Philipp von Boeselager and his friends tried to change the tide of history: They tried to blow up Adolf Hitler with a bomb on July 20, 1944. On Sunday, 60 years after the event, 85-year-old Boeselager was awarded with the prestigious cross of the French Legion of Honor in Paris for his effort to change the face of history. Army officer Boeselager was only 25 when he was asked to join a secret team of officers who planned to kill the dictator – and who were ready to sacrifice their own lives. The attempt failed, most of his co-conspirators were executed, but Boeselager escaped detection. He returned to the front after the failed attack but carried cyanide on him every single day until the war ended, convinced the Nazis would eventually find out about his involvement. In postwar Germany, the July 20 attack has become a famous symbol for German resistance to the Nazi regime, discussed in school lessons and honored in museums.