Requiescat in Pace Phillip von Boeselager

[Adler17]

On May 1st 2008 Phillip Freiherr von Boeselager died aged 90. He was the last survivor of the 20th July plot. He was part of several attempts of killing Hitler. Once he wanted to shoot Hitler and Himmler together with a Walther PP. However, Himmler went away too early and the assassination was called off to prevent Himmler being successor. He kept this pistol until the end of his life.
He was also the man who brought Stauffenberg the explosives for the bomb in the Wolfschanze. After the failing of the plot he came away as he wasn't denounced even under torture.
After the war, in which he was credited with the Ritterkreuz, he studied law and economy. He married and got 4 children with his wife, Rosa Maria Gräfin von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg. He was also member of the committee, which had to decide about high ranking Wehrmacht officers in the new Bundeswehr.

Adler

 

[Sharwood]

Good man. When exactly was he planning on shooting Hitler and Himmler? I was just thinking today about Rommel's planned coup, was it then or earlier?

 

[Adler17]

He wanted to shoot both in 1943. He was even the man, who gave Henning von Tresckow a bomb in a cognac bottle in the beginning of 1943 to smuggle it into his plane. But as it was winter and he flew to Manstein in Russia the bomb did not explode. All were astonished when he landed saftey. BTW Hitler escaped there another coup. Of he landed at the position which was thought to be, General v. Strachwitz would have arrested Hitler there. Well, he said he would arrest him. But if he would resist... That man had too many luck!

Adler

 

[1889]

How did he ever survive the war? Didn't Hitler take a dim view of people trying to kill him?

 

[Sharwood]

SOunds like Hitler had almost as much luck at excaping death as Mangele did at escaping capture.

 

[1889]

From Wiki: "Philipp von Boeselager gave his last videotaped interview. It was conducted by Zora Wolter for the feature documentary, The Valkyrie Legacy. It will be televised on History (a.k.a. The History Channel) in Spring 2009 to coincide with the release of Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise and directed by Bryan Singer. The documentary was produced by Singer and directed by Kevin Burns."

 

[Adler17]

Both Boeselager brothers were not discovered as no one told the Nazis about them. So some others escaped, too. Among them were for example Guderian. Phillipp's brother Georg fell in 1944.

Adler