The Ploetzensee Memorial Centre's booklet on the plight of German resisters to the totalitarian claims and system of the National Socialist regime of Adolf Hitler continues to its climax with the account of the attempt to assassinate Hitler in his headquarters. The translation is mine (Harry Oussoren)

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The 20th of July 1944
All attempts to remove Hitler through assassination attempts failed - often just because of insignificant coincidences before or during the attempt. Finally on July 20, 1944, the bomb planted by Colonel Count Stauffenberg in the conference barracks of the Fuehrer HQ exploded.

But Hitler was only lightly wounded. The news reached Berlin late so that the conspirators in the Bendler Street were delayed from printing the previously prepared detailed telegraphic message containing the "Valkyre" commands for the mobilisation of the homeland army. Only in Paris were committed officers successful in the coup, while otherwise the counter-commands of the Fuehrer HQ rendered the resistance measures inoperative.

After desperate efforts to stop the course of the failed attempt, the following officers were shot to death in the Bendler building's courtyard during the same night between 12:15 and 12:30 a.m.:
Colonel Claus Count Schenk von Stauffenberg, General Friedrich Olbricht, Colonel Albrecht Sir Mertz von Quirnheim, Senior Lieutenant Werner von Haeften. Commanding General Beck died by his own hand.

Hitler ordered ruthless punishment of all participants and others aware of the plot. Soldiers were expelled from the armed forces and along with civilians delivered into the hands of Freisler's people's court.

On Hitler's direct orders, death sentences were carried out by hanging, some even by strangulation, a particularly agonizing and lone drawn out means of execution. About 180 to 200 people from the July 20th circle were executed - of which 89 in the Ploetzensee prison. Others [like Dietrich Bonhoeffer] were convicted during the last weeks of the war by improvised summary courts or,, with little due process summarily shot by the Gestapol

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For Christians, the attempt to remove Hitler by assassination raises many ethical issues. Dietrich Bonhoeffer and numerous other Christians in Germany aware of the evil and terror of Hitler's Nazi agenda and practices decided that the sin of murder was - if not justified - then certainly required to remove Germany and its conquered lands from its evil and deadly powers. But they also realized that following such a course of "illegal" action might well result in the full weight of the law being brought down upon them - which is what happened. As persons of faith, they would also be aware of the simple command "You shall not kill." Killing another - destroying the image of God in the other - breaches the divine law. And living with the tension of divine law and the horror of evil governance authority is not resolved lightly.

On July 21, 1944 in his prison cell, Bonhoeffer was grateful that the scripture readings prescribed for the 20th and 21st of July were the following:

"They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright." (Psalm 20:8) and
"What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?" (Romans 8:31)

"The Lord's my shepherd, I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1) and
"The religious authorities gathered around Jesus and said to him, 'How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messian, tell us plainly.'" (John 10:24)

Bonhoeffer's "Letters and Papers from Prison" reveal a man fully trusting in God's faithfulness even in the midst of terrible conditions and much suffering. He testified that God was in the midst of and shared in the suffering which the Nazi evil had triggered and carried out on countless others, including their own compatriots. And so he chose to resist knowing that it might cost him his life.

On Sunday, April 8th 1945, Bonhoeffer led a little service with prisoner-companions drawn from all over Europe and diverse persuasions being led by the Gestapo into southern Germany away from the conquering Allies. Having just finished the service, two Gestapo officers came for Bonhoeffer. Next day he was hanged in Flossenbuerg in the little village of Schoenberg in Bavaria. As he was led away he whispered to his co-prisoner Payne Best: "This is the end. For me the beginning of life." The cost of discipleship - or companionship/friendship with Jesus - can be real and high even for those seeking to be faithful and just!