Valkyrie: An Insider's Account of the Plot to Kill Hitler

This book is an revised edition of the original "To the Bitter End" book. The first section (before the July 20th assignation attempt) appears to be a condensed version of the original. There are lots of details and information but not much substance. Where the book really shines is with the July 20th putsch. Here you really get an insider's view of what happened and what went wrong. This view is clouded by the author's background and status, but that prejudice also comes through in the text. In this narration you feel like the "fly on the wall", watching things unfold to a bloody end. In all, it was a fascinating read and one of the best descriptions of the attempted Hitler assassination I've read. Be sure to read the introductions both before and after you read the book. The introductions describe the interpersonal relations in the putsch and also show how these relations can cloud history.

This book has many flaws, but it is the sole memoir available to historians written by one of the conspirator in the plot to kill Hitler. As such, it must be given five stars for its historical value even when some of the information is not supported by other evidence and some comments are obviously colored by the author's personal opinions. Hans Bernd Gisevius was practically the only major conspirator to survive who had an intimate knowledge of the plot. Other such as General Speidel survived, but they only had limited knowledge and that was confined to their part to play subsequent to the assassination. The reader needs to read this book in conjunction with "The German General Staff" by Walter Goerlitz or some other works that deal with the plot in a more comprehensive fashion and provide a background for the German General Staff's culture and role in opposing Hitler to put Gisevius's comments into perspective. Nonetheless, the author's depictions of the interplay between the various conspirators are invaluable and essentially unavailable anywhere else. This book was written originally in 1946 by the author and this volume is an abridged version of the author's "To The Bitter End" (translation of Zum Bittern Ende.) It covers the time period from 1939 to January 25, 1945, when the author made his escape to Switzerland. Peter Hoffman added a new Introduction in 1998, and this volume is being sold now in conjunction with the release of the movie on the Valkyrie Plot. Although abridgements often leave out much relevant detail, this abridgement does not suffer from that problem and is more readable than the original (either in German or the English translation.) All that being said, this book should be on the shelf of every person interested in World War II and Nazi Germany.

Because of his severe injuries received on the battlefield Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg is forced to return to Germany. There he joins the growing resistance against Hitler. Together with some high-ranking officers he prepares a coup d'état. They want to kill Hitler. A new government would take the lead of Germany and initiate a peace conference with the Allies. On the second of july 1944 at 12:42 p.m. the bomb goes off...

An outstanding book for those of you who would like to see the attempt to remove Hitler from the inside. Having worked in the Abwehr the author can show you something no other author can as he became involved with Admiral Canaris, the head of the German intelligence arm and a conspirator against Hitler as early as 1938. The novel The Commodore by John Lowe, which I recently read as well, can be an enjoyable primer for this in-depth book.The Commodore

This is not some professor guessing at what things were like from the safety of his office some decades after the events took place - this is an eye-witness and a participant to events that are both historic and insightful. The author Hans Bernd Gisevius takes us to the heart and the soul of WWII Germany and gives us a insider look at events. In his book "Valkyrie: An Insider's Account Of The plot To Kill Hitler" we get to understand much better the mindset of those involved in this assassination attempt and what motivated them. Fascinating beyond belief - this true life story is an amazing tale. I am surprised that this was not a movie before now. There are real heros, and villains, and those that are hard to classify as either, and of course, there are so many victims. This was the author's memoir and it is rather odd that he doesn't try to show showcase himself in any better light - he seems brutally honest about himself. He tells of the planning, his fellow conspirators and of the events which drew them all to take this action. This should be a must read book for anyone trying to understand what was going on within Germany at that time. If this was just a novel - no one would believe it! The Third Reich and much that it stood for are bared open for examination by readers. This is a powerful story and one that continues to have much energy and life over 60 plus years after the events. I highly recommend this book and give it the highest book rating from The Military Writer's Society of America - FIVE STARS!