During the existence of the
Third Reich, forty two of Adolf Hitlers officially registered
assassination attempts were committed. Most of them failed for
different reasons at the last moment, and only three or four of the
most famous assassination attempts deserve attention.
What
was the reason for the low efficiency of the conspirators? In our
efforts to answer this question, historians often begin to talk about
the diabolical luck of the Führer. And, sometimes, about the complex
multi-echelon security system developed by Hitler’s Chief of Safety,
Hans Rattenhuber.
The very same Fuhrer, however, wrote: «I am
aware of why ninety percent of the historical attempts were
unsuccessful. The only preventive measures that should be taken should
have the same similarities of every day life, such as walking,
traveling and moving around. All of this should take place at its
normal pace and with the same spontaneity as every day life.
Gerhrad
Meyer will face the enormous power of the Führer’s security in the
second chapter of the game, and that is the time when he would try to
lay the explosives directly on the Fuhrers plane.
For his
flight travel Hitler always used the heavy four machine-type «Condor»
company «Fokke-Wolf». The personal pilot of the Fuhrer was
Lieutenant-General Hans Bauer, the commander of a special aviation wing,
serving all of the top brass of the Third Reich. The cruising speed
of the «Condor» amounted to 340 kilometers per hour, and the duration
of the flight was four hours. The crew never flew above 4.5 thousand
meters because at that altitude Hitler would become sick.
To
defend itself, the «Condor» was armed with two heavy 150 mm machine
guns, one in the back in the plane’s tail, and another one under the
fuselage. During the flight to the front line, Hitler’s plane was
accompanied by an escort of fighters ranging from 6 to 10 vehicles,
manned by the best of Germany’s aces.
The same airplane had a
special device that high-ranking passengers could open in an emergency
by pressing a special button. A passanger chair was attached to the
parachute, which opened automatically a few seconds after the start of
the free fall began. The device, and especially the parachute, were
continuously subjected to special technical inspection. But the Fuhrer,
fortunately for him, never was in a position to take advantage of this …
Personal aircraft of Führer Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor. (www.edcoatescollection.com)
Gruppenfurer SS, Lieutenant General Hans Bauer with his personal signature. (www.leisuregalleries.com/ lluftwaffe.html)
Observers will notice immediately that the burning body of the airplane, depicted in the screenshot, is not the FW 200 Condor, but the Ju-52, known as “Auntie U” in the Wehrmacht.
What
happened? Could it be that Mayer bombed the wrong plane? Or did Hitler
at the last moment change his «Condor» and move to one of the Junkers?
The crash of the aircraft in general is not at the will of the hero
game, but was it the result of the fatal combination of circumstances?
We’ll keep this little intrigue unsolved for now.
What’s going on around the crashed Junkers? We will only say that the picture shows one of the key scenes in the game.
We used this photo of Ju-52 when creating the scene of the crashed airplane. (www.germanmilitia.com)
However,
the «Aviatic» theme in the game did not end with the Junkers alone. In
one of the hangars at the airport, you can see the famous Messerschmitt
Bf-109, the same airplane that was piloted by the Luftwaffe ace Erich
Hartmann who was shot down by a 303 Soviet fighter, 30 shturmovikov
IL-2, 15 medium bombers and 3 Communication aircrafts, according to
official data.
Should we treat these figures seriously?
Hardly. In those days reyhsministr Goebbels used and abused the facts
for the sake of ideological propaganda and maintaining morale. It was
ok to make false statements. On the other hand, Adolf Hitlers assassin,
too, at first glance, seems an unfeasible endevour. So – who knows …
Hangar at the airport. In depth lone technician is working on an aircraft.
The game "A Stroke of Fate" will be published in English in Q4 2008.
Game page at Akella.com, Game Gallery