20 July Bomb Plot Analysis

A resounding boom echoed through the woods, as black smoke billowed from the open windows. Lieutenant Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and his adjutant, Werner von Haeften, saw the explosion as they drove away from the Wolf’s Lair; they were sure that they had successfully killed the Führer. It was time to initiate Operation Valkyrie. As their car sped away from the compound, the smoke cleared from the room and two men emerged, leaning on one another. Their skin was blackened, hair singed, and clothing ripped to shreds. One of the men was Wilhelm Keitel, a Nazi general. The other, Adolf Hitler, the Führer himself, could be heard muttering, “What was that? I am alive, I am alive!” (The 20 July Bomb Plot). There were many German military officials involved in the coup d'état plot to assassinate Hitler. The 20th of July Plot was organized by disgruntled German military in 1944 in order to assassinate Hitler and attempt a coup, but it was unsuccessful, which prevented full implementation of Operation Valkyrie.
A coup is a “sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government” (Coup). The group behind the July Plot was comprised of high-level German military officers (History.com). These men were well aware that simply being involved in such a scheme would mean high treason. But, they also knew that Hitler was fighting a suicidal war on two
It shows six German officers standing among the wreckage of the conference room where the explosion occurred. The very table that saved Hitler’s life was collapsed from the impact. It is evident why the structure of the building interfered with the success of the plot; the broken beams, blown-out windows, and punctured walls show the different ways in which the air pressure was released after the explosion. If the assassination attempt had actually taken place in the reinforced bunker, the success of the mission would have been undeniable