Bryan Singer’s 2008 film Valkyrie examines the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, but, unfortunately, the plot failed. The true story of Operation Valkyrie is, oddly enough, not one of the wider known elements of World War II. In fact, the plot – which was conceived of by members of the German army and civilians – seems fantastical on so many levels that it was well suited for a Hollywood adaptation starring Tom Cruise as one of the key conspirators, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Had the plot succeeded, the war would have certainly taken on a completely different trajectory and saved countless numbers of lives.
When it comes to World War II in cinema, there’s no shortage of in-depth explorations on everything from small pockets of resistance groups to failed military campaigns and the horrors of the Holocaust, but few have fully explored Operation Valkyrie. The film is not without its flaws and casting Cruise as Stauffenberg proved slightly controversial, particularly in Germany. However, for many people, the idea that there had actually ever been assassination attempts on the life of Hitler was a relatively new discovery. For this reason, Valkyrie was met with no small amount of fascination, even if the assassination plot ultimately failed to meet its objective in reality.
The Valkyrie Assassination Bombs Didn’t Explode Properly
As a key member of Hitler’s staff, Stauffenberg was particularly capable of getting close enough to perform the assassination attempt. The decision was made to enact Operation Valkyrie at a briefing that involved Hitler on July 20th, 1944. Straight from the start, the plan did not fare well. The original location of the briefing was changed almost last minute from Hitler’s bunker to the Wolfsschanze, or Wolf’s Lair, further undermining Stauffenberg’s dwindling confidence. Regardless, the colonel arrived with a briefcase containing two bombs, but due to only having three fingers on one hand and being pressed for time, he struggled to arm the devices, succeeding with only one.
Stauffenberg did manage to place the briefcase containing the sole activated bomb under the table, next to Hitler at the briefing. However, when the colonel left the room to respond to his pre-planned phone call, Colonel Heinz Brandt moved the briefcase behind one of the table’s solid oak legs. When the half-armed bomb did detonate, its strength was not enough to completely destroy the table nor to kill Hitler, who was shielded by the leg and sustained little more than a perforated eardrum. The bomb did manage to kill four of the Nazi officials at the briefing, but its main objective proved a very costly failure.
What Happened After The Failed Valkyrie Assassination
The efficiency of Hitler’s Nazi regime made it a considerable foe and a nearly impossible system to oppose. While resistance to the Nazis within Germany was not limited to Stauffenberg and those who took part in Operation Valkyrie, it remains one of the most shocking examples of how quick and ruthless the Nazi response to resistance was. Stauffenberg learned of the failed attempt upon his return to Berlin, along with his co-conspirators Lieutenant Werner Von Haeften, General Friedrich Olbricht, and General Ludwig Beck. When Nazis officials stormed the Bendlerblock offices where Stauffenberg and his cohorts had taken refuge, a short firefight ensued before the conspirators were arrested.
Unsurprisingly, the end results of the alleged treason Stauffenberg oversaw in Operation Valkyrie were not good. Lieutenant Haeften, General Olbricht, General Beck, and Stauffenberg were all sentenced to death that very night. General Beck died by suicide rather than face the firing squads that ultimately took the lives of the remaining men. Hitler was not satisfied solely with this, however, and in the coming days and months, more than 7,000 people said to have been connected to or sympathetic to the secret mission shown in Valkyrie were sentenced to death or sent to concentration camps.
