Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg (1934) Colonel Claus Graf
Schenk von Stauffenberg (1907-1944) was central to the planning
and execution of the July 20th plot, the most wide-ranging
conspiracy against the Nazi regime. Like many other military
men, he had initially approved the Nazis' nationalistic and
militaristic goals. But Hitler's criminal and increasingly
incompetent approach to conducting the war led Stauffenberg to
turn away from the Nazi regime. After being seriously wounded in
fighting North Africa in April 1943, Stauffenberg held a series
of posts in the Wehrmacht administration and used these
positions to forge contacts with various military and civilian
resistance groups, including the Kreisau Circle. Over time,
Stauffenberg became increasingly convinced that he would have to
help destroy the Nazi regime in order to save Germany from an
impending military catastrophe. Together with other high-ranking
officers, he reworked the Replacement Army’s operational plan
for suppressing domestic unrest and