Operation Valkyrie: The German Generals' Plot Against Hitler [Paperback]

Pierre Galante (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2002

The bomb that exploded in the "Wolf's Lair"—Hitler's command headquarters—on July 20th, 1944 was the closest any assassination attempt ever came to ridding the world of the Nazis' Führer. Pierre Galante's account of the years that led up to the attempt, and its grim aftermath, offers an illuminating look at how dissent among the German officer corps grew until something had to be done. Conspirator General Adolf Heusinger, who met with Hitler on hundreds of occasions, provides his personal accounts of the disintegrating obedience of the German commanders as the war turned against them. Their plan to kill Hitler, establish a provisional government, and negotiate with the Allies for peace—known as Operation Valkyrie—is described here in depth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lively and well documented. (Le Figaro )

Heusinger's brilliant personality, the clarity of his insights, the objectivity of his judgements…as well as the invaluable aid of his personal diaries have enabled Pierre Galante to recreate a dramatic and decisive period in contemporary history. (Méridional La France )

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Cooper Square Press (July 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815411790
• ISBN-13: 978-0815411796
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #328,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Addition To Military History Literature, February 16, 2004

By 

J. Reynolds (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Operation Valkyrie: The German Generals' Plot Against Hitler (Hardcover)

This fine little book goes well beyond it's putative story, the plots to assassinate Hitler. It delves into several war campaign details, reporting a surprising amount of information about the Germans' war against Russia. It contains many eyewitness recounts of conversations with Hitler, explaining his thinking as the war in the East progressed -- and then failed to progress. All of this background, which portended the ultimate destruction of Germany, gave rise to the various schemes to kill Hitler. The only real shame in the entire scenario is that none of the conspirators was willing to simply walk up to the dictator and ignite a bomb. Most lost their lives anyway, after several failed attempts to rid the world of a monster.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Operation Valkyrie - a starting point, November 16, 2008

By 

A. Wald - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Operation Valkyrie: The German Generals' Plot Against Hitler (Paperback)

Galante's "Operation Valkyrie" is not only a very decent overview of the the July 20th assassination attempt on Hitler, but also an introduction to some of the other attempts on Hitler's life. Although not perfect, Galante's description of the Valkyrie plot and the personalities involved is fascinating and intriguing enough to drive an interested reader to additional research on the topic of German resistance to the Nazi regime.

A few flaws do exist in the work. As often happens in translations, there are some slight verbal disconnects, though a careful reader will not find these a major difficulty. There are also a few instances where the plot line of the Valkyrie assassination attempt becomes less clear because of the author's digression into personality descriptions or discussions of earlier plots.

That said, those few flaws are negligible in light of the overall scholarship and the valuable introduction to the topic of internal resistance to Hitler.

I would strongly recommend this book as an entry point to further research into the topic and as a excellent examination of the effect that Hitler had on the German people.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hitler's Generals, December 3, 2008

By 

K. Burns - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Operation Valkyrie: The German Generals' Plot Against Hitler (Paperback)

I have read a great deal of Hitler and WWII. But I have never really read any military hisory book at all. I would tend not to classify this book as such- it makes for such fascinating reading.

That Hitler received that much flak from the German Generals gave me a new insight into just what they were up against and how imperative it was to get rid of Hitler.

Hilter kept sending troops to the Russian Front during winter wherein these soldier had no option but to die. So he'd send more troops that were not even adequately clothed. He has his troops spread out all over the place. As general's worked to placate him, sway him in other directions until they no longer could do so, he fired them and found someone else.

Many generals took part in the assassination attempts and planning.

Klaus Von Stauffenberg caught on right away that Hitler was an "Anti-Christ". His astounding valiant attempt to assassinate Hitler should make his name common knowlege, but it isn't.

I have since read every book I can get on Klaus Von Stauffenberg and the depth of his character and his determined courage has impressed me beyond words! Such a great man! And an intriguing subject to delve into.

I enjoyed this book immensely and I learned a great deal.