Home of the GraphicHack©

So I recently had the opportunity to see the movie Valkyrie with a good friend of mine, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also came away it with a new found respect for members of the German army, circa World War II. If you have not seen the movie, or are not familiar with the July 20th assassination plot of Aldolf Hitler, I highly recommend that you see it when you can get the chance. Among many things, it helps to provide a fresh view of the situation, and dispel many predetermined ideas that we have associated with the German people as a whole during that time period. While there were indeed many deplorable actions sanctioned during WWII, most of these were carried out by members of the SS, Nazi soldiers, and others Germans who were seduced by Hitler's anti-Jewish sentiment and propaganda. As it stood, the original penned documents for Operation Valkyrie were created for the Führer as a backup plan to keep order in Germany, should something happen to him. With reguards to the original authors of the Declaration of Independence, the key members of the German resistance were basically signing their death warrants, by agreeing to their parts in a plot that twisted Operation Valkyrie against the very man who signed it. These men not only stood in opposition to the icon of the Third Reich, but did so in an attempt to show the world that he did not speak for the entire country. I also found it quite interesting that the five men directly responsible for their parts in the attempt, are still the only members of the German army to be honored within the city of Berlin. While Valkyrie may not be the groundbreaking achievement that Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan was (both directed by Steven Spielberg) in either cinematography or storytelling, it is still and an excellent portrayal of a critical moment in history that could have easily gone either way.