Henning Von Tresckow - Quotes

Quotes

• "The assassination must be attempted at all costs. Even if it should not succeed, an attempt to seize power in Berlin must be made. What matters now is no longer the practical purpose of the coup, but to prove to the world and for the records of history that the men of the resistance dared to take the decisive step. Compared to this objective, nothing else is of consequence." (1944)
• "Remember this moment. If we don't convince the field marshal (Fedor von Bock) to fly to Hitler at once and have these orders (Commissar Order) canceled, the German people will be burdened with a guilt the world will not forget in a hundred years. This guilt will fall not only on Hitler, Himmler, Göring, and their comrades but on you and me, your wife and mine, your children and mine, that woman crossing the street, and those children over there playing ball." (1941)
• "Isn't it dreadful? Here we are, two officers of the German General Staff, discussing how best to murder our commander in chief. It must be done. This is our only chance... Hitler must be cut down like a rabid dog." (1943)
• "I cannot understand how people can still call themselves Christians and not be furious adversaries of Hitler's regime." (April 1943)
• "It is almost certain that we will fail. But how will future history judge the German people if not even a handful of men had the courage to put an end to that criminal?" (June 1944)
• "The idea of freedom can never be disassociated from real Prussia. The real Prussian spirit means a synthesis between restraint and freedom, between voluntary subordination and conscientious leadership, between pride in oneself and consideration for others, between rigor and compassion. Unless a balance is kept between these qualities, the Prussian spirit is in danger of degenerating into soulless routine and narrow-minded dogmatism." (1943, at his son's confirmation at Potsdam Garrison Church)
• "I would like to show the German people a film entitled 'Germany at the end of the war.' Then perhaps people would be alarmed and would realize where we are heading. People would agree with me that the superior warlord (Hitler) must disappear. But since we cannot show this movie, people will bring up the 'stab in the back' legend whenever we act against Hitler." (December 1941)
• "Every day, we are assassinating nearly 16,000 additional victims."
• "Hitler is a dancing dervish. He must be shot down." (1938)
• "Bans are laws for the stupid." (1942)
• "The Allies must be stupid if they don't see that the German military is stronger without Hitler than with him." (Alternate translation: "The Allies are not stupid; they see that the German military is stronger without Hitler than with him.")