The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-05-16
Sheer Luck Saved
 Feuhrer July 20
Continued from Page D

1 with both hands when the explo- sion occurred. From the knees down his trousers were burned and torn, and his skin burned slightly His hearing like everybody else's was affected for sometime, espe- cially the left eardrum which never did recover completely.
 Then others came from the building" Buchholz continued Some were slightly wounded, others wounded severely. It was difficult to recognize anybody because every body's face was blackened from smoke and their hair singed a yell Flowish color Some climbed through the windows, and two persons were blasted right through the windows
 "Jodl came running from the building and ordered the guards to give the alarm and barricade all exits from the camp"
 Then the first aid men and Hit ler's personal physician, Professor Morell, arrived" Buchholz went on. "Then stretcher bearers came and carried out five or six wounded and , more doctors and ambulances ar- rived"
 Buchholz said the police made an Investigation and pieced together the story he told me. He said natur- ally he had seen only what hap pened in the map room.
 "Stauffenberg had arranged to be called to the phone by an ac- complice," the stenographer said. The accomplice accompanied him to headquarters and made the call from another building. The switch board operator said that Stauffen- berg, after receiving the call, said I must go to another barracks and left.
 Actually he hurried to the park ing lot, waited for the explosion, and then drove to the airport with his accomplice. He talked his way past the guards with the plea that he was on an urgent mission to Berlin.
 After his arrival in Berlin by special courier plane - which the other conspirators obviously had arranged Stauffenberg immedi- ately went to section of the war ministry and reported that the as- sasSination had been successfully carried out and the revolt could be. | gin.
 Other conspirators, headed by Field Marshal Erwin Won Witzleber who was to be chief of the new gov- ernment, General Erich Hoeppnel and others telephoned Colonel Emi Remer, commander of the Berlin guard. They ordered him to swear allegiance to the new government and take over the government dis trict.
 Remer Suspicious
 But Remer somehow was suspi- cious and instead hurried to Pau Joseph Goebbels for confirmat tion Goebbels immediately telephonec the Fuehrer's headquarters anc talked with Hitler himself. Hitler also talked with Remer to make sure he realized he still was alive.
 "Remer's troops then occupied the government district and tn. war ministry and caught the con. spirators. Some of them were killed while Remer was taking over tn, building and others killed them selves"
 Buckholz said it was definitel, established two or three hours aftel the explosion that Stauffenberg wa. the would-be assassin. It was be. lieved Stauffenberg thought the at. tempt had been successful because he probably did not know tha Brant had switched the briefcase tt the other side of the table horse Also Stauffenberg could not know that the thin-looking wooden bar racks had been reinforced by con. crete walls instead of being con. Therefore much of the pressur, from the blast found release in tn. space between the wooden and con. crete walls instead of being con. fined to the room.
 Police reported that the boml used by Stauffenberg was onl var explosive charge set in a putty-lik. mass with fuse, Buckholz said Originally they thought there nigh have been an internal machine be heath the floor, but the blast wen downward through the floor ant also tore a hole in the ceiling.
 Buchholz said at a later confer ence that day Hitler revealed ht first thought of going through { window, but did not because ht thought maybe the bomb had come through a window and there nigh be somebody waiting outside.
 Hitler was shaken by the at. tempt, especially over the fact sucf things were possible in officers cir. cles," Buchholz said. For some. time there had been rumors about some sort of conspiracy. but the at tempt itself was a complete sur prise.
 Buchholz said Hitler finished his days work according to schedule and met Mussolini at the airport when Il Duce arrived for previous ly scheduled visit.
 He said the casualties from the bombing included the other stenog. rapher present, Heinrich Berger who died the same afternoon Brandt and Gen. Guenther Gorten airforce chief of staff, died the fol lowing day. Hitler's chief adjutant Mai. Gen. Rudolf Schmundt, diec several weeks later. Heusinger wal badly wounded, but he did not die