On Thursday 28th January we were honoured to welcome Dr Percy Smend via Zoom to discuss his grandfather’s role in the attempt to assassinate Hitler in July 1944.

Dr Smend’s talk was incredibly moving as he detailed the great risk his grandfather took to resist the Nazis regime. On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, inside his Wolf’s Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia.

While the plot ultimately failed to kill Hitler, it nonetheless became a celebrated episode of German resistance during World War II. Dr Smend spoke about his grandparents’ tremendous courage in the face of a hatred regime and left us some thought -provoking questions about standing up to injustice and discrimination. A memorable and poignant talk which we are grateful for.