Nazi Germany twice used Werwolf (as the mythical creature's name is spelled in German). In 1942-43 it was the codename for one of Hitler's headquarters (Werwolf (Wehrmacht HQ)). In the war's final days it was the name of "Operation Werwolf" aimed at creating a commando force which would operate behind enemy lines as the Allies advanced through Germany itself.
Two fictional depictions of "Operation Werwolf"—the US television series True Blood and the 2012 novel Wolf Hunter, by J.L. Benét—mix the two meanings of "Werwolf" by depicting the 1945 diehard Nazi commandos as being actual werewolves.
Führerhauptquartier Werwolf was the codename used for one of Adolf Hitler's World War II Eastern Front military headquarters located in a pine forest about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of Vinnitsa (now Vinnytsia) in Ukraine that was used between 1942 and 1943. It was one of a number of Führer Headquarters throughout Europe, and the most easterly ever used by Hitler in person.
The name is derived from Werwolf, which is German for werewolf. The naming scheme is in accord with other code-names given to Führerhauptquartiere during the Second World War, such as Wolfsschanze. Several were named for Hitler himself, whose nickname was Wolf, an old German form of Adolf...OP+
Attempts at Army Group Centre
Hitler flew to Werwolf, his "field headquarters" near Vinnitsa in Ukraine, on 19 February 1943, staying until 13 March. He decided that before returning to Germany, he would also visit AGC headquarters near Smolensk that same day. He would meet with Kluge, and dine in the officers' mess before departing. This was the first opportunity for his assassination by Tresckow's group.
Major von Boeselager had formed a cavalry "honor guard" unit secretly packed with anti-Nazi officers. With this force he could intercept Hitler in the forest between the airfield and the HQ area, overwhelm Hitler's SS escort in a fair fight, and kill the Führer. This option was rejected because even the plotters disliked the prospect of German soldiers fighting each other, and because the attack could fail if the escort was stronger than expected.
The plotters could shoot Hitler during dinner in the mess. This option was abandoned as many of the plotters abhorred the idea of shooting an unarmed man and would not go along.
A timebomb could be smuggled on Hitler's plane. This was the plan ultimately attempted.
The bomb was adapted from a British Plastic-C silent timebomb, which had been seized by the Abwehr from captured SOE agents.
The pencil detonator consisted of a thin copper tube containing copper chloride that would take about ten minutes to silently eat through wire holding back the spring-loaded firing pin from the percussion cap. This mechanism provided a time delay for detonation, without any telltale ticking of a clockwork mechanism or smell from a burning fuse.
The bomb was disguised as a box supposedly containing two bottles of cognac. Tresckow was acquainted with Lieutenant Colonel Heinz Brandt, an officer on Hitler's staff, who traveled on Hitler's plane. Tresckow asked Brandt to take the parcel with him to Germany for delivery to Tresckow's friend General Helmuth Stieff. (Stieff was anti-Nazi, but not then part of the conspiracy.) Tresckow said the liquor was the payoff for a bet he had lost to Stieff.
Tresckow's aide, Schlabrendorff, carried the parcel to the airfield. As Hitler and his entourage prepared to board his plane (a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor), Schlabrendorff secretly activated the detonator with a pair of pliers, then re-closed the parcel and handed it to Brandt as he boarded the plane.
The bomb was expected to explode about 30 minutes later, with the plane near Minsk, close enough to the front for the plane's loss to be attributed to Soviet fighters.
When the crash and Hitler's death were reported, General Olbricht would use the Replacement Army to seize control in Berlin, Vienna, and Munich, and in the centers of the Wehrkreis (the German military supply system). It was an ambitious but credible plan, and might have worked if Hitler had indeed been killed, although persuading Army units to fight and overcome possible fierce resistance from the SS could have been a major obstacle.
But, as with Elser’s bomb in 1939 and all other attempts, luck favoured Hitler, which he attributed to Vorsehung ("Providence"). The British-made detonator had been tested many times and was considered reliable. It operated correctly, but the bomb did not explode. The percussion cap apparently became too cold as the parcel was carried in the unheated cargo hold.
Displaying great sangfroid, Schlabrendorff took the next plane to retrieve the package from Lt. Colonel Brandt before the bomb was discovered or eventually detonated late. The explosives were later used by Gersdorff and Stauffenberg...OP+
