The unknown attempt by the Germans to assassinate Stalin in September 1944

An astir chartless story, the program and the effort to assassinate Stalin by the Germans successful the autumn of 1944, volition inhabit america successful today’s article. Its main protagonist was Pyotr Ivanovich Shilo, who defected to the Nazis in 1942. A fanatical anti-communist, helium was rigorously trained by the Germans to termination Stalin. The program was precise good organized, but it failed due to the fact that it had go known to precocious Soviet circles done their counterintelligence successful Berlin. In Greek bibliography, possibly the lone applicable notation exists successful the nonfiction by Iakovos Chondromatidis, “THE GERMAN ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE STALIN,” successful the mag MILITARY HISTORY, Issue 33, May 1999. Mr. Chondromatidis, a postgraduate successful Military History from the Faculty of Philosophy of Aachen, has besides dealt extensively successful his books with topics concerning the years of the German Occupation successful Greece, Hitler, Rommel, etc.

The defection of Pyotr Ivanovich Shilo to the Nazis

On the nighttime of May 30/31, 1942, connected the Eastern Front, a radical of Russian scouts, led by Second Lieutenant Pyotr Ivanovich Shilo (1909–1952), attempted to interruption done the German lines. They did not succeed, however, arsenic the nighttime was moonlit. Some Russians were killed, others managed to escape, portion Shilo defected to the Germans.

As helium told them, his begetter had been a colonel and landowner successful the years of the Tsar. He was murdered by the Bolsheviks, and Shilo himself, present a 2nd lieutenant successful the Soviet Army, had been seeking an accidental to defect to the Germans and instrumentality revenge connected the Bolsheviks.

Some Soviet secrets that the Nazis did not cognize and which Shilo told them did not afloat person German counterintelligence. They sent Shilo to a campy for Russian prisoners and asked him to place the commissars of the CPSU and Soviet spies determination and denounce them. Indeed, Shilo denounced galore of his compatriots, thing that led to affirmative comments and assessments by his superiors successful the record “Politov” that had been opened for him. Gestapo officers monitoring his advancement described him arsenic “intelligent, highly capable, and stubborn,” possessing each the qualities that would qualify a “ruthless terrorist.”

SS Brigadenführer (Major General) Schellenberg of Department VI of the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA) was informed astir Shilo. He assigned his grooming to Georg Greife, a precise gangly SS non-commissioned serviceman who had grown up successful Russia and spoke flawless Russian. The “Politov” record was supplemented with yet different affirmative report. It seemed that Shilo was the close antheral sought by Schellenberg and Skorzeny, the legendary major, caput of the German commandos who freed Benito Mussolini from the “Campo Imperatore” edifice connected the Gran Sasso plateau (September 1943). The Duce had been deposed by the Grand Fascist Council and placed nether apprehension astatine the edifice connected Gran Sasso. He was replaced by General Pietro Badoglio, who had occupied Albania successful 1939 and was the mastermind of the Italians successful the warfare with Greece, though each the blasted for the debacle fell connected Visconti Prasca…

Shilo’s initiation into Operation “Panzerfaust” (“Anti-tank Fist”) to assassinate Stalin

Gradually, Greife began to uncover to Shilo that helium was destined for a peculiar ngo successful Moscow. This happened astir a twelvemonth aft his defection. Greife knew precisely what Shilo would do, but did not uncover it to him. Shilo himself, however, had realized that helium had nary country for choice. If helium did not undertake the mission, helium knew the Germans would execute him. Shilo did not hatred his compatriots. But helium was incredibly anti-communist. He had aligned himself with General Vlasov (see our related nonfiction connected 12/05/2025). He believed that Russia’s aboriginal would beryllium secured by a bloodless strategy of bourgeois ideology and dynamic fascism. In a study connected Shilo, written respective years later, Greife stated:
“He was much than a volcano. A precise progressive and energetic man. He knew nary compromises and hated cynicism much than thing successful life. Because helium traveled often successful the Soviet Union (i.e., arsenic an serviceman of the Red Army) and mingled with galore people, helium managed to larn the communal connection of criminals. Although somewhat eccentric, helium was mostly a multifaceted person, a pugnacious combatant erstwhile needed, and knew the usage of astir each weapons and explosive devices. I would say, however, that it was not wholly indifferent to him to combat alongside america against his compatriots…”

Shilo’s alteration of individuality – Psychological mentation for Operation “Panzerfaust”

In the outpouring of 1943, the Germans inactive believed successful victory. Greife told Shilo: “The ngo volition bring you glory, honors, and money. We are some warring for the communal cause: the annihilation of Bolshevism. This volition go easier erstwhile Stalin is neutralized.”

Subsequently, Shilo “became” Major Pyotr Ivanovich Tavrin, decorated with the highest distinctions of the Soviet Army: the Orders of Lenin, Alexander Nevsky, and the Red Star. At the aforesaid time, helium received the rubric “Hero of the Soviet Union.” Gradually, grooming moved to the signifier of Shilo’s (or Tavrin’s) intelligence preparation. He was informed that successful Moscow helium would termination a high-ranking official. Perhaps helium himself had understood that it would beryllium Stalin. In September 1943, Greife informed his superiors that Shilo–Tavrin was acceptable to undertake immoderate mission. From that moment, his applicable grooming began nether the guidance of SS Commander of Hauptkommando Nord/Riga, Otto Kraus, astatine the campy located successful the Berlin suburb of Pskov. There, nether the strict supervision of 2 further agents and an SS officer, helium learned each the methods of executing his prospective victims. Shilo proved to beryllium a precise bully student. His instructors noted that helium was “reliable, tough, and precise active.” In December 1943, Greife visited Pskov and was peculiarly pleased with Shilo’s fantabulous performance. Shortly afterward, Shilo joined a precise beauteous compatriot, Lidia Shilova, who worked astatine a textile mill successful the area. Lidia, arsenic we shall see, accompanied her hubby connected the ngo to Russia.

After completing his training, “Tavrin” went, accompanied by Greife, to Potsdamer Strasse 28 to conscionable the legendary Major Skorzeny. Skorzeny was impressed by Shilo. He did, however, suggest to Greife that Shilo beryllium sent to the agents’ schoolhouse successful Oranienburg for a fewer much weeks of training. “Tavrin,” writes I. Chondromatidis, was fiercely ambitious. His instinct resembled that of a hunted carnal and helium devised unimaginable solutions. Incredibly calm, helium could proceed to transportation retired the astir improbable action.

The program to assassinate Stalin

After the failed assassination effort against Hitler connected July 20, 1944, the procedures for Shilo’s cognition were expedited, and people Shilo and Lidia were informed of the details of the program and, supra all, of their “target”: Stalin. Shilo and Lidia would question astatine nighttime heavy into Russia successful an Arado 232 B aircraft. They would disembark with a motorcycle, portion the Arado would instrumentality to Germany. In Moscow, Shilo would assassinate Stalin with a peculiar benignant of weapon, and unneurotic with Lidia they would pass Berlin via radio. Both were supplied with Soviet subject uniforms and forged identities.

They carried clippings from Soviet newspapers, forged documents for the “heroic deeds” of Major Tavrin, portion successful Lidia’s luggage determination were seals and different indispensable documents. In Moscow, different agents of Skorzeny would instrumentality attraction of the couple’s harmless accommodation and supply them with accusation connected the routes and times followed by Stalin erstwhile traveling from the Kremlin to the Headquarters of the Soviet General Staff adjacent the Kirowskaya underground station. Shilo was equipped with a specially constructed limb whose bullets were poisoned. Even a insignificant wounded to Stalin would origin his contiguous death. If Shilo could not onslaught him astatine the presumption entrance, helium would deed Stalin with an “anti-tank fist” that acceptable into the sleeve of his tunic. In this case, “Tavrin” would onslaught Stalin’s armored limousine connected the established way to the General Staff. Finally, Shilo besides had a 3rd weapon: a magnetic excavation operated by distant control. Greife projected that Shilo acquisition country connected his limb owed to an alleged conflict injury. The Russian refused. He did person immoderate stitches for expected injuries to the tummy and near leg. Now, arsenic a elder unit serviceman of the 1st Baltic Army Corps, Shilo was preparing to undertake the astir hard and ambitious ngo of his life.

Operation “Panzerfaust”

Operation “Panzerfaust” was decided to instrumentality spot connected the nighttime of September 4, 1944. It started from the German office Russland/Nord successful Riga, successful past German-occupied Latvia. Three trucks escorted by 2 motorcyclists near the office and aft 40 minutes arrived astatine a tiny subject airfield. There, a immense transport craft awaited them, the Arado 232 B, the latest accomplishment of the German aviation industry. Among different things, its engines were equipped with silencers. It had 10 instrumentality guns and could alert astatine an altitude of 7.5 km, implicit a region of 4,000 km without refueling, successful immoderate upwind conditions, and onshore successful clearings, adjacent successful swampy areas. The aviator was the experienced Second Lieutenant Neumann. Also connected committee were 14 experienced German soldiers. Shilo and Lidia boarded without saying a word. For 1.5 hours, the formation was smooth. Then immoderate anti-aircraft shells exploded down the Arado. It was flying eastbound of Velikiye Luki. With continuous maneuvers, Neumann brought the Arado, aft 3 hours, implicit the predetermined landing area.

While it had descended to 100 meters and the landing lights were on, Neumann was astonished to spot grassy trenches and a dense wood ahead. He did not negociate to rise the aircraft, which crashed into the archetypal trees. A beardown jolt followed and Neumann’s dependable urged those connected committee to disembark quickly, arsenic determination was a information of detonation since the aircraft’s tanks were astir full. Everyone got retired and rapidly took screen successful a antiaircraft trench. No detonation occurred. “Tavrin” told the German escorts to unload the motorcycle they would usage and disappear, due to the fact that if the Soviets captured adjacent 1 German soldier, with the due interrogation methods they would beryllium connected his trail. The Germans unloaded the motorcycle. Shilo and Lidia said goodbye to the Germans and yet managed to orient themselves. They were adjacent the Rzhev–Moscow highway. “Tavrin” reached a velocity of 120 km/h. Lidia sent the archetypal awesome to their basal successful Riga: “Forced landing without losses.”

Meanwhile, dawn had breached and postulation had begun. “Tavrin” preferred tiny broadside roads. This, however, was a mistake. At the exit of the archetypal village, they were stopped by a radical of Red Guards. “Tavrin,” calmly, showed them his papers and continued connected his way. Shortly afterward, they were stopped by a forester. “Today conscionable earlier dawn they pulled america retired of our beds. They told america that determination astir present German spies parachuted successful during the night,” said the forester and approached the motorcycle. Unperturbed, Shilo dismounted and offered a cigaret to his compatriot. As the second reached retired to instrumentality it, Tavrin incapacitated him with punches. With Lidia’s help, they tied him to a histrion successful a adjacent wood and Shilo executed him. By now, however, helium was definite that the Germans who had accompanied him had been captured. He had to scope Moscow arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.

Thirty kilometers earlier the Russian capital, Shilo took the main avenue to get faster. But this was a fatal mistake. Fifteen kilometers earlier Moscow, they ran into a roadblock. A Red Army serviceman asked for their question orders and IDs. A missing stamp connected 1 question bid betrayed them. The serviceman asked them to measurement into a adjacent gathering for immoderate formalities. There, Russian soldiers jumped retired with weapons drawn. Shilo protested the “unprecedented treatment.” But erstwhile the Russians discovered the vigor transmitter connected Lidia, the Soviets were definite this was the antheral they were looking for. The mates understood that the extremity had come…

Who betrayed “Tavrin”?

“Tavrin” and Lidia fell unfortunate to Soviet counterintelligence, which had known since precocious August 1944 astir the “Anti-tank Fist.” Their informant was their antheral successful Berlin, astatine the office of the State Security (RSHA), SS Standartenführer (Colonel) Stirlitz. Stirlitz, with the codification sanction “Judas,” worked for Soviet counterintelligence. He was successful information the Soviet Colonel Maksim Isayev.

What became of the Germans and the Shilo–Lidia couple?

Neumann and the different 14 Germans aboard the Arado wandered for a fewer days. On September 9, 1944, they were captured and executed. Iakovos Chondromatidis states that Shilo and Lidia were besides executed, but provides nary further details. On en.topwar.ru, we recovered that they remained imprisoned until 1952. The Soviets waited to spot if they could usage them against the Germans oregon place different collaborators. Neither happened. It is diagnostic that Walter Schellenberg, caput of the German Secret Services aft 1944, waited for rather immoderate clip for “news of Tavrin.” In a last effort astatine atonement, the highly capable, it seems, Shilo worked for a abbreviated play successful the NKVD, the Soviet Secret Police – Security Service. It is besides disputed whether “Stirlitz” was the antheral who betrayed Shilo and Lidia, arsenic immoderate see him a “fictional” person. It is certain, however, that determination was a Soviet spy successful Berlin who informed Moscow astir the full operation. It is, of course, somewhat unusual that portion the Germans were successful a hard presumption successful precocious summertime 1944, they were dealing with Stalin. Perhaps they believed that with his elimination the communist authorities would collapse. Stalin had galore opponents adjacent wrong the Red Army, and determination would beryllium signs of disintegration. Stalin survived and the remainder is known. Shilo and Lidia were yet executed connected March 29, 1952, arsenic we located successful overseas sources.

Other attempts to assassinate Stalin

In total, determination were 4 attempts to assassinate Stalin. One successful 1931 by Leonid Ogaryov, who was neutralized by a concealed agent; 1 successful 1942 by Savely Dmitriev, a worker who near his portion with a rifle, went to Red Square posing arsenic a defender and changeable astatine the car of Anastas Mikoyan earlier being arrested (Mikoyan was unharmed and Dmitriev was executed); and a third, organized by Skorzeny, during the Tehran Conference (Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt) successful October 1943, which failed, arsenic the archetypal radical of Germans dropped by aerial adjacent the metropolis of Qom, 70 km from Tehran, was eliminated by the Soviets, who had been informed by the spy Kuznetsov. The 3rd effort besides aimed astatine eliminating Roosevelt and Churchill. The fourth, which we discussed, whitethorn person been precise good organized, but the timely accusation provided to the Soviets by their spy led to its failure.

Our main root was the nonfiction by Iakovos Chondromatidis, “THE GERMAN ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE STALIN,” successful the mag MILITARY HISTORY, Issue 33, May 1999. On the internet, if you google Pjotr Silo, Tavrin, you volition find immoderate further information, but not the details provided by Iakovos Chondromatidis.