[Straight Vermonter]

The plotters tried to save Germany from conquest and occupation (especially by the Red Army). They were naive, didn't know that anything short of "unconditional surrender" was already off the table as far as the Allies were concerned.

It's hard to imagine that an offer of surrender would not have been seriously considered. The Soviets, of course, could ignore public opinion but the western powers would have had to sell a continuing war to the public.

In July 1944 the US/UK forces were still in Normandy and the Soviets were just capturing Minsk. I have to think we would have only kept fighting to keep the Soviets as far from western Europe as possible.

[Philo-Junius]

Roosevelt and Churchill would have demanded evacuation of Czechoslovakia and Poland, for instance. As in World War I, the Germans would have been unable to accept an initial peace without completely losing their ability to resume hostilities if, for instance, the Soviets found the Germans to be in violation of its terms.

The conspirators were operating on the deluded hope of desperation.

[wolf78]

In July 1944 the US/UK forces were still in Normandy and the Soviets were just capturing Minsk. I have to think we would have only kept fighting to keep the Soviets as far from western Europe as possible.

The idea was to surrender to the western powers and let them march through Germany and stop the Russians from actually taking over half of Europe. You know, France and the UK declared war over the invasion of Poland, the same Poland that Russia also invaded - and for the most part kept afterwards, BTW.