Claus von Stauffenberg

Claus von Stauffenberg
Stauffenberg in June 1944
Birth name	Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg[a]
Born	(1907-11-15)15 November 1907 Jettingen, Bavaria, German Empire
Died	21 July 1944(1944-07-21) (aged 36) Berlin, Gau Berlin, Nazi Germany
Cause of death	Execution by firing squad
Allegiance	Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany German resistance (1943–1944)
Branch	Reichsheer  German Army
Years	1926–1944
Rank	Oberst im Generalstab
Battles	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Tunisian campaign
Spouse(s)	Magdalena Freiin von Lerchenfeld ​ ​ (m. 1933)​
Children	5, including Berthold, Franz-Ludwig and Konstanze
Relations	Alexander Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (brother) Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (brother)

Count Claus von Stauffenberg (German: [ˈklaʊs fɔn ˈʃtaʊfn̩bɛʁk] ^ⓘ; 15 November 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, part of Operation Valkyrie, a plan that would have seen the arrest of Nazi leadership in the wake of Hitler's death and an early end to World War II.

As a military officer from a noble background, Stauffenberg took part in the Invasion of Poland, the 1941–42 invasion of the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa and the Tunisian campaign during the Second World War. Alongside Major Generals Henning von Tresckow and Hans Oster, he became a key figure in the German resistance to Nazism within the Wehrmacht.

On 20 July 1944, Stauffenberg's assassination attempt failed, the explosive he had placed only dealing Hitler minor injuries. The conspirators were arrested, and many of them executed, including Stauffenberg on the day after the attempt. His wife Nina was also arrested, giving birth to their fifth child Konstanze while imprisoned. Their children also included Berthold, who followed in his father's footsteps as a military man, and politician Franz-Ludwig. Konstanze's son Philipp von Schulthess would become an actor and play a supporting role in Valkyrie, a 2008 American film about the 20 July 1944 assassination with Sauffenberg as main character, portrayed by Tom Cruise.
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