Countdown to Valkyrie: The July Plot to Assassinate Hitler Hardcover – March 9, 2009

A masterful work on the final plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Nigel Jones’ writing is as informative as it is engaging. I’m grateful to have stumbled upon it.

This is a book about more than a group of heroes. It’s about integrity, standing up when others fall into line, and risking their lives for honor and good.

I really enjoyed this book. I saw the Tom Cruise move "Valkyrie" a while back and while it was interesting, I found it hard to understand who most of the major players were. This book is very good about identifying everyone, reminding us who is who, making it a lot easier to understand the whole story.Also, this book gives us a lot about the motivations of the people involved. Reading about how people vacillated, it's amazing that the plotters came as close as they did. It's hard for us to understand what it would have been like living in Germany at that time, but this book gives a good picture.Contrary to its title, the book has a long section on the aftermath of the plot, and good background information on previous plots. It has small bios on each of the major people involved.One downside to the Kindle version of this book is that it appears to have been OCR'ed. Some of the formatting is a little off, as if there were pictures at those points in the text, and there are obvious OCR errors scattered about as if some of the proofreading was lacking. This is relatively minor though in comparison to the massive amount of information conveyed, but the print version is probably preferable to the Kindle version.

Of the many books on the attempt to assassinate Hitler Countdown to Valkyrie is undoubtedly one of the best. This thorough work traces the many attempts on Hitler's life through Valkyrie II. With much detail Jones examines the characters involved and their reasons for wanting Hitler's death. The plots, the mistakes and the outcomes of each of the assassination attempts show that many German military officers were eager to try and save their country from destruction. Of note are the several instances of how Christian beliefs that may have influenced assassination plotters in their quest to remove Hitler. Many individuals in the book have a short biography provided, at the end, with mention of their trials and subsequent verdicts. Some characters have a description of their life after the war. Bibliography, with some annotations, included at the end.This book should be included as reading for anyone wishing to have a good knowledge of the plots to assassinate A. Hitler.

Having put off reading this book until now I misjudged how well it is written. It not only details the life of Claus Von Stauffenberg, it capsulizes the events that led up to the last attempt on Hitler's life. It tells of the Chamberlin fiasco and the earlier attempts on eliminating Hitler. A very well written book that any one interested in WWII history would like to read.

This is even better than the book I read twenty-five years ago called Hitler Must Die! Nigel Jones has given a valuably descriptive narrative to the most suspenseful and honor-bound conspiracy of World War Two with his wonderfully detailed history of the men who plotted to kill the most hated and feared man in history, chief among them the plot's greatest hero and martyr Colonel Count Claus von Stauffenburg. The Count was the only man brave enough to physically end Hitler's life, but was himself executed that very evening in Berlin after the failure of the assassination attempt at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia. This is an ideal companion to the Tom Cruise film Valkyrie, and will hold the reader on tenterhooks until its bittersweet end. A fitting tribute to those somewhat long-forgotten but legendary, heroic officers, nobility, and German gentlemen.

The book is heavy on biographical details of von Staffenburg, but that is a good thing. If you've seen the movie you'll recall how Goerdler thought he (Staffenburg) would use more "honorable means" in dealing with Hitler and his henchmen. But in actually getting to know him, you get to understand why his own personal honor was at stake, not just Germany's. And that brutal people sometimes need to be dealt with brutally.

Very informative and well researched book on the several attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Describes in detail the hatred and resentment within the German Military Hierarchy to the brutal methods endorsed by Hitler and the Nazis towards the Jews, Gypsies,homosexuals, and the mentally illbanished to the many concentration camps. It is amazing how many times he escaped death by pure luck. Some 15 attempts were made on his life and they all failed. This book is a very good read and gives you a great insight into the forces at work within the Third Reich.

Far outclasse's the film in every way.The main participants are clearly described and the events leading up to Hitler'srise and early successe's set down so that one can more easily understand why he was so popular at first.The weakness of Britain and France in letting him get away with his agression,eventually ended in a terrible war.Once Hitler was established he then siezed further power and it became almost impossible to remove him.An abjectlesson on what an absolute ruler can do.The realisation that only drastic measures can save the day and something must be done before Germany is destroyed make up the rest of the story.The book describes several earlier plots as well as Valkyrie and I found it Absorbing and at times mind bogglingto think that such things could happen in the modern age.

The writing of this tale is excellent. One feels as if you are actually there. The details on occasions are sickening but important that they are recorded for posterity. Man's inhumanity never ceases not to exceed my expectations.

Well written and informative. Covers the rise of Hitler, the various plots to assassinate him, the Valkyrie Plot and the aftermath. Highly readable, and plenty of photos of the various people involved. Really enjoyed this.

Although I have read much of the Valkyrie Plot I thoroughly enjoyed (if one can enjoy an account of the sacrifices of those willing to make a stand against one of the most horrific regimes in history) this well researched and well paced historical account from the pre-war attempts to assassinate Hitler right through to the end of the war and beyond. It was one of those books I found difficult to put down and extremely moving.

A moving history of which I knew little. The afterword is very important. Politicians need to learn history to protect us all.