Rastenburg, East Prussia, Wolfsschanze
July 20, 1944, 1220 hours

General Stauffen felt nervous for the very first time. Now that the time was at hand, he knew that he would have only one chance. If this explosion did not kill the Führer, the plot would fail.

But he had confidence that the plot would succeed. They had been planning this for many months, and everything was in place in Berlin. All he had to do was to arm the bomb and place it under the table near Hitler during the briefing. He would excuse himself, claiming to have to make a phone call to verify some information for the briefing and when he was out of the briefing room, he would wait for the explosion.

The trickiest part would be getting out of the compound. Once the explosion occurred, he knew that a security lockdown would be called for. That meant everyone in the compound had to remain in the compound – the guards at the gate had orders to prevent anyone from leaving. Somehow he would either have to make it out of the camp before the blast occurred, or talk his way though.

The he remembered … the timer on the briefcase had less than a minute left on it. He would not have time to get out of the compound before the explosion occurred. He might not even have time to get out of the briefing room before the explosion occurred. He was committed to the cause – ridding the country of the fool who has ruined it – but he wasn't necessarily sure he was committed enough to die along with it. His place was not in a briefing room, buried beneath rubble from an explosion. His place was in Berlin, taking charge of the Home Guard to declare martial law and arrest anyone still clinging to the hope that Hitler would be alive.

He stopped his car on the drive near the building housing the Führer's briefing room and left the keys in it. He would need to make a fast getaway and didn't want to waste any extra time. He had planned his entrance to the compound so that if anyone made a comment about his car, he could claim that he was almost late to a meeting with the Führer – and everyone knew Hitler's intolerance for being kept waiting.

Stauffen entered the building and went straight to the toilet. He still had ten minutes until the midday briefing began, and he needed to compose himself. He locked the door behind him and stared into the mirror on the wall. He saw a nervous man looking back at him. This will never do! We've come this far – it's got to happen now. You can't let that madman continue to run this country into the ground!

He splashed some water on his face. When he looked back at the mirror, the man looking back seemed to be calmer and surer of himself. He ran his finger along the scar on his cheek … yes, that had come in the heat of battle, and he had not been scared then … why should he be scared now.

He looked quickly at his watch – it was time. He splashed more water on his face, toweled off and picked up his briefcase. The moment was at hand – the plan would begin now.

He left the toilet and walked briskly to the briefing room, as if he were a man running behind schedule. When he entered the room, he saw that everyone was present, and the briefing was about to begin. He maneuvered himself so that he ended up at Hitler's left side – as close as he dared to get. He set the briefcase at his feet – not a meter away from where the Führer was standing.

He looked around, hoping that he appeared normal to the occupants of the room. Now, how can I excuse myself from this room without making it seem obvious? He was about to open his mouth to say something when Major Büchsdorf leaned over and asked him, "Did you get the fighter deployment information in the western sector that I asked for?"

Stauffen put on his best act. "Damn!" he exclaimed. "I was running behind from that inspection tour of the Luft Stalags and forgot. Let me make a phone call and get it. Please, do not hold the briefing up for me." He bent down and removed a small sheet of paper from his briefcase. When he closed it, he made sure to activate the timing mechanism and set the briefcase where it could do the most damage. He straightened up. "I will be just a minute," he said, and hurried from the room.

- - - - -

Major Büchsdorf shook his head in annoyance. I'm supposed to present that information to the Führer first, and he forgets. He moved closer to Hitler in preparation of the start of his presentation. As he did, he kicked Stauffen's briefcase, knocking it over.

"Not only does he forget information, he leaves his bag in the middle of the floor," Büchsdorf grumbled. He bent over and moved the bag behind the thick concrete leg of the heavy briefing table, where it would be out of the way.

He was just about to straighten up when the blast ripped through the room with a loud roar. Acrid black smoke billowed throughout the room as beams from the ceiling rained down on the occupants. The heavy solid oak briefing table was ripped to shreds, and those shreds were flung about like tiny darts.

Büchsdorf, had he remained among the living for more than a split second after the blast, would have been annoyed that his presentation would be delayed.

- - - - -

Stauffen hurried from the room and had reached the outside door when the blast shook the building. Even though he was a hundred meters away from the room, the blast propelled him out the door, stumbling and falling on the gravel walkway. He quickly looked around to take stock of the situation. The reaction was slow in coming, but several people were running around screaming orders at anyone and everyone in sight.

Stauffen decided that his best chance of getting out of the compound was to appear to be calm and in charge of the situation. He pulled his pistol from his holster and yelled at several black-clad SS guards. "Quick, get inside and help," he ordered. "A bomb has exploded in the briefing room. The Führer is in there! Schnell!" The guards ran into the building.

Stauffen hurried to his car and drove to the main gate. This was going to be touch and go … could he make it out without being stopped. When he arrived at the main gate, he decided to take the initiative. "Guards, there has been an explosion in the Führer's briefing room," he shouted. "I must travel to Berlin immediately to make a face-to-face report to Herr Himmler." This was a bluff – he didn't even know if Himmler was currently in Berlin. But his bet was that the guards at the gate also did not know. He only hoped that Himmler was not currently in the compound. "After I leave, I want nobody to enter or leave this compound until this matter is cleared up. Now open the gate!"

He was a little surprised when the guards snapped him a salute and one of them hurried to open the gate. This was easy. Hitler is now dead and I'm on my way to Berlin to take charge of the Home Guard. By tonight, Germany will have new leadership!

He turned onto the road leading towards the airfield. His plane was waiting – he would pilot it himself – and he wanted to be in the air before anyone thought of grounding all flights from the area.

But he had one stop to make before heading to Berlin.

- - - - -

Major Rudolf Gerstein hurried about the compound, making sure the security was as tight as a drum before he left. It was a miracle that the Führer had not been killed in the explosion. It took several minutes, but once the dust cleared and several of the large ceiling beams had been moved, they discovered Hitler in the corner of the room sheltered by a large slab of the solid oak briefing desk. It had been flipped so that it had shielded the Führer from the brunt of several of the falling beams.

Hitler had emerged from the room shaken, but not severely injured. Four others had not been lucky enough to come out of the room alive, and several more were seriously hurt.

Strangely enough, the compounds communications equipment was not functional immediately after the blast. The technicians were frantically trying to determine if it was damaged by the blast or by sabotage. It was because of the latter that Major Gerstein had been ordered to leave the Wolfsschanze and head to Berlin. In his pocket was a list of known or suspected conspirators – he knew it made no difference now whether they really were guilty – that he was to round up for execution.

He climbed in his car and headed for the main gate. He was happy to see that the guards were at their post, turning back those persons who were trying to leave. Nobody would be leaving until they had found the ones responsible for the blast. He stopped the car in front of the gate and bounded out. "Has anybody left the compound?" he asked the guards.

"No sir," one of the guards answered. "No one has left since General Stauffen gave us the order to keep everyone inside."

The guard's answer did not sound right to Gerstein. "Since General Stauffen gave the order?" he asked. "What about before?"

The guard shook his head. "Nobody … except General Stauffen," he replied.

"Stauffen left the compound? When?" Gerstein asked.

"Right after the explosion," the guard answered. "He said he had to report in person to Reichsführer Himmler in Berlin."

"Himmler is in Leipzig conferring with General Schlesinger," Gerstein said. "Stauffen was lying." The guard was silent, hoping that he would not be blamed for allowing the General to leave. "Nobody else leaves here until Major Reinhardt gives the order," Gerstein said. "And report to him what you just told me. I am going after Stauffen – open the gate."

The guard saluted and hurried to open the gate. Once it was open, Gerstein sped off down the road in pursuit of the person he knew had to have set off the explosion.