Ever since the film starring Tom Cruise, Operation Valkyrie has become common knowledge. The plan to kill Adolf Hitler may not have been successful, but many are still in awe of those who made this fabled attempt on the life of the Fuhrer. One of those who feels the assassination deserves to be honored is none other than German Chancellor Angela Merkel herself, who recently spoke in favor of Operation Valkyrie and those who attempted to carry it out.
The key player in the assassination plot was Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. His plan involved explosives which were supposed to kill Adolf Hitler as well as all of those around him at the time of the explosion. Unfortunately, the plan was not successful. Von Stauffenberg was successful in placing the briefcase containing the bomb, but Operation Valkyrie failed when the bomb did not damage Hitler beyond minor injuries (even though it managed to kill four other people in the room). Von Stauffenberg was ultimately discovered as the culprit of the attack, and he and his co-conspirators were subsequently put to death.
It has now been about seventy years since the failure of the assassination attempt, and Angela Merkel spoke in honor of those who enacted it. She believes that von Stauffenberg and the others responsible for Operation Valkyrie were men of integrity, men who stood against what they felt was wrong even when others would have believed that such actions stood in the way of nationalistic pride. They felt instead that the future of Germany depended on Hitler’s death, The Local reports.
This resistance effort was largely enacted by men who worked closely with Adolf Hitler, and knew when it was best to strike. If they had been successful, their next move would have been to negotiate a peace agreement with the Allies. Operation Valkyrie therefore took into account what von Stauffenberg and his associates thought would be a profitable move for the German people as well as those they were currently fighting against.
Angela Merkel praised Operation Valkyrie in honor of its anniversary while simultaneously planning to christen a new memorial exhibit which will commemorate von Stauffenberg and his associates as well as other Germans who resisted the power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. This exhibit will hopefully increase public education regarding those who planned Operation Valkyrie, how they attempted to make it a reality, and what went wrong in the end.
//