Obituaries

The German officer who tried to kill Hitler

Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager

1917–2008

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Adolf Hitler was conducting a briefing at the Wolf’s Lair, his military headquarters in East Prussia, on July 20, 1944. At 12:40 p.m., the conference room was ripped apart by a hidden bomb, killing several personnel—but not, as the bombers had hoped, the Führer. Most of the 200 conspirators were caught and executed. Among those who were not was army Maj. Philipp Freiherr von Boese­lager. He died last week at 90, the last survivor of the plot.

Boeselager, who had been educated by Jesuits, didn’t turn against the Nazi regime until 1942, said The New York Times. “It was no longer about saving the country,” he said, “but about stopping the crimes.” Anti-Hitler forces initially approached him to shoot both Hitler and SS chief Heinrich Himmler “at close range.” But when Himmler didn’t show up as expected a March 13, 1943, meeting at which Hitler was present, the attempt was called off and the plotters opted for a bomb. “Boeselager, assigned to an explosives research team, was able to acquire top-grade English explosives.”

Col. Claus von Stauffenberg planted Boeselager’s bomb, said the London Telegraph. When it detonated, Boeselager was en route to Berlin to help overthrow the government. After learning that Hitler was only injured in the blast, he scrambled to return to the front, barely escaping detection. “One of his comrades was killed as he rode over a mine, and Boeselager had to retrieve a strategic map of Berlin from the dead man’s pocket which, if found, would have exposed him.”

After the war, Boeselager studied law and economics and was honored by Germany and France for his heroism. The memory of his missed opportunity haunted him. “I always see Hitler from here to the fireplace in front of me,” he once said, indicating a distance of about 2 feet, “and think, What would have happened if you had shot him?”