Famous Days for Students of English

20-07-1944

In the summer of 1944, Hitler was at war with most of the world. Big armies stood against him, and Germany was gradually losing the war.

Some people in Germany realized that the war was coming to an end. They wanted to end the war. However, first, they had to get rid of Hitler.

One of these people was Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg. He was 37 years old, and he originally agreed with Hitler’s ideas. However, everything changed when he saw people suffering in the war. He was also badly wounded in Africa. He lost his eye, his right hand, and two fingers on his left hand.

Despite all that, Stauffenberg remained in the army. He had access to meetings held by Hitler.

On July 20, 1944, he hid a bomb into his briefcase and managed to bring it to a meeting where Hitler was also present. He put the briefcase under the table near Hitler. Some minutes later, he excused himself and left the room.

After his exit, another army officer pushed the briefcase behind a heavy conference table leg. Then an explosion came.

The explosion was very big. Stauffenberg was sure everyone in the room was dead. Only 4 people died. Hitler wasn’t among them. He suffered only minor injuries because the heavy table leg had protected him from the blast.

Difficult words: get rid of (to make somebody leave), wounded (injured), despite (in spite of), minor (small and not very important), blast (an explosion).