ABSTRACT
When Count Claus von Stauffenberg placed the briefcase containing his bomb in Hitler’s field headquarters on 20 July 1944, he and those associated with him knew that their chances of success were slim. Ever since 1938, they had been plotting, on and off, to remove Hitler by one means or another. But until now, nobody had been found who was both willing to do the deed and had the necessary access to Hitler’s person. Stauffenberg himself was hardly a promising candidate. Badly maimed in the North African campaign, he had only one eye, was missing half an arm, and had only two fingers left on his remaining hand. Under these circumstances, priming a bomb under the watchful eyes of Hitler’s entourage cannot have been easy, and it is not surprising that he only managed to set half the charge before people began to cast suspicious glances at him. Unable to leave his briefcase too close to the Führer without attracting even more attention, he placed it on the other side of a massive table, made his excuses, and left.
