Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche-Streithorst
Encyclopedia
Axel Freiherr 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 tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler
in coordination with Count Stauffenberg in November 1943 at the Wolfsschanze
.
, 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 massacre 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.
, 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 then in Eastern Prussia (today in Poland), and Bussche, over two meters tall, blond and blue eyed, and thus corresponding to the looks of Hitler's ideal of a perfect "germanic" German, planned to model the uniforms. Anticipating the proximity to Hitler which his role involved, 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 whilst embracing Hitler, thus killing both Hitler and himself. The plan failed when on 16 November 1943 an Allied
air raid on Berlin
destroyed the railway truck with the new uniforms on the day before the planned assassination
attempt. Bussche returned on the 18th of November 1943 to his unit at the eastern front in Russia. He had spent three terrible nights at the Führerhauptquartier.
Captain von dem Bussche volunteered to repeat the attempt in February 1944, when new uniforms would be at hand.
In January 1944 however, von dem Bussche was seriously wounded in Russia and lost one of his legs. On February 11, 1944 another young officer, Ewald Heinrich von Kleist instigated by Count Stauffenberg tried to assassinate Hitler in a similar way as von dem Bussche had been planning. However Hitler repeatedly cancelled and postponed the event that would have allowed Kleist to approach him.
By then, von dem Bussche had spent many months in the Waffen-SS hospital in Lychen
and, as a result, he wasn't involved at all in Stauffenberg's July 20th 1944 plot
to kill Hitler. Bussche's role in the earlier assassination plots was not suspected, and he was not betrayed by any of the officers who knew of his involvement. Consequently, he was one of the extremely few Army plotters to survive the Second World War.
University and later became a diplomat, serving from 1954 to 1958 in the German embassy in Washington. Then he was headmaster of the Kurt Hahn
boarding school "Schule Schloss Salem
" located near the lake of Constance in Southern-Germany. In 1968, he was admitted to the Swiss commandery of the Order of Saint John as an Ehrenritter ("Knight of Honor").
In addition, he was also a member of the presidency of the Evangelical Church in Germany
, an adviser to the World Bank
, and a delegate to the Stockholm
UN environment conference of 1972.
In 1950, he married Lady Mildred Camilla Nichola Acheson, eldest daughter of the 5th Earl of Gosford
and Mildred Carter (of Virginia), who before had been married to Baron Hans Christoph Schenk von Stauffenberg
. Von dem Bussche had two daughters with Lady Camilla, (Mrs.) Nicola Dietzsch-Doertenbach and Baroness Jane von dem Bussche.
Axel von dem Bussche was a godfather to Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands
. He was a friend and distant relative of Prince Claus of the Netherlands.
Axel von dem Bussche was first cousin of the Danish Victoria Cross
recipient Anders Lassen
, who fought with the British against the Germans. Anders Lassen was killed in action in 1945 in Italy.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
nobleman, professional Army officer and member of the German Resistance
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
. He tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
in coordination with Count Stauffenberg in November 1943 at the Wolfsschanze
Wolfsschanze
Wolf's Lair is the standard English name for Wolfsschanze, Adolf Hitler's first World War II Eastern Front military headquarters, one of several Führerhauptquartier or FHQs located in various parts of Europe...
.
Army career
Born in BraunschweigBraunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, to his German father and to his Danish mother Jenny Lassen, he joined the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
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
Infantry Regiment 9 Potsdam
Infantry Regiment 9 of Potsdam was an infantry regiment in Weimar Republic's Reichswehr and Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht, descended from famed 1st Prussian Regiment of Foot Guards in German Empire's Deutsches Reichsheer....
(IR 9) to the eastern front in Poland. In 1942 Captain von dem Bussche witnessed by chance an SS-organised massacre of more than 3,000 Jewish civilians carried out by the SD
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
at the old Dubno
Dubno
Dubno is a city located on the Ikva River in the Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Dubno Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
airport. This experience traumatized him all his life and was enough to turn him decidedly against Hitler. He joined an ad hoc
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
resistance group within Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre was the name of two distinct German strategic army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union...
later (Sept.1943) to be led by Count Stauffenberg
Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg commonly referred to as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer and Catholic aristocrat who was one of the leading members of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from...
. 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.
Resistance
In November 1943 von dem Bussche, personally motivated by Count Claus StauffenbergClaus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg commonly referred to as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer and Catholic aristocrat who was one of the leading members of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from...
, undertook to carry out a suicide bombing to kill Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. Hitler was due to inspect new Army winter uniforms at his Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze
Wolfsschanze
Wolf's Lair is the standard English name for Wolfsschanze, Adolf Hitler's first World War II Eastern Front military headquarters, one of several Führerhauptquartier or FHQs located in various parts of Europe...
near Rastenburg then in Eastern Prussia (today in Poland), and Bussche, over two meters tall, blond and blue eyed, and thus corresponding to the looks of Hitler's ideal of a perfect "germanic" German, planned to model the uniforms. Anticipating the proximity to Hitler which his role involved, Bussche equipped a landmine with a fast reacting hand grenade detonator
Detonator
A detonator is a device used to trigger an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the latter two being the most common....
, which he intended to hide in the deeper pockets of his uniform trousers. He planned to detonate this bomb whilst embracing Hitler, thus killing both Hitler and himself. The plan failed when on 16 November 1943 an Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
air raid on Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
destroyed the railway truck with the new uniforms on the day before the planned assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
attempt. Bussche returned on the 18th of November 1943 to his unit at the eastern front in Russia. He had spent three terrible nights at the Führerhauptquartier.
Captain von dem Bussche volunteered to repeat the attempt in February 1944, when new uniforms would be at hand.
In January 1944 however, von dem Bussche was seriously wounded in Russia and lost one of his legs. On February 11, 1944 another young officer, Ewald Heinrich von Kleist instigated by Count Stauffenberg tried to assassinate Hitler in a similar way as von dem Bussche had been planning. However Hitler repeatedly cancelled and postponed the event that would have allowed Kleist to approach him.
By then, von dem Bussche had spent many months in the Waffen-SS hospital in Lychen
Lychen
Lychen is a town in the Uckermark district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 24 km southeast of Neustrelitz, and 12 km east of Fürstenberg/Havel. This is the town where the thumbtack was created....
and, as a result, he wasn't involved at all in Stauffenberg's July 20th 1944 plot
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
to kill Hitler. Bussche's role in the earlier assassination plots was not suspected, and he was not betrayed by any of the officers who knew of his involvement. Consequently, he was one of the extremely few Army plotters to survive the Second World War.
After the war
After the war, Baron Axel von dem Bussche studied law at GöttingenGöttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
University and later became a diplomat, serving from 1954 to 1958 in the German embassy in Washington. Then he was headmaster of the Kurt Hahn
Kurt Hahn
Kurt Martin Hahn was a German educator whose philosophies are considered internationally influential.-Biography:...
boarding school "Schule Schloss Salem
Schule Schloss Salem
Schule Schloss Salem is a boarding school with campuses in Hohenfels, Salem and Überlingen in Baden-Württemberg, Southern Germany. It is considered one of the most elite schools in Europe.It offers the German Abitur, as well as the International Baccalaureate...
" located near the lake of Constance in Southern-Germany. In 1968, he was admitted to the Swiss commandery of the Order of Saint John as an Ehrenritter ("Knight of Honor").
In addition, he was also a member of the presidency of the Evangelical Church in Germany
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
, an adviser to the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, and a delegate to the Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
UN environment conference of 1972.
In 1950, he married Lady Mildred Camilla Nichola Acheson, eldest daughter of the 5th Earl of Gosford
Archibald Acheson, 5th Earl of Gosford
Archibald Charles Montagu Brabazon Acheson, 5th Earl of Gosford , styled Viscount Acheson until 1922, was a British peer....
and Mildred Carter (of Virginia), who before had been married to Baron Hans Christoph Schenk von Stauffenberg
Stauffenberg
The Schenken von Stauffenberg are an aristocratic Roman Catholic family from Swabia in Germany, whose best-known member was Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg – the key figure in the 1944 "20 July plot" to assassinate Adolf Hitler....
. Von dem Bussche had two daughters with Lady Camilla, (Mrs.) Nicola Dietzsch-Doertenbach and Baroness Jane von dem Bussche.
Axel von dem Bussche was a godfather to Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands
Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands
Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands is the third and youngest son of Queen Beatrix and the late Prince Claus of the Netherlands. His godparents are King Constantine II of Greece, Prince Aschwin zu Lippe-Biesterfeld, Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche-Streithorst, Max Kohnstamm, and Mrs. C...
. He was a friend and distant relative of Prince Claus of the Netherlands.
Axel von dem Bussche was first cousin of the Danish Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
recipient Anders Lassen
Anders Lassen
Anders Frederik Emil Victor Schau Lassen VC, MC & Two Bars was a Danish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-History:Anders Lassen was the son of Emil Victor Schau...
, who fought with the British against the Germans. Anders Lassen was killed in action in 1945 in Italy.