Dan Snow’s History Hit – The Top Assassination Attempts on Hitler

Release Date: January 19, 2026
Host: Dan Snow
Guest: Roger Moorhouse (Historian, author of Killing Hitler: The Plots, the Assassins and the Dictator who Cheated Death)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dan Snow and historian Roger Moorhouse take a deep dive into the most serious attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Moorhouse draws on his extensive research to discuss four principal plots—each of which, if successful, could have changed the course of world history. Their conversation explores the characters and motives behind these plots, the remarkable (and often coincidental) reasons for their failure, and why Hitler survived so many close calls.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction: The Astonishing Survival of Adolf Hitler

• Dan Snow opens with the staggering fact: "Adolf Hitler survived an astonishing 42 assassination attempts and plots against his life whilst he was the Fuhrer." (01:37)
• The episode focuses on the four most notable plots:
  • The 1939 Beer Hall Bomb by Georg Elser
  • Polish resistance plans in war-ravaged Warsaw
  • Wehrmacht officers’ efforts, particularly Henning von Tresckow
  • The famous Operation Valkyrie led by Claus von Stauffenberg

1. The Lone Wolf: Georg Elser and the 1939 Beer Hall Bomb

[03:36 – 13:39]

• Who was Georg Elser?
  • A solitary, working-class cabinet maker from Swabia, not deeply political but instinctively anti-Nazi.
    • "He’s the ultimate lone wolf... Not interested in ideology and stuff like that, but he sort of quite instinctively hates the Nazis." — Roger Moorhouse (04:05)
    • Notably, "he turns his back and he says, 'you can kiss my backside'" to SA parade, showing quiet defiance. (05:00)
• The Plan:
  • Elser attended Hitler’s annual Beer Hall Putsch commemoration in Munich (1938), casing the venue. He spent months secretly hollowing out a pillar behind the lectern for a precisely-timed bomb.
  • Ingeniously, he made his own timing mechanism using clockwork so he could escape to Switzerland.
• What Went Wrong?
  • On November 8, 1939, fog forced Hitler to shorten his speech and leave early for Berlin—13 minutes before the bomb detonated, killing 8 and wounding 50 but missing Hitler.
    • "Had Hitler been standing in front of that pillar where the lectern was, he 100% would have been killed." — Moorhouse (11:35)
  • Elser was caught at the Swiss border by Gestapo—tragically carrying incriminating evidence, likely planning to confess to Swiss authorities for asylum.
    • "So the problem is he's confessing to the wrong set of border guards." — Moorhouse (12:37)
• Aftermath:
  • Elser was imprisoned, kept in isolation, and executed by the Nazis in April 1945—only weeks before the war’s end.

Notable Quote:
"What an astonishing story." — Dan Snow (13:39)

2. The Polish Underground’s Plot in Warsaw

[15:29 – 19:36]

• Context:
  • After Poland’s defeat in Sept 1939 and establishment of the Polish Underground, there was an opportunity as Hitler intended to parade his victory in Warsaw.
• The Plan:
  • Polish conspirators led by Francesek Niepokulczycki (code name “Theodore”) hid half a ton of explosives at a central Warsaw intersection, aiming to detonate as Hitler’s convoy passed.
  • The bomb was primed and ready, with a spotter on hand.
    • "It's a brilliant plan and actually, again, could have worked. We don't know why it didn't... perhaps the spotter was unsighted at the right moment and essentially the order was never given." — Moorhouse (18:34)
• Result:
  • The explosion never occurred—possibly due to a missed signal or logistical confusion, but Hitler drove directly over the targeted spot unharmed.
• Polish Effectiveness:
  • Moorhouse emphasizes the Polish Underground’s skill in sabotage and assassination, despite the failure of this particular attempt.

3. Wehrmacht Plots – Henning von Tresckow’s Multiple Attempts

[22:01 – 30:42]

• Background:
  • Major figure: Henning von Tresckow, early and morally driven anti-Nazi officer.
    • "He sees this already in 1933, 34... the scales fall from his eyes and suddenly it's like, Oh my God, what have we done?" — Moorhouse (23:00)
• March 1943 Smolensk Bomb Plot:
  • Tresckow smuggled two British clam charges onto Hitler’s return plane disguised as a brandy bottle—detonators primed.
  • The bomb simply failed to explode; Tresckow’s aide had to retrieve the package before its discovery.
    • "Remarkably, they get away with it." — Moorhouse (26:41)
• Subsequent Attempt, March 1943, Berlin:
  • Colleague Rudolf von Gersdorff volunteered to be a suicide bomber, but Hitler rushed through the armaments exhibit in only five minutes, while fuses required ten.
    • Gersdorff discreetly defused the charges in a toilet, and the bomb components were recycled for later plots.

Memorable Exchange:
"Those are actual physical bombs used three times." — Dan Snow
"And finally exploded with [Stauffenberg]." — Roger Moorhouse (30:32)

4. Operation Valkyrie: The 20 July Plot

[32:12 – 43:17]

• Claus von Stauffenberg:
  • Critically injured, he joined the plot later, but played the pivotal role due to his access to Hitler.
  • Moral vs. Pragmatic Motivation:
    • The plotters were not merely desperate as the war turned; many, like Tresckow and Stauffenberg, were deeply troubled by Nazi atrocities.
      • "They know about the Holocaust. To them... it’s a besmirching of Germany’s name... We have to do this—to show that there was another Germany." — Moorhouse (32:30)
• The Attempt:
  • July 20, 1944, Wolfschanze (Wolf’s Lair):
    • Stauffenberg managed to plant his bomb—ironically half its intended strength, as he only primed one of two charges due to his injuries and stress.
    • The briefcase was moved behind a heavy table leg right before detonation, shielding Hitler from the blast.
      • "He’s saved not only by the bag being moved but also by the oak table." — Moorhouse (40:02)
    • Four officers died, but Hitler survived with minor injuries.
• Aftermath:
  • Initial confusion in Berlin led the wider coup to falter once news spread that Hitler was alive. The key conspirators, including Stauffenberg, were executed that night.
    • "At that moment it's like the spell is broken… and by the end of the evening, he'll be put up against a wall and shot." — Moorhouse (43:17)

Why Didn’t the Allies Kill Hitler?

[43:23 – 45:29]

• The British and Americans drew up plans (notably "Operation Foxley") but did not proceed.
  • Moral aversion to assassination and concerns about setting unwanted precedents.
    • "We're supposed to be the moral ones, right?" — Moorhouse (44:32)
  • In the war’s later years, a pragmatic calculation emerged: Hitler’s strategic meddling was damaging Germany—removing him might actually help the Nazi war effort.

Notable Moments & Quotes

• On Elser’s Motive:
  “He’s a craftsman…He’s a remarkable man… He's strong enough to say, 'I'm not playing along.'” — Moorhouse (03:42–05:27)

• On Tresckow’s Early Realization:
  “In those early days, they’d kind of been seduced by the rhetoric…then when they murder his friend…suddenly it’s like, oh my God, what have we done?” — Moorhouse (23:00)

• On the Polish Plot:
  “It's a brilliant plan and actually, again, could have worked. We don't know why it didn't.” — Moorhouse (18:34)

• On Near Misses:
  “Had Hitler been standing in front of that pillar where the lectern was, he...would have been killed, without question. But the fog...essentially changed history.” — Moorhouse (11:44)

• Stauffenberg’s Bomb Preparation:
  “He makes a point of priming the bomb himself...in his stressed state, he only primed one of them… So the bomb...is half what it should have been.” — Moorhouse (37:46–39:00)

• Why Not Assassinate?
  “There's a moral element there because it sets a precedent...if you're going to do that to your enemy, what's stopping the enemy trying to do that to you?” — Moorhouse (44:00)
  “There’s a hard-headed realization that actually leaving him in place is probably the best idea.” — Moorhouse (44:45)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [03:36] – Georg Elser and Beer Hall bomb plot
• [15:29] – Polish conspiracy in occupied Warsaw
• [22:06] – Henning von Tresckow and March 1943 bomb plot
• [32:12] – Operation Valkyrie and Stauffenberg’s attempt
• [43:23] – Why didn’t the Allies try harder to kill Hitler?

Conclusion

Roger Moorhouse and Dan Snow’s vivid and fact-rich discussion brings to life the ingenuity, courage, and, at times, tragic flaws of Hitler’s would-be assassins. These plots, marked by “weather, wood, and just bad luck,” not only reveal the fragility of history’s path but also illuminate the range of motives—from private vengeance to moral rebellion—behind the resistance. The episode powerfully underscores what it took to resist under tyranny, and how close—on multiple occasions—history came to an alternate outcome.

For more on these plots and their context, check out Roger Moorhouse’s works and follow Dan Snow’s History Hit for further episodes.