10 WWII Heroes: Claus von Stauffenberg 5/10

Historical photos are not mine. They are used for educational purposes. I own all other photographs. You may use all of my photographs, as long as proper credit is given.

This is the fifth in a ten part series about the heroes of World War II. You can view the introduction and table of contents to this series here.

At the beginning of each story I will give a maturity rating from 1-5. 1 means the story is appropriate for younger ages, and 5 means it is appropriate for teens and up. This story is rated 4.

Claus von Stauffenberg

Saying Adolf Hitler was lucky is an understatement. There are 42 known assassination attempts on Hitler's life. These attempts ranged from bombs, firearms, and poison. (You can see a list of the attempts here.) As we know, Hitler survived every single one of them, and committed suicide in his bunker in April 1945. 

Only one of these attempts was even remotely close. This is that story.

Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg grew up a strong Roman Catholic in Germany. Born in 1907 in his family's castle, Stauffenberg was known as a very intelligent child growing up. Joining his family's traditional regiment, he became a cadet at age nineteen.
Stauffenberg lost his left eye, right hand, and two fingers on his left after an Allied attack on April 7, 1943 in North Africa.
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Approved by Hitler, Operation Valkyrie was the plan in case of Allied bombing or uprising. Stauffenberg had altered the plan so Stauffenberg, with other anti-Nazis, would take control of the government and surrender to the Allies. Before the war, everyone in the German military were sworn to oath to Hitler, not Germany. Being said, the only way to break that oath was Hitler's death.

Stauffenberg and Hitler,  July 15 1944

Despite some believing Hitler should be put on trial and not assassinated, early in 1942, Stauffenberg was already planning to assassinate Hitler. In March 1943, a conspiratorial group formed and they planted a bomb on Hitler's plane. Unfortunately, the bomb failed to explode. This group tried another 4 times, and each time, something went wrong. Since there had many assassination attempts in the thirties, Hitler would frequently change his schedule last-minute.
The group agreed they should kill Hitler, Heinrich Himmler (who ran the concentration camps) and Hermann Göring concurrently. Bomb in briefcase, on July 11, 1944 Stauffenberg planned the assassination, however Himmler was not present. On July 15, Stauffenberg had a bomb in hand but Hitler left right before the plan was put into action.

July 20

On July 20, 1944; Stauffenberg was the closest anyone had ever been to assassinating Hitler. At the last minute, the meeting room was moved from inside the underground Wolf's Lair to a nearby barrack. Whether this affected the bombs was discussed in an episode of Mythbusters. (Since the pressure of the bomb would have had no where to go in the underground, concrete Wolf's Lair, Hitler more than likely would have been killed. However, since it was aboveground, the pressure had "somewhere to go". )

After the bomb went off, July 20, 1944

As the conference began, Stauffenberg made an excuse to go the washroom and mangled the end of a pencil detonator to set the bomb off. Although he had planned to set two off, he only had the chance to set one off. Placing the bomb back in his briefcase, Stauffenberg went into the meeting room and carefully placed the briefcase next to Hitler. At a designated time, Stauffenberg received a phone call and quickly left the building. Colonel Heinz Brandt unknowingly moved the briefcase away from Hitler. Brandt lost one of his legs in the explosion and died the following day. Besides Brandt, three others died subsequently, but Hitler was barely touched. Assuming Hitler was dead, Stauffenberg scurried into his staff car, passed three check points, and headed for Berlin.
A general in the plot had phoned the Benderblock (headquarters of the resistance plotters) stating Hitler was not dead. However, Stauffenberg phoned saying Hitler was dead. The Benderblock, of course, had no idea what to believe. The July 20 plot was the last of 15 known attempts on Hitler's life by Germans.

Why the bomb failed
There are a few reasons why the bomb failed. (if you have any questions or want in-depth information, leave a comment and I'll do my best to reply)
1. The move from the underground, concrete Wolf's Lair to the outside opened barrack
2. The briefcase moved right before the bomb
3. Only one bomb, instead of two, was used

Stauffenberg played by Tom Cruise,
Valkyrie, 2008

Sadly, the next day, Stauffenberg was third in line to be executed by firing squad. Before being shot, Stauffenberg's last words were, "Long live sacred Germany!" Stauffenberg's wife, Nina, and their five children survived the war.


Stauffenberg has been featured in many films and documentaries, including a 2008 feature film with Tom Cruise. This film is pretty historically accurate, and I would definitely recommend it for teenagers and up.
The Military Channel's show Unsolved History had a 2005 episode called "Killing Hitler" which went over the three reasons why Hitler survived the bomb.

Valkyrie: The Plot to Kill Hitler (part 1)
Valkyrie trailer (2008)
42 Ways To Kill Hitler

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In memory of Claus von Stauffenberg.
"You did not bear the shame. You resisted, sacrificing your life for freedom, justice, and honor." 
-German Resistance Memorial in Berlin, the end of the 2008 film Valkyrie

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10 WWII Heroes: Helmuth Hübener 4/10

1 Timothy 4:12 NIV

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, and in purity.

Historical photos are not mine. They are used for educational purposes. I own all other photographs. You may use all of my photographs, as long as proper credit is given.

This is the fourth in a ten part series about the heroes of World War II. You can view the introduction and table of contents to this series here.

At the beginning of each story I will give a maturity rating from 1-5. 1 means the story is appropriate for younger ages, and 5 means it is appropriate for teens and up. This story is rated 3 and it's message is best for middle schoolers and up.

Helmuth Hübener

Speaking the truth is not an easy thing, especially since most people don't want to hear it. Our young heroes recognizing the truth amidst the lies and propaganda is praiseworthy in itself. The fact they did the right thing and spoke out when so many wanted to ignore it is both inspiring and incredible.

I greatly hope this article is an encouragement to you.

Helmuth Hübener was born in Hamburg, Germany on January 8 1925. Like his mother and grandparents, Helmuth was a proud LDS (Mormon). Although his step-father was a Nazi and Helmuth willingly joined Hitler Youth after Boy Scouts was banned, Helmuth soon began questioning Nazism after Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. On those two days in November 1938, he was horrified as members of Hitler Youth, along with others, smashed Jewish houses and stores, and synagogues. Soon after, when the Mormon church stated they would not allow Jews to come and worship anymore, Helmuth was livid. He had a Jewish friend who enjoyed worshiping there, and this was something so unlike the Mormon church.

Rudi, Helmuth, Karl

In the spring of 1941, Helmuth's brother Gerhard, a soldier, came home with a broken French radio. Unlike German radios, this radio could pick up the BBC. Since Gerhard was about to be inducted into the army again, he locked the radio in a cabinet in his grandma's house. The night Gerhard left, for the first time, Helmuth began listening to the BBC. At the time, listening to the BBC radio was a crime punishable by execution. The Germans only allowed citizens to listen to three stations - and they were all Nazi propaganda. He soon encouraged his two best friends, Rudolf "Rudi" Wobbe and Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, to begin listening to the radio. The oldest and most outspoken, Karl was expelled from Hitler Youth for "insubordination" after speaking out against a Jewish family's brutal arrest. Rudi regularly skipped Hitler Youth meetings. Helmuth began comparing the Nazi propaganda radio to the BBC and was amazed at the difference. Then an idea came to him - why not share the news with others?

With the help of Rudi and Karl, Helmuth struck the idea of writing leaflets proclaiming the truth about Nazi Germany. Helmuth had access to a church typewriter and began writing notes in short hand. He then used carbon paper to make multiple copies. Complete with an official Nazi stamp to make his post-card sized notes look "Nazi official", the leaflets were left in and on everything from phone booths, bulletin boards, mailboxes, and even hanging coat pockets. After about eight months and overwhelming success, Helmuth wanted to expand his operation.
After telling several young Mormon friends, one reluctantly gave away Helmuth's name to the Gestapo. Helmuth's house was searched, and the hidden radio, typewriter, and pamphlets were found.

February 1942, Gestapo photos of Helmuth 

Helmuth was tortured mercilessly, and he gave away Rudi and Karl's name - but he took full responsibility. In the beginning, they all agreed if one was caught, the captured one would take 100% blame, leaving the other two out of it. Because of the writing in the pamphlets, his general and political knowledge, and his behavior in court, Helmuth was tried as an adult. This was extremely rare. The trial was in August 1942. Karl was given a sentence of five years and Rudi of ten - although both sentences were cut short.

Seventeen year-old Helmuth was sentenced to death and permanent loss of civil rights, which meant he could (and would) be mistreated before his execution. Although he was not told his execution date, Helmuth was allowed to write three letters in prison. He wrote one to his mother, one to his grandparents, and one to a family from church - the latter letter survived. The most notable portion of the letter was Helmuth's bold words: "I know that God lives and He will be the just judge on this matter. I look forward to seeing you in a better world!"
On October 27, 1942 at 8:13 PM, Helmuth Hübener was beheaded. At seventeen years old, he was the youngest person executed by the Volksgerichtshof (People's Court).

Rudi died in 1992 from cancer and Karl died in 2010. Both men wrote memoirs about their resistance work. Helmuth has been featured on numerous documentaries, Internet articles, and books. The most notable is a fictional biography of his life, The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. You can read Focus on the Family's review on it here. The Newbery Honor book Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti also features Helmuth.
Helmuth is my political hero and inspiration and I have learned a lot from him. Although a mere child, he took a political stand that most adults were too scared to take. He did it through words, not guns, and he proved you can make a difference no matter what your age is.

Karl (left) and Rudi (right) - a memorial service for Helmuth
Hamburg, Germany 1985

"German boys! Do you know the country without freedom, the country of terror and tyranny? Yes, you know it well, but are afraid to talk about it. They have intimidated you to such an extent that you don't dare talk for fear of reprisals. Yes you are right; it is Germany - Hitler's Germany!" 

from one of Helmuth's pamphlets

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In memory of Helmuth Hübener, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, Rudolf Wobbe; who changed the world using words, and gave their life fighting for truth and justice. Helmuth Hübener is my political hero and inspiration.  

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10 WWII Heroes: Irena Sendler 3/10

"Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights  and heroic courage. Otherwise, you are making their destiny not brighter, but darker." -C.S. Lewis

Historical photos are not mine. They are used for educational purposes. I own all other photographs. You may use all of my photographs, as long as proper credit is given.

This is the third in a ten part series about the heroes of World War II. You can view the introduction and table of contents to this series here.

At the beginning of each story I will give a maturity rating from 1-5. 1 means the story is appropriate for younger ages, and 5 means it is appropriate for teens and up. This story is rated 1 and can be used with younger children. (See resources below)

Irena Sendler, 1942 (public domain)

The Warsaw Ghetto, opened in 1940, was the largest ghetto during Nazi Germany, holding over 500,000 Polish Jews. During that time, Germans were allowed 2,613 calories, gentile Poles were allowed 700 calories, and Jews were allowed only 184 calories. (Three slices of white bread is approximately 184 calories.) Along with starvation and malnutrition, another issue in the ghetto was lice. In conditions as horrific as the Warsaw Ghetto, typhus, among other diseases, was common. Typhus, spread from lice feces, is one of the worst diseases because it spreads like wildfire. These were the conditions Jews were forced to live in, and many gentiles simply chose to avoid this part of town. But not Irena.

Tall Nazi guards loomed over the heavy-guarded entrance of the Warsaw Ghetto. But a young Catholic social worker, who was not even five feet tall, was not daunted. She was on a mission. Many lives
depended on the success of this mission, and she risked execution and torture. She would quickly stroll into the Warsaw ghetto, take a Jewish baby out, hide her in a tool box, face the Nazi guards and pretend nothing was wrong, and give the baby to a loving Polish-Catholic family. She would do this, and similar actions, 2,500 times within eighteen months. (yes, two thousand five hundred times)

Her name was Irena Sendler. Her inspiration came from her father. Irena's father devoted his post-WWI life to help impecunious Jews suffering from typhus. He died of typhus when Irena was seven, but she remembered he strongly believed in always helping others, regardless of religion and nationality. As soon as the Nazis began persecuting Jews, Irena began forging documents and offering food and shelter to Jews. But for Irena, this wasn't good enough. In fact, this was nothing. When the Warsaw Ghetto opened, Irena had had enough. She had to do more.

With help from 25 other social workers, Irena did her official job in the Warsaw Ghetto, looking for sick and contagious Jews, as well as look for Jewish children to get out. What first began with rescuing orphans living on the ghetto streets turned into asking random Jewish parents to give up their children.

Imagine having to give up your children to a stranger of another religion - not knowing if you would ever see them again. Imagine the thought of your child being converted, of getting caught without you being there to comfort them. There was no guarantee these Jewish children would make it out of the ghetto, never mind survive the war.

There were two main ways out of the ghetto and into Warsaw that Irena smuggled out the children - an old courthouse and a church. Older children, who could memorize Catholic prayers, were smuggled through the church. Younger children and babies were hidden in sacks, tool boxes, or under a potato

Irena Sendler

cart and smuggled through the old courthouse. Sometimes she was able to legally get a severely ill child out with an ambulance. Other times she used the ambulance to get healthy children out. If a hidden baby cried near the Ghetto wall, Irena trained her dog to bark and drown out the baby's cries. The dog's barking would hit a chain reaction and the Nazis would let Irena pass due to the chaos. Because many of the children were under false names, Irena wrote each child's identity and other information on slips of paper and kept them in a jar, which she buried under an apple tree. After the war, she planned on retrieving the slips and reuniting the children with their parents. Sadly, nearly all of the children's parents had died in the concentration camp Treblinka. Nearly 800,000 Jews lost their lives at Treblinka.

On October 20, 1943; Irena was arrested at her home. For several days, she was tortured mercilessly before being sentenced to death. Members of the resistance who she worked with bribed guards to let her go. Irena Sendler and the 2,500 children she rescued survived the war.

After the war, Irena was nominated, and won, several awards. In 2003 she received Poland's highest honor, the Order of the White Eagle. In October 1965, she was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Israel's official Holocaust memorial, Yad VaShem. (Righteous Among the Nations was a title given to gentiles who rescued Jews during the Holocaust). She was nominated for the Noble Peace Prize in 2007, but lost to Al Gore. Although not many people are happy about this, Irena Sendler would have insisted she had better things to worry about.
Irena claims to have done nothing doing the war. "Heroes do extraordinary things. What I did was not an extraordinary thing. It was normal." she says.
Sadly, Irena Sendler died May 12, 2008, at the age of 98. May the memory of Irena and the children she saved always be a reminder of what one person can do.

Anna Paquin in The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler

Irena smuggling out her friend Carolina.

In 2009, her story was told in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler. You can view this film on YouTube here. (If you don't like it in parts, it has been uploaded multiple times as a whole.) Even better, you can buy it here. This would make a great film for middle schoolers and up. There is violence, but it's not graphic and mostly offscreen. There is no profanity, but there is one scene when Irena and her future husband kiss (somewhat passionately) in a closet (think: The Princess Diaries 2), but nothing explicit happens.

Two picture books have featured Irena's story; both I would recommend for younger children.
The first one is Irena Sendler and the Warsaw Ghetto by Susan Goldman Rubin. The second one is Irena's Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan.
If I had to pick one though, Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto has better pictures. Both are appropriate for kindergarten and up, and the Holocaust is dealt with appropriately in both. To see the nearest library that has these books, click here.

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In memory of Irena Sendler, all of the social workers who helped her, and the twenty-five hundred Jewish children and their families - may their valor and sacrifice never be forgotten.

If you enjoyed this post, please comment and share this post! It means a lot. 

Thank you so much!