Latest / The History of Germany: Kingdoms, War, and Rebuilding Europe — Fexingo History / The German Resistance That Almost Worked
Transcript
- Lucas: If you've been stepping into history with us episode by episode, you know we love the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. But sometimes, the most dangerous acts of courage happen not in the streets, but in the quiet offices of power. Luna: So we're talking about the people inside the system trying to break it from within? Lucas: Exactly. And today, I want to talk about a group of men who thought they could save Germany by killing its leader. It’s the story of the Abwehr, the military intelligence service, and the July 20 Plot. Honestly, if today was worth a coffee to you, that's the link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: I appreciate that, especially since this story is pretty heavy. Lucas: It is heavy, but it’s also incredibly human. For years, historians have focused on the Nazis’ total control, but there was a shadow war happening right under Hitler’s nose. At the center of it was Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the head of the Abwehr. He wasn’t just a spy; he was a reluctant patriot who saw the writing on the wall early on. Luna: Did Canaris actually try to stop him, or was he more passive? Lucas: He was surprisingly active, though always cautious. Canaris used the Abwehr to smuggle information out and even help some Jews escape, all while pretending to be loyal to the regime. He created a sanctuary for other dissidents, including a young man named Hans Oster, who would become one of the movement’s most dedicated planners. Luna: It sounds like a delicate balancing act to play both sides. Lucas: Precisely. Oster worked alongside General Ludwig Beck, a former army chief of staff who resigned in protest over Hitler’s foreign policy ambitions. Beck believed that starting another war would destroy Germany, and he began networking with civilian leaders like Carl Goerdeler, a mayor who had detailed plans for what a democratic Germany should look like after the dictator was gone. Luna: So they weren't just trying to kill Hitler; they had a blueprint for peace. Lucas: They did, which makes their failure even more tragic. The plan relied on Operation Valkyrie, a reserve army protocol originally designed to suppress domestic uprisings. The conspirators hijacked this order, intending to use the reserves to seize key government buildings in Berlin once Hitler was dead. Luna: But using an enemy's tool against them seems incredibly risky. Lucas: It was. And the timing was everything. On July 20, 1944, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg arrived at the Wolfsschanze, Hitler’s eastern front headquarters. He placed a briefcase bomb near Hitler during a briefing, then left under the guise of taking a phone call. The explosion killed several officers, but Hitler survived with minor injuries. Luna: I remember reading that the briefcase was moved away from him by someone adjusting the map table. Lucas: That’s right. A simple shift of furniture saved the dictator’s life and doomed the resistance. Stauffenberg rushed back to Berlin to assume command, believing the operation was a success. Meanwhile, Hitler gave a televised address, looking shaken but alive, which shattered the illusion of his death across the country. Luna: So the whole thing collapsed because people found out he was still breathing. Lucas: Exactly. The hesitation in Berlin bought Hitler enough time to arrest the plotters. In the basement of the Bendlerblock, the resistance headquarters, the remaining conspirators were executed by firing squad before dawn. Stauffenberg, Beck, and Oster died side by side, refusing to face a show trial. Luna: It feels like such a wasted opportunity for a different kind of Germany. Lucas: It was. And the backlash was immediate and brutal. Hitler ordered mass arrests, leading to the executions of thousands of soldiers and civilians connected to the plot. Canaris was eventually caught and hanged in Flossenbürg concentration camp. The Gestapo tore through every layer of society to find anyone even remotely sympathetic to the cause. Luna: And yet, somehow, these men are remembered as heroes now. Lucas: They are, but it took time. For decades, the narrative in West Germany was complicated by the Cold War, and in East Germany, they only celebrated the anti-fascist communists. It wasn't until much later that Stauffenberg and his fellow conspirators were fully recognized as moral exemplars who tried to do the right thing at great personal cost. Luna: It shows how hard it is to change the course of history from the inside. Lucas: Absolutely. Their failure didn't just mean Hitler stayed in power for eleven more months; it meant the war dragged on, costing millions more lives. But their existence proves that even in the darkest regimes, there are those who refuse to look away. Luna: Do you think they could have succeeded if the bomb had hit? Lucas: Probably not quickly. The Allies, particularly Stalin, likely wouldn't have trusted the new government. But it might have prevented the total destruction of Dresden and allowed for a quicker end to the fighting in Europe. Still, it remains one of the most audacious attempts to change the world from a single room. Luna: It’s a haunting reminder of how close we came to a different timeline. Lucas: It really is. And it forces us to ask: what does loyalty mean when the state itself becomes evil? Was Canaris loyal to Germany or to Hitler? That question hung over the survivors long after the guns fell silent. Luna: A question that probably still echoes today. Lucas: Without a doubt. As we move forward in our series, we’ll see how the memory of these men influenced the rebuilding of Germany, but for now, let’s just sit with the weight of that summer morning in 1944. Luna: I’m glad we covered this part of the story. Lucas: Me too. Next week, we’ll look at how the cultural cold war played out in Berlin, but for today, I hope you feel a little closer to the humanity of those lost souls at the Bendlerblock. Luna: Thanks for bringing them back to life for us. Lucas: Always my pleasure. Keep listening, keep thinking, and I’ll see you in the next one.