Operation Valkyrie: A Failed Assassination Attempt on Hitler

During the years of Hitler’s Third Reich there were many attempts to assassinate him, in fact, of the forty-two known attempts there were fifteen attempts by Hitler’s own military forces. The last of the fifteen attempts by Hitler’s military was led by Claus von Stauffenberg and was known as Operation Walküre or Operation Valkyrie.

Just like the other forty-one failed attempts to kill Hitler, Operation Valkyrie did not go according to plan. Operation Valkyrie failed because many obstacles, such as physical barriers, poor time management and planning, and lack of materials prevented the assassination attempt from succeeding.

Before he joined the conspirators against Hitler, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg was a staff officer in North Africa where he led the 10th Panzer Army. In the spring of 1943, his command station was attacked by fighter-bombers. The doctors believed that he would not last the rest of the night because he had major injuries. As a result of the attack he lost his left eye, his right hand, and several fingers on his left hand.

After numerous surgeries, he was discharged from the hospital three months after his injuries and he joined the Reserve Army staff, which was based in Berlin. Stauffenberg was a very proud and strong man, even when he was in the hospital he wanted to button his own shirt just to prove that he could do it.

Many men thought very highly of him, even Hitler who took a liking to him the first time…