Editorial to the Baltimore Sun, July 19, 2014

July 20, 1944 Mruck, Armin Sat 7/19/2014 7:05 PM To:talkback@baltimoresun.com <talkback@baltimoresun.com >; Dear Editor: It is in this year that we are commemorating many often tragic historical events like the beginning of World War ! which killed millions of people who wanted to live and not to die, then the Invasion on the French Normandy coast which after almost another year led to the defeat of Nazi Germany, again costing the lives of many people who wanted to live and not to die. There is another historical event which ended in tragedy. On July 2th, 1944, a group of Germans, many of them military, tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler whom they had and innocent children come to call the "incarnation of evil" which had to be destroyed for the benefit of many, allied soldiers, German soldiers, European civilians, mothers We can only speculate what would have happend had the coup succeeded. The chances for success by the Resistance where as one of their members said, at best 50/50. Yet even with that narrow margin they decided to act. For them it was significant that the world would see that not all Germans were National Socialists, that there were Germans who were willing to sacrifice their Hives for what was called "das anstaendige Deuschland", the decent Germany. We know through their farewell letters to their loved ones that even though they failed at the moment- Hitler miraculously survived the attempt on his life- they did not regret their sacrifice. Their memory is commemorated each year by German soldiers being sworn in in the court of the former Home Army Headquarter, the socalled Bendler Block, where Colonel Count Claus von Stauffenberg attempted to direct the overthrow of the Nazi regime . He and his closest collaborators were executed there. Stauffenberg's last words were "Long live the decent Germany." Their sacrifice eventually became one of the foundations for the new Germany. Dr. Armin Mruck, Professor of History, emeritus, Towson University Tel. 410-704-5267 (Towson University)