Editing Georg Elser (section)

===Hitler's escape===
The high-ranking Nazis who accompanied Adolf Hitler to the anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch on 8 November 1939 were [[Joseph Goebbels]], [[Reinhard Heydrich]], [[Rudolf Hess]], [[Robert Ley]], [[Alfred Rosenberg]], [[Julius Streicher]], [[August Frank]], [[Hermann Esser]] and [[Heinrich Himmler]]. Hitler was welcomed to the platform by [[Christian Weber (SS general)|Christian Weber]].<ref name="Hellmut G 2013">{{cite book|author=Hellmut G. Haasis|translator=William Odom|title=Bombing Hitler: The Story of the Man Who Almost Assassinated the Fuhrer|date=January 2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=azJMqqh18mkC|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated|isbn=978-1-62087-954-2}}{{page needed|date=November 2020}}</ref>{{page needed|date=November 2020}}

Unknown to Elser, Hitler had initially cancelled his speech at the Bürgerbräukeller to devote his attention to planning the imminent war with France, but changed his mind and attended after all. As fog was forecast, possibly preventing him from flying back to [[Berlin]] the next morning, Hitler decided to return to Berlin the same night by his private train. With the departure from Munich's main station set for 9:30&nbsp;p.m., the start time of the reunion was brought forward half an hour to 8&nbsp;p.m. and Hitler cut his speech from the planned two hours to a one-hour duration.<ref name="Hellmut G 2013"/>

Hitler ended his address to the 3000-strong audience of the party faithful at 9:07&nbsp;p.m., 13 minutes before Elser's bomb exploded at 9:20&nbsp;p.m. By that time, Hitler and his entourage had left the Bürgerbräukeller. The bomb brought down part of the ceiling and roof and caused the gallery and an external wall to collapse, leaving a mountain of rubble. Hitler did not learn of the attempt on his life until later that night on a stop in [[Nuremberg]]. When told of the bombing by Goebbels, Hitler responded, "A man has to be lucky" ("Glück muss der Mensch haben"). After returning from Munich to inspect the scene of the bombing, Hitler claimed to have experienced a "premonition" and on the train ride back, Hitler told his constituents, "Now I am completely at peace! My leaving the Bürgerbräu[keller] earlier than usual is proof to me that Providence wants me to reach my goal." ("Jetzt bin ich völlig ruhig! Dass ich den Bürgerbräu früher als sonst verlassen habe, ist mir eine Bestätigung, dass die Vorsehung mich mein Ziel erreichen lassen will.")<ref name=":2" />