Valkyrie: The Story of the Plot to Kill Hitler, by Its Last Member by Philip Freiherr von Boeselager Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Philip Freiherr von Boeselager
on to Smolensk. There we were transferred, in another freight train, to Germany. I had eaten practically nothing since December 10. The train’s engineer occasionally gave me a little something to drink. That was how I spent my Christmas 1941. Finally, after eighteen days’ travel, I was taken off the train in Silesia and moved, half dead, to the hospital in Breslau. I had survived about three weeks of transportation and privations—a miracle. Once I had recovered, I drew from all of this very pessimistic conclusions regarding the ability of the military command to conduct the war.
For his part, Georg had not been seriously wounded. He was exhausted, but his morale was intact. He had, I think, lost none of his bravery, his energy, or his presence of mind. He had never considered the situation hopeless, despite the cold, despite the adversary’s firepower. With the same gaiety, he continued to give his entourage that impression of invulnerability that made him seem almost a mythical hero. Georg was perfectly well aware of the danger. But he was motivated by a sense of duty that obliged him to show a tranquil optimism. The Russian offensive had lost some of its vigor, and Georg was prepared to fight for every inch of terrain.
But something inexplicable happened. On January 10,1942, he received, by way of the division, the news that he had been transferred to the Führer’s reserve, effective immediately. He was to return to Germany without delay. Georg had not requested this assignment. He was furious to be separated from his men, who owed him everything and to whom he was linked by a set of obligations and loyalties that were as strong as those between a father and his children. Georg tried not to show his bitterness; on January 12, he named his successor and left for Potsdam-Krampnitz, where he was to teach military tactics to elite troops. It is true that from an operational point of view, the cavalry had become less useful. The defensive positions the German army had taken up around Rzhev could be held by the infantry.
At the end of January, Georg and five of his comrades were decorated by the Führer in person. Georg was the fifty-third soldier in the Wehrmacht to receive the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. At that time he had only disdain for Hitler—not yet hatred. A photo shows the scornful way my brother looked at the Führer. Hitler asked him if he had a special request. Far from thinking of himself, Georg took advantage of the opportunity: “I have heard that my brother Philipp has been seriously wounded. I don’t know where he is. Could inquiries be made at the various hospitals?”
The message was immediately sent out in all directions. When the hospital in Breslau realized that I was the wounded man being sought, the doctor came to ask me—as in a fairy tale—if I wanted anything. I was by then capable of understanding the situation, and seizing my chance, I asked to be transferred to Bonn. The Führer’s wishes were commands, and my request was immediately granted. So I was taken home in a luxurious railway car, in the almost maternal care of two nurses reserved for me. I spent several months in the hospital. When I got out, in spring 1942, I was still convalescent.
January 1942, Hitler’s headquarters at Rastenburg, East Prussia: decoration of (from left to right) Hans Jordan, Karl Eibl, Günter Hoffmann-Schönbron, Georg von Boeselager, and Karl-Heinz Noak. This allowed Philipp, who was seriously injured in December 1941, to be taken back to a hospital in eastern Germany
. (photo credit 7.1)
A few months later, in July 1942, after the training session was over, Georg was sent to Romania as part of the German military mission. He was supposed to help toughen up the Romanians, whom the Wehrmacht was then using as auxiliaries on the Russian front.
8
The Conspiracy Begins
1941–42
I had not become an officer in order to shoot the head of state like a dog. Desiring the end of the regime and the
For his part, Georg had not been seriously wounded. He was exhausted, but his morale was intact. He had, I think, lost none of his bravery, his energy, or his presence of mind. He had never considered the situation hopeless, despite the cold, despite the adversary’s firepower. With the same gaiety, he continued to give his entourage that impression of invulnerability that made him seem almost a mythical hero. Georg was perfectly well aware of the danger. But he was motivated by a sense of duty that obliged him to show a tranquil optimism. The Russian offensive had lost some of its vigor, and Georg was prepared to fight for every inch of terrain.
But something inexplicable happened. On January 10,1942, he received, by way of the division, the news that he had been transferred to the Führer’s reserve, effective immediately. He was to return to Germany without delay. Georg had not requested this assignment. He was furious to be separated from his men, who owed him everything and to whom he was linked by a set of obligations and loyalties that were as strong as those between a father and his children. Georg tried not to show his bitterness; on January 12, he named his successor and left for Potsdam-Krampnitz, where he was to teach military tactics to elite troops. It is true that from an operational point of view, the cavalry had become less useful. The defensive positions the German army had taken up around Rzhev could be held by the infantry.
At the end of January, Georg and five of his comrades were decorated by the Führer in person. Georg was the fifty-third soldier in the Wehrmacht to receive the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. At that time he had only disdain for Hitler—not yet hatred. A photo shows the scornful way my brother looked at the Führer. Hitler asked him if he had a special request. Far from thinking of himself, Georg took advantage of the opportunity: “I have heard that my brother Philipp has been seriously wounded. I don’t know where he is. Could inquiries be made at the various hospitals?”
The message was immediately sent out in all directions. When the hospital in Breslau realized that I was the wounded man being sought, the doctor came to ask me—as in a fairy tale—if I wanted anything. I was by then capable of understanding the situation, and seizing my chance, I asked to be transferred to Bonn. The Führer’s wishes were commands, and my request was immediately granted. So I was taken home in a luxurious railway car, in the almost maternal care of two nurses reserved for me. I spent several months in the hospital. When I got out, in spring 1942, I was still convalescent.
January 1942, Hitler’s headquarters at Rastenburg, East Prussia: decoration of (from left to right) Hans Jordan, Karl Eibl, Günter Hoffmann-Schönbron, Georg von Boeselager, and Karl-Heinz Noak. This allowed Philipp, who was seriously injured in December 1941, to be taken back to a hospital in eastern Germany
. (photo credit 7.1)
A few months later, in July 1942, after the training session was over, Georg was sent to Romania as part of the German military mission. He was supposed to help toughen up the Romanians, whom the Wehrmacht was then using as auxiliaries on the Russian front.
8
The Conspiracy Begins
1941–42
I had not become an officer in order to shoot the head of state like a dog. Desiring the end of the regime and the
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