Munich: The Edge Of War - The Real 1938 Plot To Kill Hitler Explained
Warning! SPOILERS for Munich: The Edge of War
Netflix's Munich: The Edge of War explores the Munich Conference, where leaders from several European countries met to discuss Hitler's plans to annex Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. During this conference, there were plans put in place by high-ranking German officials who were opposed to the Nazi regime to either arrest or assassinate Hitler and seize control of the government - had a deal not been struck in order to restore peace. While the plan never came to fruition, its historical relevance was immortalized in Munich: The Edge of War.
Known as the Oster Conspiracy, a small group of men were secretly sequestered around the conference and intended to overthrow Hitler's SS bodyguard, portrayed in the movie by August Diehl (who portrayed a Nazi in Inglourious Basterds), to prevent war. This plan was developed by General Hans Oster along with several other high-ranking conservatives who opposed the regime. Although shown in the movie as a smaller plan amongst a few individuals, the plan itself was actually developed by nearly a dozen high-ranking government and military officials. The theory behind it was that a war of this nature would ruin Germany and, therefore, by stopping Hitler, the Nazi Party would be neutralized and the invasion of Czechoslovakia - and the impending war - would be avoided.
However, during the conferences, Adolf Hitler (Ulrich Matthes) and Neville Chamberlin (the often villainous, Jeremy Irons) came to an agreement, thereby preventing war at the time and leading Germans to follow Hitler while believing he was furthering the German cause without any need for war. Given the position of Hitler and the Nazi regime at the time, the plan was not seen as a viable plan after the Munich Conference. Of course, history shows that this appeasement of Hitler ultimately led to war, as well as many other attempts on Hitler's life.
Munich: The Edge of War tackles this plan throughout and engages with many of the concepts behind the Oster Conspiracy, despite the two lead characters, Hugh Legat (George MacKay) and Paul von Hartman (Jannis Niewöhner) being works of fiction. While the real workings of the Oster Conspiracy play a role in the film, the thrilling ending of Munich: The Edge of War, wherein Hugh moves von Hartman to try dissuading Chamberlin from making a deal with Hitler, is purely fictional as well. Overall, the story chronicles two real-life events, though it blends them in a totally fictionalized way to craft the best story.
Ultimately, the film is a fresh look at a time in history that is often overlooked and does a good job of creating intrigue for an audience. With that said, both the novel's writer, Robert Harris, and Ben Power, who adapted the story to film, took many creative liberties with the true story underlying Munich: The Edge of War. Utilizing the Oster Conspiracy within the story added the great detail of the first known attempt on Hitler's life while bringing awareness to brave individuals who risked their lives to counter the rising Nazi party of the time.