"On 10 September 1943, a loose group of well-connected friends met in a small apartment in the Charlottenberg area of Berlin. The host was Elisabeth von Thadden and the nominal reason for the get-together was her younger sister's 50th birthday. Really, though, this was a cover story for nine influential people meeting to discuss what should happen now that it was clear that Hitler was losing the war."
"Otto Kiep, a former diplomat, talked hopefully about how Mussolini's recent toppling meant that Italy was ready to make peace with the allies, while political hostess Hanna Solf gleefully anticipated the moment when Hitler fell: We'll put him against a wall. Meanwhile, Von Thadden herself, a devout Protestant and former headteacher of an elite girls' school, warned of the humanitarian crisis that would follow the end of hostilities."
On 10 September 1943 nine well-connected Germans met in a Charlottenberg apartment under the pretense of a birthday to plan for a post-Hitler future. Elisabeth von Thadden hosted the gathering and warned of the humanitarian crisis that would follow the end of hostilities. Otto Kiep argued that Mussolini's fall made Italian peace with the allies likely. Hanna Solf anticipated Hitler's downfall and urged retribution. Many attendees came from military families humiliated by World War I and the treaty of Versailles and had initially supported the national socialists for restoration and stability. Growing awareness of Nazi racial atrocities turned that support into resistance.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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