Ultimately everything turned on the fact that Hitler was not dead. It was not Himmler, ‘Gestapo’ Müller or the Leibstandarte who put down the revolt, but doubt in the minds of the conspirators. Fromm was the first leader to renege – not that he ever seems to have been fully committed. The sequence and timing of events are uncertain, but shortly before four Olbricht heard from von Haeften that he and von Stauffenberg had landed, and Hitler was undoubtedly dead. In response either to this call or to a call from OKH at about the same time, Olbricht had the pre-prepared announcements and ‘Walküre’
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