History� presents the Two-hour special... VALKYRIE: THE PLOT TO KILL HITLER
Premieres on Monday, November 24 at 10pm ET/PT
Before you see the Tom Cruise Hollywood blockbuster, learn the history behind the attempted assassination of Adolph Hitler� what led up to the plot and its significant historical impact. In addition to covering the plot in detail, the special takes a broader view of the anti-Nazi resistance movement prior to the Valkyrie plot and also at the post-World War II aftermath. The personal stories are told, by family members and others, bringing a new immediacy to these pivotal events.
The plan was called "Valkyrie" and it was as bold in concept as it was challenging in execution. On July 20, 1944 � as Allied troops were fighting their way toward inevitable victory � a group of German officers, led by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, attempted to assassinate Adolph Hitler and take control of the German government. The audacious plan called for this interim government to negotiate an immediate end to World War II. The plot failed, and nearly all associated with it were imprisoned, tortured and executed.
For many Germans, Stauffenberg and his co-conspirators would be seen as traitors � even cowards. But in the decades and generations that have followed, there has been a growing interest in both the conspiracy and the conspirators. What were their motives? When is an act of treason also an act of patriotism? And how can a nation steeped in blood and haunted by shame move forward towards reconciliation and redemption?
VALKYRIE: THE PLOT TO KILL HITLER brings to life the events leading up to and taking place on July 20, 1944, using interviews with survivors, relatives, firsthand witnesses and historians � as well as newsreel footage, archival photographs and re-creations. The documentary reveals what this extraordinary story means and why it needs to be told again � and what that means to Germans and Germany, and what it says about the sometimes complex nature of heroism, and the legacy of the Resistance overall
Among the interviews are Berthold von Stauffenberg, the son of Claus von Stauffenberg; Konstanze von Schulthess, daughter of Claus von Stauffenberg; Philipp Baron von Boeselager, a co-conspirator in the July 20th plot; Johanna Rahtgens, wife of Karl Ernst Rahtgens who was part of the German resistance and the coup attempt; former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who was an Army Intelligence Officer during World War II; and Prof. Peter Hoffmann, author of Stauffenberg and July 20, Stauffenberg: A Family History, among others. Also interviewed in the documentary are Chris McQuarrie, producer/screenwriter of the film Valkyrie; Bryan Singer, producer/director; and Nathan Alexander, co-producer, writer.
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