"Heil mein Führer. Sie sind verhaftet!" February 1943: After the fall of Stalingrad Stalin ordered to execute the Operation Stern. It was aimed to enclose and destroy the Heeresgruppen A, B and Don. A kind of Superstalingrad. The Soviets were advancing and Manstein already had a plan to make a counterstrike. However, therefore he had to retreat in some parts. Especially Charkow. Here Hitler vetoed that. He wanted to keep Charkow. Manstein needed the forces there and on February 16th indeed the SS units defending Charkow retreated. Hitler was furious. Instead of flying to Poltawa, where he was going to meet Col. Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz, he flew to Manstein to Saporoschje. What Hitler didn't know: Strachwitz, although member in the SS, was there to arrest and likely kill Hitler as part of Operation Walküre. As Plan B a bomb in a bottle of Cognac was smuggled into the Fw 200 of Hitler. Because the British detonator did not cope with the low temperatures the bomb did not explode... And here is the PoD: 17.02.1943: Hiter wants to fly to Saporoschje, but only after he visited Strachwitz. He wanted to let Manstein wait for him and to show him, who is the Gröfaz (Größter Feldherr aller Zeiten, biggest general of all times). "Mein Führer, Sie sind verhaftet!" The flight was long from Berlin to Poltawa. Hitler was glad to have landed. He was not glad about the war situation however. The Soviets were advancing. And Manstein wanted to retreat. Retreat! That was nearly treachery. He needed to talk to him. But not now. Now he wanted to talk to the Panzergraf, Strachwitz. Hitler departed the plane and looked to the runway where Strachwitz stood in his SS uniform, and not the normal Wehrmacht uniform. There were also about two dozens other soldiers in SS uniforms waiting. Hitler left the gangway. Behind him his adjutant Schmundt and Prof. Dr. Morell, Hitler's personal physician, followed. Strachwitz saluted Hitler with the so called German Greeting. Strachwitz said: "Heil mein Führer. Sie sind verhaftet!" Hitler at first was stunned and then loughed. After a moment he said: "Strachwitz, you have humor. You perfectly knew what I now needed! I won't forget that!" Strachwitz did not change his face and calmly replied: "This is no joke. This is serious, Herr Hitler!" Hitler stopped loughing immediately as he saw the soldiers were aiming at him with their MPs and rifles. What then came was not totally clear. The official report by Strachwitz and most historians agree, that Hitler wanted to take his Browning pistol. So also the other soldiers testified. Morell said, Hitler was shot at once by all, as it looked like an execution. Schmundt said, it was one soldier who lost his nerves and then all fired at Hitler. The result was however clear. Hitler was hit by no less than 88 bullets. The hits in the neck meant even that he was decaptivated when he fell on the ground. However, except a hit between the eyes the head itself was not hit. Strachwitz later said, he wanted to arrest him and not to execute him. But, he added, that would have come later. That commentary, and some others, lead to speculations, that the arresting was not really planned. Strachwitz at once called Berlin and told them Hitler landed safely. The next call was another number in Berlin. "Operation can resume, problem solved." Then he broke all telephone and FT lines. For the next six hours no one could reach Poltawa airport. Schmundt and Morell were arrested as well as the pilots of the Fw 200 and the escorting fighters. So Operation Walküre started. And soon rumors spread the SS murdered Hitler. Operation Walküre Operation Walküre started on February 17th. For about one hour no one else than the acting persons knew about the fate of Hitler. That the contact to Poltawa broke down was not remarked for over half an hour and even that was not seen as critical. Hitler was reported to have landed savely. That soon changed. In the meantime Generaloberst Fromm signed the order for Operation Walküre. Göring was the first to be arrested. He was just leaving Carinhall when his car was stopped by a Kübelwagen, followed by two trucks with infantry. Göring was soon arrested at Spandau. Goebbels was surprised in his office. He was arrested, too, but committed suicide later the day with a capsule of Cyancali. How he got that capsule, if someone gave it to him or if he had it, is unknown. Magda Goebbels heard rumors about the death of Hitler and the arresting of her husband. Her world broke apart and she wanted to kill her children and then herself. However, just before she could give the poison to the children, soldiers appeared to question her. She was originally to be freed after. As she saw even the poisoning of the children was not possible, she drank it herself. Himmler was in his HQ in Berlin, the Prinz-Albrecht-Palais, when Wehrmacht soldiers stormed this building and the Gestapo building near to it. The SS, after hearing rumors, they had murdered Hitler, was at the beginning too perplex to act. And in these crucial first minutes they failed to resist, so that later resistance was futile. Himmler was arrested, when he tried to flee. In this moment he lost his capsule with cyanide. Martin Bohrmann was shot after resisting in the Reichskanzlei. Several other members of SA, SS, SD, NSDAP, RSHA and Gestapo were arrested, shot or committed suicide. In the Wehrbereichsbeziken (Military Administrational Areas) the order was given via teleprinter and executed. Although there were only four teleprinter available, the order could given within the hour. Albert Speer was invited to join the new government as minister for armament. He gladly switched the sides. After only six hours it was clear the coup was a complete success. Nearly all persons on the list were captured or dead. 22 soldiers lost their lives, most of them in the fights in the Gestapo and SS buildings. This declaration was published by the new provisorical government. Quote: „I. Der Führer Adolf Hitler ist tot! Eine gewissenlose Clique frontfremder Parteiführer hat es unter Ausnutzung dieser Lage versucht, der schwerringenden Front in den Rücken zu fallen und die Macht zu eigennützigen Zwecken an sich zu reißen. II. In dieser Stunde höchster Gefahr hat die Reichsregierung zur Aufrechterhaltung von Recht und Ordnung den militärischen Ausnahmezustand verhängt und mir zugleich mit dem Oberbefehl über die Wehrmacht die vollziehende Gewalt übertragen. III. Hierzu befehle ich: 1. Ich übertrage die vollziehende Gewalt – mit dem Recht der Delegation auf die territorialen Befehlshaber – im Heimatkriegsgebiet auf den Befehlshaber des Ersatzheeres unter gleichzeitiger Ernennung zum Oberbefehlshaber im Heimatkriegsgebiet – in den besetzten Westgebieten auf den Oberbefehlshaber West – in Italien auf den Oberbefehlshaber Südwest – in den besetzten Ostgebieten auf die Oberbefehlshaber der Heeresgruppen und den Wehrmachtbefehlshaber Ostland für ihren jeweiligen Befehlsbereich – in Dänemark und Norwegen auf die Wehrmachtbefehlshaber. 2. Den Inhabern der vollziehenden Gewalt sind unterstellt: a) sämtliche in ihrem Befehlsbereich befindlichen Dienststellen und Einheiten der Wehrmacht einschl. der Waffen-SS, des RAD und der OT ;b) alle öffentlichen Behörden (des Reiches, der Länder und der Gemeinden), insbesondere die gesamte Ordnungs-, Sicherheits- und Verwaltungspolizei; c) alle Amtsträger und Gliederungen der NSDAP und der ihr angeschlossenen Verbände; d) die Verkehrs- und Versorgungsbetriebe.3. Die gesamte Waffen-SS ist mit sofortiger Wirkung ins Heer eingegliedert.4. Die Inhaber der vollziehenden Gewalt sind für die Aufrechterhaltung der Ordnung und öffentlichen Sicherheit verantwortlich. Sie haben insbesondere zu sorgen für: a) die Sicherung der Nachrichtenanlagen, b) die Ausschaltung des SD .Jeder Widerstand gegen die militärische Vollzugsgewalt ist rücksichtslos zu brechen. In dieser Stunde höchster Gefahr für das Vaterland ist Geschlossenheit der Wehrmacht und Aufrechterhaltung voller Disziplin oberstes Gebot. Ich mache es daher allen Befehlshabern des Heeres, der Kriegsmarine und der Luftwaffe zur Pflicht, die Inhaber der vollziehenden Gewalt bei Durchführung ihrer schwierigen Aufgabe mit allen zu Gebote stehenden Mitteln zu unterstützen und die Befolgung ihrer Weisungen durch die untergeordneten Dienststellen sicherzustellen. Der deutsche Soldat steht vor einer geschichtlichen Aufgabe. Von seiner Tatkraft und Haltung wird es abhängen, ob Deutschland gerettet wird.“ Für das Attentat gegen Hitler machen die Verschwörer politisch die NSDAP verantwortlich. So begründeten sie gegenüber der Masse der regimetreuen Deutschen ihre Maßnahmen gegen Partei und „ Oberste Reichsbehörden “. On English: Quote: I. The Führer Adolf Hitler is dead! An unscrupulous clique of party leaders alien to the front has attempted, under the exploitation of this situation, to fall on the backs of the hard-struggling front and to seize power for selfish purposes. II. In this hour of highest danger, the government of the Reich has declared a state of military emergency for the maintenance of law and order and at the same time has transferred the executive power, with the supreme command of the Wehrmacht , to me. III. With this, I order: 1. I transfer the executive power – with the right of delegation, on the territorial commanders – in the area of the war at home, on the commander of the army reserves under the simultaneous appointment to the supreme commander in the homeland war – in the occupied western area, on the supreme commander west