of serving Hitler in 1938, when much of the high command was remodelled and several high-ranking and distinguished officers were forced to resign. The independence of the Army was shattered and Hitler proceeded to implement an aggressive foreign policy aimed at subduing Europe. Beck resigned from the Army and began to make plans for removing the Nazis from power. His efforts continued up until the failure of the July 20 assassination attempt, after which he committed suicide.
The other central figure in the resistance was Carl Goerdeler, a former mayor of Leipzig and the principal civilian conspirator throughout the war. Beck and Goerdeler united their efforts early on before the war and formed a group which plotted, then aborted, a coup in the fall of 1938. Goerdeler became the most well-known of Hitler's opponents; consequently, he was forced to maintain a low profile throughout the war. He was unable to actively support the subsequent attempts, but provided an example for active participants.
The major attempts at a coup occurred in November of 1939, March of 1943, and July of 1944. The 1939 coup attempt was the product of a rather remarkable group of conspirators who worked in the Abwehr, the military intelligence branch of the armed forces. They were led by none other than the heads of the Abwehr, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris and General Hans Oster. As the members of this group, in conjunction with Beck, saw a major offensive in the west being planned, they decided to oust Hitler and the Nazis sometime in the Fall or Winter of 1939-40. They abandoned their plans, however, when it became apparent that information concerning the coup had leaked out. The March 1943 attempt very nearly succeeded, as a bomb was placed undetected on Hitler's personal aircraft; the device failed to explode, however. This attempt was staged by officers serving with Army Group Center on the Eastern Front, who were horrified at the way the war...