Stauffenberg; A Family History, 1905-1944.pdf

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The three Stauffenberg brothers, Berthold, Alexander and Claus, were

inseparable both emotionally and intellectually. Their view of human exist-

ence was rooted in their south German aristocratic background, in classical

antiquity, and in Christian culture, as well as in the nineteenth and twentieth

centuries. Pindar, Dante, Hölderlin and Stefan George were their principal

literary heroes; Alexander, Caesar, Frederick II, Napoleon and Gneisenau

were their models in generalship and statesmanship.

This 'family biography' describes the brothers' youth and formative years,

their association with the circle of the poet Stefan George, and their pro-

fessional and political development. Their professions and their political and

military environments led them to take fundamental positions on the military

ethos and on their government's and Hitler's tyranny.

The military career of Claus, Count Stauffenberg and his fight to over-

throw Hitler, culminating in the attempted assassination and coup of 20 July

1944, provide the focus for the book. It is based on the most comprehensive

collection of sources yet used, including family papers, correspondence, and

information from numerous contemporaries, with a unique collection of

illustrative material.

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Stauffenberg