies.

o   Arvid Harnack, a writer for Die innere Front was discovered, and killed. The newspaper also shut down.

Leaflets of the White Rose @ Muncih University

o   Group of German non-violent resistance fighters led by university students Hans and Sophie Scholl.

o   They distributed printed leaflets denouncing the Nazi regime and exposed their atrocities.

o   Eventually caught and executed by Gestapo.

Music + Jokes

• People listened to music → expression of humanity

• ·       Count Alfred Hessenstein published The Joke’s on Hitler – Underground Whispers from the Land of the Concentration Camp. (book of Jokes about Hitler + Nazis) (Published after he moved to Britain from Germany):

o   E.g. Brown Herrings: “I stepped into the popular Aschinger restaurant in Berlin and ordered a Bismarck herring. ‘I beg your pardon, sir’ apologized the waiter, ‘I can only serve you a Hitler herring’. ‘Well – what is the difference?’ ‘The Bismarck herring had a head, sir; the Hitler herring hasn’t.’ ’’

The Wehrmacht

Despite their personal oath to Hitler promising their ‘unconditional obedience,’ a small minority of soldiers across different rankings opposed the regime by:

o   Refusing to obey Nazi orders/regulations

o   Protesting

o   Actively rescuing Jews (up to 2000 hiding in Berlin successfully until the end of the war)

§  E.g. Anton Schmid used military trucks to smuggle Jews from Vilna and distributed 3000 yellow card permits (that allowed you and 3 family members to not be killed) to as many Jewish people as possible. He was eventually arrested and executed in 1942.

o   Deserting the war

o   Non-compliance

o   Sabotage of missions

Generaloberst Ludwig Beck

• o   1938: tried to convince fellow generals to refuse Hitler’s orders to invade Austria, believing that it would create confrontation between Nazis and army, and Hitler would be removed. The plan failed – not enough support from other generals.

  §  Beck resigned 1938 after severe disagreements with Hitler’s policies.

  o   Joined the Beck Goerdeler

·       Colonel Hans Oster in Abwehr:

o   Oster + other officers planned a raid on Chancellery to murder Hitler + install a moderate government. Hitler’s aggression in Czechoslovakia late 1938, early 1939), sparked fear of war. Plan was abandoned after Munich agreement (fear of war decreased).

·       Colonel Claus Schenck von Stauffenberg

o   Witnessed horrors of the front line in the Soviet Union, asked to be transferred to the North African campaign, (then lost left eye, right hand + two fingers of left hand). While recovering, he decided that Hitler must be removed, became a conspirator of the July Plot, willing to take the role of carrying out the assassination.

o   Assassinated July 21^st due to failure of Plot.

·       Colonel Henning von Tresckow

o   Part of WW1 and WW2: Witnessed acts of SS and Gestapo in occupied territories, was appalled.

o   Maintained high Nazi ranking and used that to recruit officers to join his conspiracy to organize several assassination attempts against Hitler’s life & overthrow gov. during &  after 1942, but they were all eventually aborted.

o   Part of the July Plot planning, though not directly a part of Operation.

o   After hearing about its failure, he committed suicide in Ostrów July 21, 1944.

·       Wilhelm Canaris

o   Head of the Abwehr (intelligence agency of Wehrmacht) in 1935

o   He believed the Nazi regime was too ambitious and dangerous to Germany

o   Used his position of power to enlist anti-Hitler conspirators in Abwehr and shielded their activities.

o   After investigation into Abwehr by SS, he was transferred to economic staff of armed forces (Feb 1944)

o   Involved in July Plot - was arrested and executed.

·       Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

o   Did not take part in active resistance, but lost faith in Hitler & Nazi Regime

o   Knew about July Plot but was not involved. He did not report it to anyone.

Committed suicide after failure of plot to avoid trial.

Why so little opposition?

• people didn’t actually know what was going on → ignorant → censorship (only 530 000 Jews)

• accused in court cases were ALWAYS found guilty, allowed NO defence

• Nazis were voted in legally

• effective propaganda

• divided opposition

• no organised opposition