Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Operation: Valkyrie
One aspect that people seem to forget about within WWII, while it is being overshadowd by the Holocaust and staggering amount of casualties, is the plot by Germans to assassinate their own dictator, Hitler. This plot was set in place in 1942 by a group of German officials who were hiding their true intentions to the Nazi Guard. The plan consisted of a group of men and they each had a specific job. If gone according to plan, Operation Valkyrie would exterminate Hitler and replace the leader position with someone who would disarm the SS and strip the officials of their power. All these men were in the military, so they were not at all blind to the genocide Hitler was performing. This could have been a potential motive for planning his assasination. The assassination attempt would take place at the Wolf's Lair, a safe haven for Hitler outside of Berlin, where Hitler was scheduled to have a meeting to rearrange troops on the German front on July 20th 1943. A breifcase was to be placed at Hitler's feet that contained a bomb. The man who placed the briefcase, von Straussenburg (Tom Cruise in the 2008 film), hurried away after the bomb was placed and detonated it. von Staussenburg was the only one in the Wolf's Lair at the time and he saw the blast from a distanec and assumed Hitler was dead. Apparently, hitler was too far away from the bomb at the time of detonation for it to harm him. This was not known to von Straussenburg and it caused the mass confusion between the SS guard. The plotters were eventually unearthed and all killed by firing squad. What do you think would have happened if Hitler was killed? Would someone step in and continue the genocide and rampage he left? Or would someone step in and fix the problems within Germany so it could fix the problems with the neighbooring countries.
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I think this is a very interesting topic. The movie was good too. But as many people were already trying to kill Hitler, there were probably more soldiers that wanted to but did not have the will to chance getting caught. Had Hitler been killed, I believe a leader would take his place and try to release the tensions in Europe as I'm sure not many germans liked getting bombed and having troops in their neighborhoods all the time.
ReplyDeleteBefore Hitler's death he assigned Karl Doenitz to be his successor. He did sign the Allied terms for Germany's surrender but he also was under oath of unquestionable loyalty to Hitler. Considering Hitler was a very power man he must have had a successor picked to be sure things would go as he had planned if he were to be killed. If Hitler had handpicked a successor he would be sure that they were loyal to him. The people would have wanted a leader to protect them but they were part of a government that controlled everything. Changing the government during a world war would have been costly and even more dangerous to the citizens.
ReplyDeleteIf Hitler had been assassinated, a leader would have stepped in and stopped the genocide as well as attempt to smooth over the tensions with the rest of Europe. It was evident by the plot that people within his own party were beginning to question him, and once he was dead, it would be easier for these people to gain followers and help put a stop to all the bad things Hitler had started in Europe.
ReplyDeleteAfter this plot was unraveled, more tensions began to grow in the Nazi party. Hitler was definately not a man of his word as we have learned in class. He was willing to turn his back on the pact he made with Stalin, so who is to say he is not to do it to his own people?
ReplyDeleteI think that Germany allowed Hitler and his radical ideas control the country far too much, but had he been assassinated I don't think his plans would have gone much farther. The guy was crazy and as much as he did have loyal followers who believed in what he was doing, even Karl Doenitz wasn't insane enough to continue what he was doing.
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking about what we learned in class today about how most followed Hitler out of fear, I think that if he was successfully assassinated things wouldn't have continued on. Those that feared him were too afraid to question him for obvious reasons, but with Hitler dead people may have voiced their opinions more at ease. Those that did support Hitler supported him more than anything. Hitler wanted people pledged to him, not the country or a cause. Since their loyalties were to Hitler, after his death the people most likely wouldn't allow any other leader to do what he did.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shawna and still stand on the position that Hitler's ideas and practices would have ended with his death. As we learned in class, he intimidated people into supporting him, such as when he achieved 90% of the popular vote, so if he had been assassinated, people could have gotten over their fears and speak out against the practices that he had started
ReplyDeleteI agree with Max that if Hitler was killed, a leader would take his place. Possibly, they would want to relieve the tensions in Germany. Hitler's ideas for Germany would have ended, when a new leader would assume the position. Hitler used intimidation and fear factors to sway peoples opinions. Those that agreed with Hitler's ways of running a government, were as Shawna said "pledged" to him. Because Hitler was followed for so many years, people just continued to agree with his ways. It seemed that many did not have minds of their own. Most of the Germans were pledged to the country and the Hitler, but if he was assassinated, his ways would be replaced.
ReplyDeleteI just came across this in my tavels:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/killing_hitler_01.shtml
Operation Foxley - Britain was considering killing Hitler... interesting read, may generate more discussion
It is not suprising that Britain, as well as Germany, planned to assassinate Hitler. His power was gaining as more propaganda and intimidation was released apon his people. If Hitler was gone his entire mission would disinigrate. Like we learned in class today, the people of Hitler's army pledged themselves to Hitler, not to the country. If a new leader came to power things would change drastically because the person they worked for could no longer guide them.
ReplyDeleteI feel like, if Hitler had been killed by a bomb, there would have been a whole lotta chaos in Germany, and generally all over Europe. Maybe someone new would have stepped in, or maybe there would have just been confusion for a long time, and no one would have known what to do. I also think that maybe one or more of the allied powers would have stepped in to Germany and controlled it while it was weak, to stop everything and settle all the tensions.
ReplyDeletei had never thought of it, but i agree with Jackie. I think that an Allied power would have stepped in and took control over Germany the same way we did in Iraq and Middle eastern countries. America set up the gov't so that they could elect fair presidents the right way.
ReplyDeleteYeah Jackie's points are the best and I agree. Germany would have been really chaotic and vulnerable if Hitler had been assassinated. As we saw in the video today, "Hitler is Germany" and "Germany is Hitler." It seemed that in the minds of the Germans, without one you couldn't have the other. I think that a new leader would have had it pretty rough though if Hitler was assassinated mid-war. The people of Germany were so loyal to him and it's hard to imagine them loving another leader the way they worshipped him. It would have been like a widower remarrying immediately after her husband's death. It sounds rediculous, but I think we can all agree after seeing that video today that the people of Germany were extremely dedicated to him.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good question. I agree with what Meghan i saying when she talks about Hitler having a back up plan. Hitler was not a nice person to be around, and many claim he had psychological problems, but he was a great leader and any great leader would have tactics that help them in emergencies. I believe Hitler would have had a second in command that took control and carried out his orders should anything have happened to him. But it brings up a good question, would Hitler's second in command have been better or worse? If he was less horrible than Hitler, would the war have ended sooner? And if he was even stronger and meaner than Hitler, would the axis have won the war? what then?
ReplyDeleteWow this post is so popular!
ReplyDeleteEveryone makes a good point and I think this is good for discussion because it brings up a lot of "what ifs", that will never really be answered. We were not around to experience the tensions between countries, and obvisouly even within countries. People who were around are dying off and there are not many people left from this era who experienced it firsthand.
By watching the clip in class today, it is evident that early in Hitler's reign, people were so dedicated to him that they were blind to what his intentions were. It is obvious that Hitler was a bad guy, but how was he allowed to claim all this power without people questioning his morals? He either was a very good liar,(which I am sure he was) or like stated before, people began to be too intimitaded of him to question him. When people did question him, everyone saw how that ended with them being executed. This was a further deterrent to anything that had to do with betraying Hiter.
I believe that if Hitler was taken care of, then America along the help with other countries would step into Germnay and help pick up the pieces. Obviously, people relied so much on Hitler and would obey is every command that they would be vulnerable and willing to accpet new leadership to avoid instability.
Do you think the assassination of Hitler would have dissolved the Axis powers immediately?
ReplyDeleteI think since Germany was one of the major powers in the Axis powers, (and since Hitler was Germany, as learned in class today) and if he was killed, then the Axis powers would have dissolved immediately. Many would be lost without his guidance, since he controlled all aspects of an individual's life. However, WW2 would obviously not have ended immediately, just because of a leader's assassination. World War 2 had such a momentum with fighting. The war would not have stopped just because of Hitler's death.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the end of Gina's statement. The axis powers would not have dissolved immediately. Although a lot of attention is focused on Germany, Italy and Japan were also major components. Their leaders were strong enough to be able to continue the war. It is possible that the fighting would be easier to dissolve without Germany fighting, but Italy and Japan would not have given up for that fact.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I dont think any leader that took over Hitler's position would have been worse than Hitler. As the speech said "Hitler is Germany, Germany is Hitler" I dont think that any other leader could have had that effect on the people of Germany. Second, if Hitler had been assassinated, the Axis powers would not have dissolved immediately. It was evident that Japan had its own motives because it continued to fight even after Germany had surrendered. The war would have been shorter, but it would not have immediately ended with Hitler's assassination.
ReplyDeleteHitler was not the only important leader of the Axis powers. Italy was controlled by the fascist leader, Mussolini, and Japan was ruled by Emperor Hirohito. Even though all these leaders had a common goal- to win WWII, and try to have the Allies surrender, these countries were different. However, they were all part of facist regimes, but Hirohito's power was "limited". What if any of these leaders were assassinated? WWII would not have ended, people only question if Hitler was assassinated. Many look at Hitler being the central power, that basically controlled all of the Axis Powers.
ReplyDeleteIf Hitler was assassinated then the WW2 probably would not have ended, but it would have ended sooner than it did. This is because Hitler/ Germany controlled the central holdings in Europe. If he died no one could have executed his plans the same be because they would not have the same "personal" relationship with the new leader. Hitler tried to make a personal relationship with the citizens, so I think that the citizens would reject the new leader's ideas. If the assassination plan had worked then the Axis powers would lose a central power causing them to spiral downward and fall into the Ally control.
ReplyDeleteIf another leader took the place of Hitler, the people of Germany would reject and possibly ignore the leader's new ideas for a new government. If the plan of assassinating Hitler worked, then the Axis powers would lose a essential and key figure during the war. If this happened, the Axis powers' would decline, and eventually throw the power into the Allies hands, where they would eventually win the war.
ReplyDeleteThe citiznes declining of a leader all depends on the time of Hitler's assassination. If he was assassinated anytime before 1941, the German citizens would be outraged and reject anyone that steps in, because as we saw int eh video, they are so didicated to him that it was almost cult-like. But towards the end of the war, rumors about the death camps started to surface and Germnay was in part getting tired of fighting Hitler's never ending war. Everyday it seemed there was a new batch of soldiers needed to ambush a neighboring country. If Hitler was assassinated towards the end of teh war, I think the Germans would have accepted it. It's not like Hitler thought things were going good at the end of the war anyway, he had no where else to turn because he put himslef so far into that world of military that he killed himslef.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jessie that Hitler made a personal relationship with the country. Relating to the propaganda post, Hitler brainwashed the people and they loved him and trusted him and believed in everything he did. If someone new tried to do that they would have rejected him for trying to be Hitler but not being Hitler. If a new person had come in that Hitler had picked maybe they would have accepted him as a leader or maybe they would have rebelled and won.
ReplyDeleteIf hitler picked a new man, he would have to earn the country's trust, as Hitler did. He would have to follow Hitler's direct command as well, because if he did something people thought Hitler wouldn't, then they might rebel and replace him with someone more like Hitler. I think that if Hitler died then people would not be happy until there was a leader that was equal or more extreme than he was and then Germany would have been more powerful in the war and the axis powers could have won
ReplyDeleteIf people under Hitler's command managed to carry through with a plan to kill him, they wouldn't have let Hitlers next in command just take over. Someone that disagreed with Hitler would have taken over, and whether that meant completely dropping out of WW2 and liberating all conquered lands and people, or handing Germany over to the allies, I think that WW2 would have neared an end. Yes, Japan and Italy were also apart of it, with their own motives, but it seems like Hitler was the big catalyst, the one compelling the other dictators to fight. If Germany was put under new order, German troops would no longer have been a problem, meaning France and the USSR would have been free to fight Italy and Japan, and the war would have ended quickly.
ReplyDelete