Desert Fox
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(Yes, i know i'm three days late but i didn't have the time to make this post on the 20th of this month).
The infamous attempt to assassinate Hitler. One of many but the only one that actually came close to achieving its intended goal and yet still failed miserably due to the messy approach of the conspirators.
There is an interesting article in the Spectator(dot)co(dot)uk website by a Polish researcher regarding the July 20 plot but unfortunately it is only accessible to monthly subscribers
https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/07...selves-nazi-war-criminals-why-celebrate-them/
But judging from the title one can already grasp the content which is non-conventional and i would say even more historically accurate than what is actually taught and even depicted about that particular historical event and those behind the assassination attempt. Though it is a gross misrepresentation to label the conspirators as "Nazis" (explained why in detail below). Heck by today's Marxist/Leftist standards even George Washington is a Nazi, but that's for another thread.
The top conspirators were all retired as well as serving members of the aristocratic Prussian officer class.
Contrary to common misconceptions, none of these men were pro-democracy, anti-imperialism or anti-militarism.
On the contrary, they were proponents of Prussian militarism, conservative authoritarianism and German colonization/expansionism of eastern territories (which was a Teutonic & later Prussian tradition dating back ages, contrary to what post-war propaganda might suggest as being exclusively a Nazi agenda).
The plot members even assisted Hitler and the Nazis into power, considering the latter as the lesser of two evils (the other option being a Bolshevik-style Communist takeover of Germany not unlike Russia and Eastern European countries).
Most of the conspirators were a part of the inter-war Conservative Revolutionary movement and sought to influence Hitler and the Nazis away from the populist tendencies that came to characterize Nazism and other Fascist movements all across Europe (Fascism being the working class and peasantry's response to Communism and Liberalism whereas the Conservative Revolutionary movement was the aristocracy's response to the latter two) and desired to rather replace Hitler with a conservative authoritarian figure (a heir to the imperial throne perhaps?) if such a goal could be achieved.
However that never happened. The Nazis consolidated their power, eventually absorbing all nationalist movements under one umbrella. This caused resentment within certain circles of the army who subscribed to the Conservative Revolutionary ideals and thus felt cheated and sidelined.
By June, 1944 it had become obvious to many within the circles of the Germany Army that the war was no longer going in Germany's favor. The entire might of three major world powers (the Liberal Anglo-American alliance in the West, Soviet Communism in the East) was in full swing against the Third Reich and the gap between East and West was rapidly closing.
The goals of the conspirators were as such:
1) Assassinate Hitler
2) Activate the reserve army against any possible SS intervention
3) Arrest or if possible assassinate top SS and Gestapo officials (Himmler in particular)
4) Arrest and/or confine top Nazi party officials
5) Establish a new government in order to negotiate a peace with the Anglo-American alliance while continuing the war in the East against the Soviet Union.
Among the demands to be made to the Western allies included the retaining of Germany's 1939 borders as well as inclusion of recently annexed Polish territories, Alsace-Lorraine and possibly even the return of Germany's pre-Versailles treaty colonies.
NOTE: I won't go into further details about the plot itself and the subsequent events in this post because this is already well documented in other sources with much greater depth.
Lets imagine for a second that the plotters had successfully assassinated Hitler and overthrown the Nazi regime in their coup. Would this have deterred the allies from continuing the war against Germany to its conclusion?
Judging by how the allies treated Italy (after its defection) and France (an ally from the outset), one can easily conclude that it would not have been well (see Anglo-American bombing of French towns and cities). But rather the war would have continued at full speed.
Hitler or no Hitler, Germany had to be destroyed.
"You must understand that this war is not against Hitler or National Socialism, but against the strength of the German people, which is to be smashed once and for all, regardless of whether it is in the hands of Hitler or a Jesuit priest.." --Winston Churchill
The above quote is attributed to Churchill, though there is no direct source tying this quote to him. However despite that, there is plenty of other source material to suggest that this was Churchill's view on the war against Germany nonetheless.
Source: https://forum.codoh.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7259&start=15
![The-yalta-conference[1].jpg](https://defence.pk./attachments/the-yalta-conference-1-jpg.488050/ "The-yalta-conference[1].jpg")
The "Big Three" (Churchill, Roosevelt & Stalin) decide the fate of the world
at the Yalta Conference, February 1945
Why the Coup Failed
There are many reasons for the failure of the coup. For simplicity's sake ill keep to one major reason, which was the loyalty of the lower rank frontline officers and soldiers to Hitler.
Keep in mind that the prominent leaders of the coup and its various affiliates were all higher ranking officers of the aristocracy (von Stauffenberg), including two heads of the intelligence agency (Canaris & Armster). Entire list of conspirators and affiliates can be seen here
The lower rank-and-file frontline soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht remained loyal to the regime. This was most notably demonstrated by the commander of the Berlin Guards regiment Großdeutschland, Major Otto Ernst Remer who, despite the ensuing chaos and contradictory orders, successfully countered and suppressed the coup before it could achieve any of its initial goals.
As Remer recounts, "I decided that, in any case, I would not allow myself to be misused in my capacity as commander of the only elite unit on active duty in Berlin. My regiment was made up entirely of picked, proven combat soldiers with high decorations for bravery. Every officer sported the Knights Cross. I was also mindful of the events of 1918, after which the Berlin guard units had been reproached for their hesitancy, which contributed to the success of the revolution. I had no desire to expose myself to a similar reproach before History."
And here Remer mentions in regards to the conspirators and higher ranking officers, "If one wonders today how a young officer like me could allow himself such liberties with a general, it should be borne in mind that we young commanders saw ourselves as battle-hardened, proven combat leaders, and we had scant regard for the chairborne warriors of the home front."
"In this connection I should like to point out something based on my long experience at the front. Just as in the First World War, it was the veteran commanders of the shock companies who epitomized the front experience, so also in the Second World War it was the young commanders, come of age on the front, who had forged with their troops a sworn fellowship of combat. These men not only could fight, they wanted to fight, particularly since they believed in Germany's victory."
You can read Remer's complete account of that day here: http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v08/v08p-41_Remer.html
![remer[1].jpg](https://defence.pk./attachments/remer-1-jpg.488058/ "remer[1].jpg")
![640px-Otto_Ernst_Remer-forside[1].jpg](https://defence.pk/data/attachments/669/669623-76bdddadd03490b1d3b7b2c8e07ef2ef.jpg "640px-Otto_Ernst_Remer-forside[1].jpg")
Major Otto Ernst Remer, veteran of France,
the Balkans and the Eastern front, commander
of the Berlin Guards Regiment, successfully
suppressed the anti-Hitler coup
Rare video of Major Remer giving a short speech to his troops, with English subtitles:
Major Remer as depicted in the 2008 Hollywood film Valkyrie:
As a side note:
Interestingly, Ernst Junger was also a prominent member of the Conservative Revolutionary movement and although he had his disagreements with the Nazi regime (he declined Goebbels offer to accept a prestigious position within the government. Both Goebbels & Hitler had praised his book Storm of Steel), he as well as other members of the movement desisted from treasonous activity. In fact Junger resumed his career as a captain in the Wehrmacht when war broke out in 1939.
The traditionalist philosopher, Julius Evola, too was a proponent of the Conservative Revolutionary movement, having been acquainted with many of its prominent members (such as Junger, among others) and was a staunch critic of what he perceived as the modern influences within both (Italian) Fascism and Nazism, but even he disapproved of the treasonous plot of the 'Bomb Plot Clique' (as Hitler called it), dismissing them as naive (in fact, Evola himself had volunteered to go and fight on the Eastern front against Communism but despite this his request was turned down by the Italian Fascist regime on multiple occasions).
As Evola states within his critique of Nazism, "In this regard, there is no question of conspiracies before the one of 20 July 1944, which was intended to eliminate Hitler physically, because the primary intent was practical. They (the conspirators) were trying to spare Germany a worse fate, given that the military situation had become desperate. They acted in the supposition that without Hitler, and with a new non-Nazi regime, it would be possible to negotiate with the Allies on a better basis. Of course, they were fooling themselves."
"...[W]e should reject the thesis maintained by some scholars... that with the conspiracy and the assassination attempt of 20 July, there would have been a re-awakening of Prussianism, as though its exponents were to be found in at least equal numbers on the other (Allied) side"- Notes on the Third Reich, pg.84
That last part about the false belief of the conspirators that if they got rid of Hitler the Western allies would allow Prussianism to return was indeed an illusion of the worst kind since World War One and the Versailles Treaty were specifically intended to destroy Prussian "Militarism" for good. It would make no sense for the allies to trade Nazism for Prussianism.
Neither would the allies ever agree to any of the other demands to be proposed by the 'Bomb Plot Clique'.
@Nilgiri @Psychic @Metanoia @Gomig-21 @dsr478
Background
The infamous attempt to assassinate Hitler. One of many but the only one that actually came close to achieving its intended goal and yet still failed miserably due to the messy approach of the conspirators.
There is an interesting article in the Spectator(dot)co(dot)uk website by a Polish researcher regarding the July 20 plot but unfortunately it is only accessible to monthly subscribers
https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/07...selves-nazi-war-criminals-why-celebrate-them/
But judging from the title one can already grasp the content which is non-conventional and i would say even more historically accurate than what is actually taught and even depicted about that particular historical event and those behind the assassination attempt. Though it is a gross misrepresentation to label the conspirators as "Nazis" (explained why in detail below). Heck by today's Marxist/Leftist standards even George Washington is a Nazi, but that's for another thread.
Who were the conspirators?
The top conspirators were all retired as well as serving members of the aristocratic Prussian officer class.
Contrary to common misconceptions, none of these men were pro-democracy, anti-imperialism or anti-militarism.
On the contrary, they were proponents of Prussian militarism, conservative authoritarianism and German colonization/expansionism of eastern territories (which was a Teutonic & later Prussian tradition dating back ages, contrary to what post-war propaganda might suggest as being exclusively a Nazi agenda).
The plot members even assisted Hitler and the Nazis into power, considering the latter as the lesser of two evils (the other option being a Bolshevik-style Communist takeover of Germany not unlike Russia and Eastern European countries).
The Fallout with Hitler & the Nazis
Most of the conspirators were a part of the inter-war Conservative Revolutionary movement and sought to influence Hitler and the Nazis away from the populist tendencies that came to characterize Nazism and other Fascist movements all across Europe (Fascism being the working class and peasantry's response to Communism and Liberalism whereas the Conservative Revolutionary movement was the aristocracy's response to the latter two) and desired to rather replace Hitler with a conservative authoritarian figure (a heir to the imperial throne perhaps?) if such a goal could be achieved.
However that never happened. The Nazis consolidated their power, eventually absorbing all nationalist movements under one umbrella. This caused resentment within certain circles of the army who subscribed to the Conservative Revolutionary ideals and thus felt cheated and sidelined.
The Goals of the Conspirators
By June, 1944 it had become obvious to many within the circles of the Germany Army that the war was no longer going in Germany's favor. The entire might of three major world powers (the Liberal Anglo-American alliance in the West, Soviet Communism in the East) was in full swing against the Third Reich and the gap between East and West was rapidly closing.
The goals of the conspirators were as such:
1) Assassinate Hitler
2) Activate the reserve army against any possible SS intervention
3) Arrest or if possible assassinate top SS and Gestapo officials (Himmler in particular)
4) Arrest and/or confine top Nazi party officials
5) Establish a new government in order to negotiate a peace with the Anglo-American alliance while continuing the war in the East against the Soviet Union.
Among the demands to be made to the Western allies included the retaining of Germany's 1939 borders as well as inclusion of recently annexed Polish territories, Alsace-Lorraine and possibly even the return of Germany's pre-Versailles treaty colonies.
NOTE: I won't go into further details about the plot itself and the subsequent events in this post because this is already well documented in other sources with much greater depth.
A Fool's Errand
Lets imagine for a second that the plotters had successfully assassinated Hitler and overthrown the Nazi regime in their coup. Would this have deterred the allies from continuing the war against Germany to its conclusion?
Judging by how the allies treated Italy (after its defection) and France (an ally from the outset), one can easily conclude that it would not have been well (see Anglo-American bombing of French towns and cities). But rather the war would have continued at full speed.
Hitler or no Hitler, Germany had to be destroyed.
"You must understand that this war is not against Hitler or National Socialism, but against the strength of the German people, which is to be smashed once and for all, regardless of whether it is in the hands of Hitler or a Jesuit priest.." --Winston Churchill
The above quote is attributed to Churchill, though there is no direct source tying this quote to him. However despite that, there is plenty of other source material to suggest that this was Churchill's view on the war against Germany nonetheless.
Source: https://forum.codoh.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7259&start=15
The "Big Three" (Churchill, Roosevelt & Stalin) decide the fate of the world
at the Yalta Conference, February 1945
Why the Coup Failed
There are many reasons for the failure of the coup. For simplicity's sake ill keep to one major reason, which was the loyalty of the lower rank frontline officers and soldiers to Hitler.
Keep in mind that the prominent leaders of the coup and its various affiliates were all higher ranking officers of the aristocracy (von Stauffenberg), including two heads of the intelligence agency (Canaris & Armster). Entire list of conspirators and affiliates can be seen here
The lower rank-and-file frontline soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht remained loyal to the regime. This was most notably demonstrated by the commander of the Berlin Guards regiment Großdeutschland, Major Otto Ernst Remer who, despite the ensuing chaos and contradictory orders, successfully countered and suppressed the coup before it could achieve any of its initial goals.
As Remer recounts, "I decided that, in any case, I would not allow myself to be misused in my capacity as commander of the only elite unit on active duty in Berlin. My regiment was made up entirely of picked, proven combat soldiers with high decorations for bravery. Every officer sported the Knights Cross. I was also mindful of the events of 1918, after which the Berlin guard units had been reproached for their hesitancy, which contributed to the success of the revolution. I had no desire to expose myself to a similar reproach before History."
And here Remer mentions in regards to the conspirators and higher ranking officers, "If one wonders today how a young officer like me could allow himself such liberties with a general, it should be borne in mind that we young commanders saw ourselves as battle-hardened, proven combat leaders, and we had scant regard for the chairborne warriors of the home front."
"In this connection I should like to point out something based on my long experience at the front. Just as in the First World War, it was the veteran commanders of the shock companies who epitomized the front experience, so also in the Second World War it was the young commanders, come of age on the front, who had forged with their troops a sworn fellowship of combat. These men not only could fight, they wanted to fight, particularly since they believed in Germany's victory."
You can read Remer's complete account of that day here: http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v08/v08p-41_Remer.html
Major Otto Ernst Remer, veteran of France,
the Balkans and the Eastern front, commander
of the Berlin Guards Regiment, successfully
suppressed the anti-Hitler coup
Rare video of Major Remer giving a short speech to his troops, with English subtitles:
Major Remer as depicted in the 2008 Hollywood film Valkyrie:
As a side note:
Interestingly, Ernst Junger was also a prominent member of the Conservative Revolutionary movement and although he had his disagreements with the Nazi regime (he declined Goebbels offer to accept a prestigious position within the government. Both Goebbels & Hitler had praised his book Storm of Steel), he as well as other members of the movement desisted from treasonous activity. In fact Junger resumed his career as a captain in the Wehrmacht when war broke out in 1939.
The traditionalist philosopher, Julius Evola, too was a proponent of the Conservative Revolutionary movement, having been acquainted with many of its prominent members (such as Junger, among others) and was a staunch critic of what he perceived as the modern influences within both (Italian) Fascism and Nazism, but even he disapproved of the treasonous plot of the 'Bomb Plot Clique' (as Hitler called it), dismissing them as naive (in fact, Evola himself had volunteered to go and fight on the Eastern front against Communism but despite this his request was turned down by the Italian Fascist regime on multiple occasions).
As Evola states within his critique of Nazism, "In this regard, there is no question of conspiracies before the one of 20 July 1944, which was intended to eliminate Hitler physically, because the primary intent was practical. They (the conspirators) were trying to spare Germany a worse fate, given that the military situation had become desperate. They acted in the supposition that without Hitler, and with a new non-Nazi regime, it would be possible to negotiate with the Allies on a better basis. Of course, they were fooling themselves."
"...[W]e should reject the thesis maintained by some scholars... that with the conspiracy and the assassination attempt of 20 July, there would have been a re-awakening of Prussianism, as though its exponents were to be found in at least equal numbers on the other (Allied) side"- Notes on the Third Reich, pg.84
That last part about the false belief of the conspirators that if they got rid of Hitler the Western allies would allow Prussianism to return was indeed an illusion of the worst kind since World War One and the Versailles Treaty were specifically intended to destroy Prussian "Militarism" for good. It would make no sense for the allies to trade Nazism for Prussianism.
Neither would the allies ever agree to any of the other demands to be proposed by the 'Bomb Plot Clique'.
@Nilgiri @Psychic @Metanoia @Gomig-21 @dsr478
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