Bombing Hitler Read Online Free

already been made, largely as a result of his isolation. In the fall of 1938, Elser had indeed made a short trip to Konstanz in order to determine whether the border crossing he intended to use was still unmanned, as he had recalled it being in 1930. And it is possible that he in fact found this stretch of border unguarded; for in 1938, war had not yet broken out—the situation had even eased somewhat since Czechoslovakia had been abandoned by England. Now, however, Germany was in the third month of war, and war might break out any day on the Western Front. Elser did not consider soliciting Commu-nists with experience to help with the escape—he wanted absolutely no one else to be involved in the assassination. Besides, he didn’t belong to the Party nor was he some official in danger who needed to be taken along secret routes by couriers across the green border.
    From the harbor in Konstanz, Elser now took the most direct path to the border, almost like a sleepwalker: Konzil, straight ahead across the Marktstätte, left onto Rosgartenstrasse, past the Dreifaltigkeits-kirche, across Bodanplatz to Hüetlinstrasse, and across Kreuzlinger Strasse to the small border street, Schwedenschanze. His destination was the big park at the Wessenbergheim. There the border was marked by a fence approximately two meters high and topped by two rows of barbed wire. It didn’t occur to Elser to first determine the location of the border patrol and the route taken during patrols. To the left of the spot where the Elser memorial plaque stands today, he passed through an unlocked gate, walked down the left side of the house, and quickly approached the border fence.
    What happened next is not in doubt, as many have maintained. Most reliable are the reports of the border-patrol officers, who stopped Elser twenty-five meters from the border fence. Xaver Rieger and Waldemar Zipperer began their patrol at 8:00 p.m., walking from the Kreuzlinger customs office to the Wessenberggarten along the Schwedenschanze. Five weeks later, when it was clear what a catch they had made, Rieger wrote:
    We entered the property at 8:05 p.m. Our position was chosen so that we could keep the entire stretch of border in our section under surveillance. . . . Between 8:40 and 8:45, a figure stepped out from behind the building and, after quickly surveying the area, made for the border, moving stealthily, yet very rapidly. The distance between me and the figure was about fifteen to twenty meters. When I saw the figure, I immediately ran quickly and cautiously toward the man, while simultaneously readying my carbine. When I was confident that I would be heard, I shouted at him “Hello, where are you going?” . . . In accordance with the guidelines regarding such a scenario, I considered it best not to make the man suspicious by telling him that he was under arrest. Since in response to my shout the man claimed to be looking for an acquaintance by the name of Feuchtelhuber, with the Konstanz Traditional Dress Club, of which he had been a member some years ago, I let him think that I wanted to be of assistance to him. . . . I therefore told him that I wanted to take him to a man who was more familiar with Konstanz and would surely know the acquaintance in question. Should, however, this man not know the acquaintance, then he would have to work it out on his own. . . . I hereby managed to gain his trust, and he came along willingly. I instructed adjutant border guard Zipperer to remain at his post and to maintain a sharp lookout, since I suspected that there were other individuals behind Elser who would also attempt to cross the border illegally. I had this suspicion because earlier we had observed a man in a light-colored coat on the Swiss side of the border doing something at the fence and walking back and forth in a conspicuous manner. As I was escorting Elser, I watched carefully to be sure that he did not discard any objects. Before being taken