Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
A German aristocrat and legal mind who helped devise the Valkyrie plot to kill Hitler, paying the ultimate price for his moral courage.
1905–1944 (age 39)·German aristocrat and lawyer·Birthday: March 15·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Berthold von Stauffenberg moved in the rarefied world of Berlin's intellectual elite, a respected international lawyer with a sharp, analytical mind. Unlike his soldier brother Claus, Berthold's battlefield was the realm of ideas and law. Appalled by the criminal nature of the Nazi regime, he became a central conspirator in the resistance circle within the German military intelligence. His home in Berlin became a secret planning hub. Berthold's legal expertise was crucial in drafting the political framework for a post-Hitler Germany, while his calm demeanor provided ballast to the plot. After the failed July 20th bomb attempt, his connection was quickly uncovered. At his trial before the infamous Volksgerichtshof, he stood with defiant dignity, and was executed at Plötzensee Prison, a thinker who dared to act.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Berthold was born in 1905, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Berthold Was Born
The biggest hits of 1905
Berthold's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1905Born
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Started school
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1918Became a teenager
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1921Could drive
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1923Could vote
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1926Turned 21
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1935Turned 30
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1944Died at 39
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
Key Achievements
- Was a key legal and strategic planner in the July 20, 1944, plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
- Helped draft the constitutional plans for a new German government intended to follow Hitler's removal.
- Used his position as a naval staff judge and international lawyer to provide cover and connections for the resistance.
Did You Know?
He was a twin; his brother, Alexander, was also executed for his role in the resistance.
Before his arrest, he worked as an advisor at the German Institute for Defence and International Law.
He and his brothers Claus and Alexander were descendants of a famous line of Prussian military officers.
He was hanged with a thin rope, a method of execution specified by Hitler for the conspirators.
“We must act, not just for Germany, but for basic human decency.”
