What if you could have prevented World War II?

A despicable madman

He knew how to manipulate millions to fulfill his mad lust for power. His master plan was to exterminate the Jews, subjugate any race that was not blond and blue-eyed - and to dominate the world.

There were at least 18 attempts to assassinate him. The first was in 1939. The last was in 1945 when a young American soldier named Ira "Teen" Palm led a raid with the mission of eliminating him once and for all.

Imagine the terror that could have been prevented if just one of those 18 attempts had succeeded.

What if it had been you holding a pistol with Hitler in the crosshairs? What if you could just have arrested him – and held him for trial? What if you could have prevented World War II?

A mass murderer

On April 20, 1939, Germany’s Nazi Party celebrated Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday with an orgy of gift-giving and a display of military firepower unparalleled in the history of the world.

For four hours, the dictator stood before a gilded chair upholstered in red, reviewing thousands of soldiers and weapons parading down Berlin's Avenue of Splendor -- amidst the cheers of tens of thousands of enthralled onlookers. Fighter planes thundered overhead. Tanks rumbled past.

Nearby, in the German Chancellery, tables groaned under the weight of gifts: marble statues, a collection of letters of Frederick the Great, tapestries, antiques, paintings … original scores of Hitler’s favorite composer, Richard Wagner.

But behind the scenes ...

Many feared for their beloved Germany. Johann Georg Elser bitterly resented the Nazi Party's stranglehold on his homeland and Hitler’s vicious restrictions on religious freedoms.

Elser planted a time bomb behind the podium where the German leader was to give a speech on Wednesday, November 8, 1939. For reasons unknown, Hitler cut short his address and left. Eight minutes later the bomb exploded, killing eight people and wounding 65.

Elser spent most of World War II in concentration camps, then was executed on April 9, 1945, two weeks before the war ended.

A street in Bremen is named in his honor. Memorials in Berlin and in his hometown, Koenigsbronn, cite his foresight.

_{PHOTO: Johann Georg Elser}

Allies asked to help

For many long and difficult weeks, Ira "Teen" Palm, a member of Company B of the 179th Infantry Regiment in the 45th Division, slogged and fought his way across France and into the heart of Germany. As they approached Munich, Palm and his men were assisted by Gerngross’ German soldiers who were revolting in a desperate attempt to prevent the total annihilation of the city -- either by the rapidly approaching Allied forces or the by the demolitions planned by retreating German soldiers.

The demented Hitler was refusing to surrender – instead willing to see Germany destroyed. Children as young as 12 were drafted into the German army – and encouraged by Hitler to fight to the death.

Tracking down history's mysteries

Woodbridge and Possley went on to write a book on what they discovered. After the war, Palm gave the pistol to his pastor, Charles Woodbridge – John’s father.

Why?

Perhaps Palm just didn’t want something so evil, which he technically had stolen, to remain in his possession.

Then it was stolen in 1947 from the pastor’s home. It surfaced in 1950 in Kansas, then disappeared until 1966, sold by a gun dealer in Cleveland.

Today, the pistol is in private hands of a collector who wishes to remain anonymous.

_{PHOTO: Hitler in the Crosshairs: A GI’s Story of Courage and Faith by John Woodbridge and Maurice Possley (Grand Rapids: Zondervan 2011)}