Killing Hitler: The Third Reich and the Plots Against the Fuhrer [Hardcover]

The first detailed account of the numerous attempts to kill one of history’s most reviled dictators.

4 stars.... Enthralling book..

‘enthralling book..’

‘A gripping account...wears its scholarship lightly enough to be read like a good political thriller.’

Most people have heard of the Stauffenberg Plot - the attempt to kill Hitler launched by the German Resistance Movement on 20 July 1944. But it is not widely known that this was only one of a long series of similar attacks. "Killing Hitler" is an account of the surprisingly numerous attempts on the life of Adolf Hitler. The Germans, Soviets, Poles and British all made plans to kill the Fuhrer. Lone gunmen, disaffected German officers and the Polish Underground, the Soviet NKVD and the British 'Special Operations Executive' were all involved. Their methods varied from bombing, poisoning or using a sniper, to infiltrating the SS, or even sending Rudolf Hess back to Germany under hypnosis. Many of the plans did not make it beyond the drawing board, some were carried out. All of them failed. Alongside the dramatic and largely unknown stories of Hitler's numerous assassins, this book presents a fascinating investigation of a number of broader issues, such as the complex motives of the German Resistance, the curious squeamishness of the British, and the effectiveness of the Nazi security apparatus. Drawing on memoirs and original archival sources in Poland, Germany, Russia and Britain, "Killing Hitler" offers a unique perspective on the history of the Third Reich. Hitler's would-be assassins ranged from simple craftsmen to high-ranking soldiers, from the apolitical to the ideologically obsessed, and from enemy agents to his closest associates. Few of these men and women are known to history. This is their story. It is the story of their plans, their motives and their failures. But it is also an account of the remarkable survival of a tyrant.

The first comprehensive study of the various assassination attempts on Hitler - and the means by which the dictator eluded his foes for the best part of twenty years.

Most people have heard of the Stauffenberg Plot - the attempt to kill Hitler launched by the German Resistance Movement on 20th July 1944. But, it is not widely known that this was only one of a long series of similar attacks. "Killing Hitler" is an account of the surprisingly numerous attempts on the life of Adolf Hitler.
The Germans, Soviets, Poles and British all made plans to kill the Führer. Lone gunmen, disaffected German officers, the Polish Underground, the Soviet NKVD and the British "Special Operations Executive" were all involved. Their methods varied from bombing, poisoning or using a sniper, to infiltrating the SS, or even sending Rudolf Hess back to Germany under hypnosis. Many of the plans failed to graduate beyond the drawing board, some were carried out. All of them failed.
Alongside the dramatic and largely unknown stories of Hitler's numerous assassins, this book presents a fascinating investigation of a number of broader issues; such as the complex motives of the German Resistance, the curious squeamishness of the British, and the effectiveness of the Nazi security apparatus. Drawing on memoirs and original archival sources in Poland, Germany, Russia and Britain, "Killing Hitler" offers a unique perspective on the history of the Third Reich. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Roger Moorhouse is a Germanist and historian. He is the co-author, with Norman Davies, of Microcosm: Portrait of a Central European City, published by Cape and Pimlico.

Munich, Thursday, 8th November 1923. 8.30p.m.
Few of the guests would have noticed the sallow faced young man who entered the beer hall that evening. All of the great and the good of Munich were there: bankers, businessmen, newspaper editors and politicians. They had gathered to hear an address commemorating the fifth anniversary of the November Revolution, given by the newly appointed State Commissioner for Bavaria. They had expected a forceful denunciation of Marxism, an explanation of the administration's policies, perhaps even the advocacy of a restoration of the Bavarian Monarchy. What they got was an attempted revolution.

The hall, the Bürgerbräukeller, was one of the largest in Munich. Located on the east side of the river Isar, which dissected the city, it was a huge, cavernous room which belied the cosy image of the traditional beer hall. With a high ceiling, ornate chandeliers and a balcony running down one side, it could accommodate around 3,000 people seated either side of long wooden trestle tables. As such, it was one of the primary venues in Munich for public lectures and political meetings. This evening, it was packed to the rafters. The doors had been closed already at 7.15 p.m. to prevent overcrowding, and the disappointed milled in the drizzle on the small square outside.

The man loitering at the rear of the hall would have been known to many of the guests present that night. A pale individual in his mid 30s, with sharp cheekbones, a toothbrush moustache and striking blue eyes, Adolf Hitler was the leader of a local extreme nationalist group which called itself the National Socialist German Workers Party - or `Nazi' for short. He was renowned as a talented and inspirational public speaker, captivating his audiences with his impassioned and intemperate lectures on German politics. He had already spoken at the Bürgerbräukeller numerous times. This evening, however, he had come as an unlikely revolutionary. Dressed in a poorly-cut black morning suit, with flowing tails; his hair slicked close to his scalp, and falling in unruly strands across his forehead, he looked more like an overworked waiter, or an undertaker.

Nonetheless, about half an hour in to the keynote speech, he began to make his way forward at the head of a phalanx of fellow putschists. As a detachment of stormtroopers appeared, dragging a machine-gun into the hall entrance, the distinguished speaker on the podium tailed off into silence. Whispers spread around the cavernous hall, drinkers craned their necks to see what was going on, women fainted and tables were uprooted. In the commotion, Hitler clambered on to a chair, fired a pistol shot into the ceiling, and called for silence. "The National Revolution", he announced, "has begun."

After a brief speech, he posted his troops and bodyguards at the exits and persuaded three of the honoured guests present - who, between them, effectively ruled Munich - to retire with him to an adjoining room. There, in wild excitement, Hitler harangued his captive audience, announcing the formation of a new government with himself at its head, and promising ministerial posts for those present if they agreed to co-operate. Waving his gun, he warned melodramatically: "I have four shots in my pistol. Three for my collaborators if they abandon me. The last is for myself." With that, he put the gun to his temple, declaring: "If I am not victorious by tomorrow afternoon, I shall be a dead man." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.