The Attempt To Assassinate Adolf Hitler (Part 2 of 2) - Who was he? Dictator of Nazi Germany. When was the attempt made? July 20, 1944. Where did the attempt take place? Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany. Who did it? Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, who was part of a group of anti-Hitler regular army officers. Why? Many regular army officers felt the only way to ensure Germany's future was to get rid of Hitler. What happened? Stauffenberg smuggled a briefcase containing a bomb into a military staff meeting Hitler was attending. The resultant explosion killed four aides but Hitler himself escaped with relatively minor injuries. Stauffenberg, his co-conspirators and up to 200 suspected opponents of the Nazi regime were executed. What was the consequence? Hitler's survival ensured that the war in Europe dragged on until May 1945.