The Oster Conspiracy of 1938 : The Unknown Story of the Military Plot to Kill Hitler

by Terry M. Parssinen

In September 1938, Hitler had been in power for more than five years, and had abrogated most of the constraints placed on German militarism by the Treaty of Versailles. Earlier that year he had forced Austria into his Third Reich without a single shot fired, and his sights were set on Czechoslovakia. It was in this climate that a coup was born, led by Lieutenant Colonel Hans Oster of German military leaders, members of the Berlin police, local troop commanders, civil authorities, religious leaders, and a courageous group of resisters who assembled in a mission to unseat, and even kill, Hitler.The Oster Conspiracy of 1938 mines the cultural and political milieu of post-WWI Europe, the forces and personal histories that motivated the group to such decisive and dangerous action, and the catalyst of their ultimate failure. This is narrative history at its revelatory, well documented with archival material, people with a rich cast of characters, fast-paced, and highly provocative.

Genres: History, World War II, Germany, Nonfiction, War

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spectacular day-by-day accounting of the formulation of a coup against Hitler that might have worked if not undermined by the terrible decision of British Prime Minister Chamberlain.

The cast of characters participating in planning the coup is fascinating, and includes some of the most prominent German leaders: Reichsbank President Hjalmar Schacht, Admiral Canaris, head of the Abwehr, and General Ludwig Beck, Army Chief of Staff. This was a really big deal although not much remembered in much of the history of the period.

On the other side was Hitler, maneuvering to maintain control of the military while encouraging the British and French to disavow their commitments to Czechoslovakia. Would he have succeeded? We'll never know, because Chamberlain threw in the towel within days of when the coup would have been attempted.

My next writing task (as part of the sequel to A FLOOD OF EVIL) is to integrate my fictional character Berthold Becker into the conspirators' group and to write a series of scenes that reflect the tensions and opportunities of the time as well as the intense personal risks to Berthold.

A Flood of Evil

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew something of this conspiracy from Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" but had no clue how close to pulling the trigger they came.

Whether the coup would have succeeded is a counter-factual that we can never know. That said, from this book it seems that the conspirators had a better shot at not just killing Hitler but also overthrowing the whole Nazi regime in 1938 than Count Stauffenberg and other later plotters ever had.

Reading about Chamberlain's appeasement policy is always frustrating, especially with Churchill sitting in the wings acting as if he had received a message from the future laying all of WWII out before him. But if you can get your mind into the limited view that these men actually had, you can see the heart-wrenching choices they had to make.

Knowing what WWII would become, the decision is easy. Without that knowledge it is much harded to commit to marching to war or commit to supporting a coup.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched and documented look at the Oster Conspiracy that began to formulate in 1938, prior to Hitler's declaration of war on Poland. Much is known about the July 20th failed plot to kill Hitler, but this is the story of a large group of German military men that saw the invasion of Czechoslovakia as a foreshadowing of disaster for Germany and the German people. The group of conspirators were counting on Chamberlain sticking by Czechoslovakia and not giving into another one of Hitler's demands. Chamberlain's appeasement during that time was what kept the assassination plot from launching. An interesting and thought-provoking book that begs the question of how many lives may have been saved if Hitler had been killed before WWII had a chance to begin. Interestingly, the idea for the book came from a student he had as a Professor at the University of Tampa who asked him when the last moment could have been that would have stopped Hitler from attacking Poland.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book, well sourced, regarding how German military officers could've prevented World War II - if only Neville Chamberlain had any type of backbone at all.

[Martin Fritsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent narrative history for people interested in the diplomacy and politics leading to WW2.

[John Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last opportunity to remove Adolf Hitler and avert another World War. A fantastic day-to-day account of the intricate relationships forged in an effort to stop Hitler in 1938!! A must read!!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A visit to my favorite used book store in DC on Capitol Hill, Riverby Books.

Part way in; getting interesting and well-written.

Finished. It's not such a big book, but, you know, I was travelling, goofing off, reading other stuff. Finished it last night.

Whew. Truly an amazing story. A LOT of people in all branches of the Military, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Hans Oster, chief of staff to Adm. Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr (the German armed forces, army, navy, air, intelligence and counterintelligence staff).

Basically, they were all ready for a coup to take Hitler from power -- they knew he was crazy and dangerous well before 1938. What the conspirators wanted was for Britain to say they would absolutely stand behind the French who were obligated by treaty to defend Czechoslovakia if Germany invaded; which is what Hitler was fully planning to do. The Grand Appeasement in Munich instead is what happened, handing everything to Hitler without war, and dissipating everything the conspirators had fully planned.

Well told story, reads like a diary. Amazingly strong people in extemely dangerous positions. Ah, well. We do know what happened afterwards: luck for Hitler and happenstance against the conspirators who continued to plan against Hitler to the bitter end when most were finally drawn up in the late, July 1944, attempt by Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lieutenant Colonel Hans Oster had a network of coligies who were willing to see the end of Adolph Hitler. Many argued of whether he should be killed or imprisoned. In the end all the planning and scheming would be for not, because the British were not willing to listen or help these good Germans. That's correct, the British could have prevented World War II and didn't. This was the responsibility of Halifax and Chaimberlain, who were more interested in their public persona then the fate of Europe. Lieutenant Colonel Hans Oster was lucky enough to survive the 1938 plot but not the July 20, 1944 bombing plot that was named Operation Valkyrie: The Stauffenberg Plot. Although Oster had little or nothing to do with this second plot, he was rounded up by the Gestapo and executed as the Allies were approaching Berlin.
This is not history told in a story or drama but a series of events that transpired in a time line fashion. A valuable read if you want to understand the events of Europe prior to WWII.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book and a fast stread. I had a hard time putting it down. It sheds new light on this conspiracy but is especially interesting when read in conjunction with Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich". I highly recommend this book. It's interesting to note that many of the men involved in the Oster conspiracy, were also involved in "Valkyrie".

[Sal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool stories. Amazing how many were to kill Hitler. Exciting read.

[Steven]

Good Story. Well written.

[Ian McGaffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of this time period. This was a engrossing read that shed light on some of the inner workings of the German high command in WWII. I would recommend it to any history reader.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed account of little known resistance to Hitler before the war started. There are many lessons to be learned from this book to prevent future wars.

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a little known story of a man and his allies who sacrificed it all trying to stop Hitler. Not all of the Germans were going along with his program. This is a good book to read after seeing the movie Valkyrie with Tom Cruise. If you were intriqued by the movie, as I was, this gives you some great background on it.