Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg tried to kill Hitler with a suitcase bomb on 20th July, 1944. He failed. The plan — bold, desperate, and nearly successful — was part of Operation Valkyrie, a broader scheme to take control of Germany after Hitler's death and steer the country away from what many military officers feared was total destruction.
The near-success hinged on a moment of unfortunate timing and misplaced luggage. Stauffenberg, who had lost an eye, a hand, and fingers in earlier combat, struggled to arm both bom...
Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg tried to kill Hitler with a suitcase bomb on 20th July, 1944. He failed. The plan — bold, desperate, and nearly successful — was part of Operation Valkyrie, a broader scheme to take control of Germany after Hitler's death and steer the country away from what many military officers feared was total destruction.
The near-success hinged on a moment of unfortunate timing and misplaced luggage. Stauffenberg, who had lost an eye, a hand, and fingers in earlier combat, struggled to arm both bombs due to his injuries. He managed just one, planted it near Hitler, and scarpered. But then Lt. Colonel Heinz Brandt, unaware of what lay inside the suitcase, moved it to the far side of a thick oak table leg — shielding Hitler from the worst of the blast. The explosion still left the Führer bruised and temporarily deaf, but alive. And so the plan unraveled.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover how news of the plot triggered simultaneous action across Europe; track Hitler’s swift and horrific vengeance against those involved in the putsch; and consider THE great armchair philosophical quandary: would you go back in time and kill Hitler…?
Content Warning: includes graphic description of executions.
Further Reading:
• ‘Claus Von Stauffenberg & Operation Valkyrie | The Plot To Kill Hitler’ (HistoryExtra, 2022): https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/should-we-be-glad-the-plot-to-kill-hitler-failed/
• ‘Why Operation Valkyrie—the July Plot to Kill Hitler—Failed’ (TIME, 2019): https://time.com/5629999/operation-valkyrie-july-plot/
• ‘The Wolf's Lair: Hitler's Hidden Hideout | WWII: Secrets From Above’ (National Geographic UK, 2024): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_17EPzfkDs
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2026.
This episode originally aired in 2025.
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