On March 21, 1943, German resistance fighter Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff came closer than most to assassinating Adolf Hitler. Armed with explosives hidden in his coat, he intended to sacrifice himself to eliminate the Führer. However, with his uncanny ability to thwart even the most carefully laid plans, the unpredictable Hitler escaped the attempt.

The setting for this assassination attempt was the Zeughaus, Berlin’s historic army museum. Hitler and other top Nazi officials, including Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler, Wilhelm Keitel, and Karl Dönitz, were scheduled to inspect captured Soviet weapons. This was a time when the war was turning against Germany, and the Nazi regime was facing increasing resistance from within. Gersdorff, a high-ranking officer, was chosen to lead the tour​. Knowing this was his best chance, Gersdorff volunteered for a suicide mission. He hid two ten-minute delayed-fuse bombs in his coat pockets, and the plan was for them to detonate when he hugged Hitler. The plan was simple: once Hitler arrived, he would ignite the fuses and ensure the dictator died with him.

Gersdorff’s plan relied on Hitler staying in the museum long enough for the bombs to go off. But, as always, Hitler was unpredictable. Instead of taking his time inspecting the exhibits, he rushed through the tour in under ten minutes—leaving before the bombs could detonate​. Realizing the attempt had failed, Gersdorff quickly ran to the bathroom and defused the bombs just in time. If he had been caught, he would have faced certain execution. Despite his brush with death, Gersdorff avoided suspicion. The failed attempt did not deter the resistance, and he continued his anti-Nazi activities. However, it would take another 16 months before another serious plot—the July 20, 1944, bomb attempt by Claus von Stauffenberg—came close to killing Hitler​.

The March 21 plot was another example of how Hitler narrowly escaped death several times. It also highlighted the courage of the German resistance, who risked everything to stop one of history’s most notorious dictators.