Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff ( 27 March 1905 – 27 January 1980 ) was an officer in the German Army . He attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler by suicide bombing on 21 March 1943 ; the plan failed when Hitler left early , but Gersdorff was undetected . That same month , soldiers from his unit discovered the mass graves of the Soviet-perpetrated Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff