Suicide Mission to Kill Hitler Foiled

Adolf Hitler visiting the Special exhibition of war loot from Russia in the Zeughaus (old arsenal) in Berlin, where Rudolf Christoph von Gersdorff made an attempt on Hitler's life. @El Pais

A Day in History - 21st March 1943

Throughout his reign, Adolf Hitler survived numerous assassination attempts, many of which have been analysed by historians and popularised through media. One such is the 2008 film Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise as Wehrmacht Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a key figure in the July 20, 1944 plot. However, years before Operation Valkyrie was conceived, other desperate attempts to end Hitler’s life were planned and foiled by chance, poor timing, and the Führer’s elusive nature.

One of the most ambitious of these plans was Operation Flash, devised and led by Major Henning von Tresckow. Von Tresckow, believed that Hitler’s death would act as a catalyst for a military coup to overthrow the Nazi regime and ultimately end the war. The first attempt under Operation Flash took place on March 13, 1943. Tresckow planted a bomb aboard Hitler’s plane, disguised as a gift consisting of two bottles of Cointreau. Unfortunately, the attempt failed. The explosive mechanism relied on a percussion cap which, due to the frigid temperatures in the plane’s unheated cargo hold, became too cold to function.

Undeterred by the setback, the conspirators immediately began planning another attempt. This time, the opportunity would come at Heroes Memorial Day, Heldengedenktag, on March 21, 1943, at the Zeughaus in Berlin. Hitler was scheduled to attend the ceremony alongside high-ranking Nazi officers Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler. AColonel Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff, selected by Tresckow to carry out the mission, later described it as “a chance which would never recur.”

Von Gersdorff’s assignment was essentially a suicide mission. As a weapons expert, he was called on to guide Hitler through the former Soviet arsenal. He would carry two bombs, each with a ten-minute fuse, concealed in his overcoat pockets. It was estimated that Hitler would spend approximately thirty minutes inspecting an exhibition of captured Russian war trophies that von Gersdorff’s staff had arranged. This would provide the necessary window for the bombs to detonate.

Photograph of Rudolf-Christoph von Gersdorff

However, on the morning of March 21, just as von Gersdorff prepared to activate the fuses, a sudden change of plans thwarted the assassination attempt. Hitler’s tour of the exhibition lasted only eight to ten minutes, far shorter than expected. The abrupt change was typical of Hitler’s paranoid security measures. He frequently altered schedules, travelled at irregular times, and employed various methods of transportation to ensure unpredictability. Once again, Hitler’s erratic nature had saved him from death. Reflecting on the failed mission, von Gersdorff later wrote:

“The next day I carried in each of my overcoat pockets a bomb with a ten-minute fuse. I intended to stay as close to Hitler as I could so that at least he would be blown to pieces by the explosion. When Hitler... entered the exhibition hall, Schmundt explained that only eight or ten minutes would be spent on inspecting the exhibits. So the possibility of carrying out the assassination no longer existed. The last-minute change of schedule, typical of Hitler's subtle security measures, had once again saved his life.”

The failed attempts of Operation Spark were just two of the many plots against Adolf Hitler’s life, of which at least 40 are known. His ability to evade death again and again only reinforced his belief in Vorsehung - Divine Providence. To Hitler, his survival was not mere coincidence or human error, but proof of his destined mission.