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Product Description
When on July 20, 1944 a bomb - boldly placed inside the Wolf's Lair (Hitler's headquarters in East Prussia) by the German Anti-Nazi Resistance - exploded without killing the Fuhrer, the subsequent coup d'etat against the Third Reich collapsed. The conspirators were summarily shot or condemned in show trials and sadistically hanged. Unfortunately, the image (initiated by Hitler himself) of a small, inept faction of disgruntled generals desperate to delay defeat has prevailed in the public's mind. The reality of the conspiracy, which involved a wide circle of former politicians, diplomats, and government officials as well as senior military men, is far more dramatic. The Resistance, largely motivated by moral outrage than by political expediency, had started as early as 1933 and involved several putsches and assassination attempts.One of the most active plotters, and later a prosecution witness at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, Hans B. Gisevius (1904-1974) used his positions in the Gestapo and the Abwehr (military intelligence) to further the anti-Nazi conspiracy. He knew well or met the major figures - including Beck, Canaris, Oster, Goerdeler, and von Stauffenberg - and barely escaped after the coup's failure. One of the few survivors of the German Anti-Nazi Resistance, Gisevius traces its history, from the 1933 Reichstag fire to Germany's defeat in 1945, in a book as riveting as it is exceptional.
About the Author
Hans Bernd Gisevius (1904-1974) was one of the most active conspirators in the July 20, 1944 plot to kill Hitler, and later a prosecution witness at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.
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11 reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
One of the most important books on Germany and WWII Ever Written
17 Dec 2008
Format:Paperback
This is not some professor guessing at what things were like from the safety of his office some decades after the events took place - this is an eye-witness and a participant to events that are both historic and insightful. The author Hans Bernd Gisevius takes us to the heart and the soul of WWII Germany and gives us a insider look at events. In his book "Valkyrie: An Insider's Account Of The plot To Kill Hitler" we get to understand much better the mindset of those involved in this assassination attempt and what motivated them.
Fascinating beyond belief - this true life story is an amazing tale. I am surprised that this was not a movie before now. There are real heros, and villains, and those that are hard to classify as either, and of course, there are so many victims. This was the author's memoir and it is rather odd that he doesn't try to show showcase himself in any better light - he seems brutally honest about himself. He tells of the planning, his fellow conspirators and of the events which drew them all to take this action. This should be a must read book for anyone trying to understand what was going on within Germany at that time.
If this was just a novel - no one would believe it! The Third Reich and much that it stood for are bared open for examination by readers. This is a powerful story and one that continues to have much energy and life over 60 plus years after the events. I highly recommend this book and give it the highest book rating from The Military Writer's Society of America - FIVE STARS!
Fascinating beyond belief - this true life story is an amazing tale. I am surprised that this was not a movie before now. There are real heros, and villains, and those that are hard to classify as either, and of course, there are so many victims. This was the author's memoir and it is rather odd that he doesn't try to show showcase himself in any better light - he seems brutally honest about himself. He tells of the planning, his fellow conspirators and of the events which drew them all to take this action. This should be a must read book for anyone trying to understand what was going on within Germany at that time.
If this was just a novel - no one would believe it! The Third Reich and much that it stood for are bared open for examination by readers. This is a powerful story and one that continues to have much energy and life over 60 plus years after the events. I highly recommend this book and give it the highest book rating from The Military Writer's Society of America - FIVE STARS!
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Rough beginning but eventually it makes up for it
17 Dec 2008
Format:Paperback
The book was very rough in the beginning. The author uses the first 112 pages giving summaries about some of the people in the coup and some others who we never read of again. It was very hard to get through it- he has a very dynamic vocabulary and if your just an average Joe like me and not a English major you might have to read over a sentence more than once.
Once it gets into his diary of the days before during and after the attempt it gets very good. Since its a primary source written only a year or two after the war his perspective of things was not hindsight like of veterans stories written now.
I have read up on the assassination attempt and have saw many shows about it on the History channel but this book was not written by a historian 50 years after the fact- it was written a year after the war ended and by someone who was actually part of it. I gave it only three stars because of the beginning but the rest was amazing. For a primary source on a historical incident that was a lot more important than history makes it- you need to read this book.
Plus I am sure you want to know if that movie with Tom Cruise was historically accurate.
Hope this helps everyone
Once it gets into his diary of the days before during and after the attempt it gets very good. Since its a primary source written only a year or two after the war his perspective of things was not hindsight like of veterans stories written now.
I have read up on the assassination attempt and have saw many shows about it on the History channel but this book was not written by a historian 50 years after the fact- it was written a year after the war ended and by someone who was actually part of it. I gave it only three stars because of the beginning but the rest was amazing. For a primary source on a historical incident that was a lot more important than history makes it- you need to read this book.
Plus I am sure you want to know if that movie with Tom Cruise was historically accurate.
Hope this helps everyone
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
An insider's view on a bad putsch
15 July 2009
Format:Paperback
This book is an revised edition of the original "To the Bitter End" book. The first section (before the July 20th assignation attempt) appears to be a condensed version of the original. There are lots of details and information but not much substance.
Where the book really shines is with the July 20th putsch. Here you really get an insider's view of what happened and what went wrong. This view is clouded by the author's background and status, but that prejudice also comes through in the text. In this narration you feel like the "fly on the wall", watching things unfold to a bloody end. In all, it was a fascinating read and one of the best descriptions of the attempted Hitler assassination I've read.
Be sure to read the introductions both before and after you read the book. The introductions describe the interpersonal relations in the putsch and also show how these relations can cloud history.
Where the book really shines is with the July 20th putsch. Here you really get an insider's view of what happened and what went wrong. This view is clouded by the author's background and status, but that prejudice also comes through in the text. In this narration you feel like the "fly on the wall", watching things unfold to a bloody end. In all, it was a fascinating read and one of the best descriptions of the attempted Hitler assassination I've read.
Be sure to read the introductions both before and after you read the book. The introductions describe the interpersonal relations in the putsch and also show how these relations can cloud history.
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