The July Plot

by Heinrich Fraenkel, Roger Manvell

The story of a coup attempt in Nazi Germany that nearly changed the shape of Europe forever.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, World War II

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Lori Krause]

The story of the ill-fated bomb plot in Nazi Germany on July 20th, 1944, could have been the single most quintessential part of WWII had it been pulled off. How different would it have been? It makes one wonder. A history buff, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Men Who Tried to Kill Hitler.’ The book is historically accurate, at least from what I can tell, and is a compelling read. Although the book shows that the movie followed as closely as possible to reality, I still didn’t enjoy the film as much as I thought I would. I love history, specifically biographical books, whether based on a historical figure, submarine warfare, or action: i. e., military movement. If you love history, I recommend you put this book on your ‘to-read list.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manvell and Fraenkel's account of the ill-fated 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler (which forms the basis of the film Valkyrie) is meticulously researched and accompanied by copious notes and appendices. Though the failed outcome of the plot is common knowledge, the book remains a gripping tale of a courageous conspiracy which ultimately foundered on human weakness and the manoeuvring of officers desperate to ensure they were seen to have backed the winning side.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, fast-moving history.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very interested in the subject matter that this book covered (the failed plot to kill Hitler). As familiar as I was with the Nazi leadership from past readings, I still found this book difficult to follow. I think one has to be an in depth student of Nazi history to be able to follow the characters in the book. New names were constantly being introduced with no reference to who they were. That said, I'm still glad I read this, I think it needed to be longer to give it more clarity.

[Mark Major · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 1964, The Men Who Tried to Kill Hitler by Roger Manvell and Heinrich Fraenkel appears to be the principal (and uncredited) source material for the script of the excellent Tom Cruise film Valkyrie (2008) directed by Bryan Singer. You know a book is good when: 1) it takes me less than 5 days to read it; and, 2) the endnotes are equally fascinating as the main text (throwing up delicious nuggets of information like in the immediate aftermath of surviving the assassination attempt, Hitler's main concern seemed to be the bombing had ruined his new trousers). This is a really good book with excellent pacing and what appears to be thorough research relying on primary sources and eyewitnesses to actual events. In the endnotes, the authors rightly focus attention on what appeared to be crux of the matter for the success or (ultimate) failure of Operation Valkyrie on July 20, 1944, which is what General Fellgiebel did or did not do at the Wolf's Lair in the first few minutes after the explosion and Colonel Stauffenberg's departure to the airport to return to Berlin. My only real criticism of this book (which frequently occurs with historical research about specific events) is there were so many players involved in the July 20th plot and its aftermath, that some kind of better visual aid (more photographs, an organizational chart, etc.) would have been helpful to the reader in order to better understand who was who and where they fit into the story. Mark's Grade: 4 1/2 stars

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was inspired to pick this book up after watching the film Valkyrie, an excellent film about the 20 July Plot. It is probably the only Tom Cruise film I've ever enjoyed, and it holds up fairly well to the historical record, which gets a very nice treatment in this book.
It starts out with the roots of the German resistance movement, specifically the exploits of Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, that incredible Christian, and goes on to show how his influence caused other people to decide to take action against Hitler. The Kreisau Circle eventually formed with men like Helmuth von Moltke, Hans Gisevius Peter Yorck; eventually, the immortal Claus von Stauffenberg would join. The authors' portrayal of Stauffenberg is particularly impressive, and leaves you with no small amount of admiration for the man.
The book is fairly readable, but takes a number of liberties with grammar, with some wonky comma placement. Besides that, the narrative flows along pretty smoothly and generally avoids getting bogged down in minutiae. In the part of the book describing the Berlin takeover attempt, it is hard to put down. So too is the chapter on the subsequent trials of the conspirators.
Highly recommended for any WWII library, and for anyone looking to find out more about the real-life Operation Valkyrie.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Operaatio Valkyyria” oli toinen lukemani kirja tästä salaliitosta (ensimmäinen oli Phillip Freiherr von Boeselagerin ”Me tahdoimme tappaa Hitlerin”) ja aiheesta kiinnostuneille suosittelen lämpimästi lukemaan enemmin tämän, jos on aikaa vain toiselle. Manvellin ja Fraenkelin kirjassa tapahtumia käsitellään kiinnostavammin ja ennen kaikkea kokonaisuutena, kun taas von Boeselagerin kirja pitäytyy hänen omassa näkökulmassaan tapahtumiin.

Vaikka sotahistoriasta ei olisikaan niin kauhean kiinnostunut, onnistuivat kirjailijat pitämään tapahtumat sen verran napakasti hallussaan, että ”Operaatio Valkyyriaa” luki kuin jännittävää trilleriä tapahtumista. Toisen maailmansodan historiasta kiinnostuneille varmasti mieluinen luettava.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read like a novel, but is historically accurate. Very interesting story!