WOn 22 June 1944, the Soviet Armed Forces launched a massive attack against the German forces based in Belorussia, which were made up of two strategic Wehrmacht army groups known as Army Group Centre. By mid July, Army Group Centre had lost no fewer than 250,000 men in less than a month of fighting, making the German position close to hopeless.
WMaurice Bavaud was a Swiss theology student who in 1938 attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
WGeorg von Boeselager was a German nobleman and an officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany, who led rear security operations in the Army Group Centre Rear Area on the Eastern Front, calling for harsh measures, including shooting of all males in "gang-infested areas".
WPhilipp von Boeselager was the second-last surviving member of the 20 July Plot, a conspiracy of Wehrmacht officers to assassinate the German dictator Adolf Hitler in 1944.
WArthur Eberhard Börries Wolf von Breitenbuch was a German cavalry officer who served in Army Group Centre of the Wehrmacht during World War II with the rank of Rittmeister and took part in the military-based conspiracy against Adolf Hitler that culminated in the 20 July Plot. Breitenbuch was a Knight of Justice of the Order of Saint John.
WAxel Ernst-August Clamor Franz Albrecht Erich Leo Freiherr von dem Bussche-Streithorst was a German officer during World War II who was a member of the German Resistance. He planned to assassinate Adolf Hitler in coordination with Claus von Stauffenberg in November 1943 at the Wolfsschanze.
WRudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff was an officer in the German Army. He attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler by suicide bombing on 21 March 1943; the plan failed when Hitler left early, but Gersdorff was undetected. That same month, soldiers from his unit discovered the mass graves of the Soviet-perpetrated Katyn massacre.
WNikolaus Christoph von Halem was a German lawyer, businessman, and resistance fighter against Nazism.
WKilling Hitler is a BBC drama examining the Operation Foxley plot to kill Adolf Hitler. Written and directed by Jeremy Lovering, it was first broadcast on 30 March 2003.
WEwald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin was a German publisher and convenor of the Munich Conference on Security Policy until 1998. A member of the von Kleist family and an officer in the Wehrmacht during World War II, his parents were active in the German resistance against Adolf Hitler. Kleist was designated to kill Hitler in a suicide attack and was the last surviving member of the 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler.
WKarl Hubert Lanz was a German general during the Second World War, in which he led units in the Eastern Front and in the Balkans. After the war, he was tried for war crimes and convicted in the Southeast Case, specifically for several atrocities committed by units under his command in the Balkans. Released in 1951, he joined the liberal Free Democratic Party and served as its adviser on military and security issues.
WKurt Freiherr von Plettenberg was a German forester, cavalry officer and a member of the German Resistance (Widerstand). He was involved in the preparations for the 20 July plot, an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich. Plettenberg belonged to the circle of close friends which included Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, Johannes Popitz, Ludwig Beck, Ulrich von Hassell, Carl-Hans Graf von Hardenberg and Fabian von Schlabrendorff.
WHans Speidel was a German general, who was one of the major military leaders of West Germany during the early Cold War. The first full General in West Germany, he was a principal founder of the Bundeswehr and a major figure in German rearmament, integration into NATO and international negotiations on European and Western defence cooperation in the 1950s. He served as Commander of the Allied Land Forces Central Europe (COMLANDCENT) from 1957 to 1963 and then as President of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs from 1964.
WClaus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair and remove the Nazi Party from power. Along with Henning von Tresckow and Hans Oster, he was one of the central figures of the German resistance to Nazism within the Wehrmacht. For his involvement in the movement, he was executed by firing squad shortly after Operation Valkyrie.
WHellmuth Stieff was a German general and a member of the OKH during World War II. He took part in attempts by the German resistance to assassinate Adolf Hitler on 7 and 20 July 1944.
WHenning Hermann Karl Robert von Tresckow was an officer in the German Army who helped organize German resistance against Adolf Hitler. He attempted to assassinate Hitler on 13 March 1943 and drafted the Valkyrie plan for a coup against the German government. He was described by the Gestapo as the "prime mover" and the "evil spirit" behind the plot of 20 July 1944 to assassinate Hitler. He committed suicide at Królowy Most on the Eastern Front upon the plot's failure.
WFriedrich Adam von Trott zu Solz was a German lawyer and diplomat who was involved in the conservative resistance to Nazism. A declared opponent of the Nazi regime from the beginning, he actively participated in the Kreisau Circle of Helmuth James Graf von Moltke and Peter Yorck von Wartenburg. Together with Claus von Stauffenberg and Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg he conspired in the 20 July plot, and was supposed to be appointed Secretary of State in the Foreign Office and lead negotiator with the Western Allies if the plot had succeeded.