Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche-Streithorst

Axel von dem Bussche-Streithorst
Axel von dem Bussche-Streithorst
Born	(1919-04-24)24 April 1919 Brunswick, Weimar Germany
Died	26 January 1993(1993-01-26) (aged 73) Bonn, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany German Resistance
Service/branch	Army
Years of service	1937–1945
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Iron Cross Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German Cross
Relations	Anders Lassen (cousin)
Other work	Diplomat, scholar

Axel Ernst-August Clamor Franz Albrecht Erich Leo Freiherr (Baron) von dem Bussche-Streithorst (24 April 1919 – 26 January 1993), usually referred to as Axel von dem Bussche in English, was a German nobleman, professional Army officer, and member of the German Resistance. He planned to assassinate Adolf Hitler in coordination with Count Stauffenberg in November 1943 at the Wolfsschanze.

Born in Brunswick, to his German father and to his Danish mother Jenny Lassen, he joined the German Army in 1937 at the age of 18 as a professional officer and was posted as a junior officer of the elite Infantry Regiment 9 Potsdam (IR 9) to the eastern front in Poland. In 1942 Captain von dem Bussche witnessed by chance an SS-organised of more than 3,000 Jewish civilians carried out by the SD at the old Dubno airport. This experience traumatized him all his life and was enough to turn him decidedly against Hitler. He joined an ad hoc resistance group within Army Group Centre later (Sept.1943) to be led by Count Stauffenberg. After this experience he declared that there were only three ways left to preserve his honor as an officer: to die in battle, to desert, or to rebel against the government that had ordered this and all other massacres. He chose the last alternative justifying his intention to kill Hitler by his legal right to defend others against unlawful, ongoing, criminal attacks.

In November 1943, von dem Bussche, personally encouraged by Count Claus Stauffenberg, undertook to carry out a suicide bombing to kill Hitler. Hitler was due to inspect new Army winter uniforms at his Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, near Rastenburg in Eastern Prussia (today in Poland). Von dem Bussche, over two meters tall, blond and blue eyed, exemplified the looks of Hitler's "Nordic" racial ideal, and was an ideal model for the uniforms. Von dem Bussche equipped a landmine with a fast reacting hand grenade detonator, which he intended to hide in the deeper pockets of his uniform trousers. He planned to detonate this bomb while embracing Hitler, thus killing both Hitler and himself.