Meet Johann Georg Elser, the man who missed killing Hitler by 13min in 1939

Johann Georg Elser came very close to assassinating Adolf Hitler in the early days of World War Two, but he missed his target by 13 minutes.

On 8 November 1939, Hitler was making his annual speech at a Munich beer hall, where the incident took place, News.com.au reported.

However, neither Hitler nor the Nazi top brass and loyal audience realized that, a few feet away from where the Fuehrer was standing, a bomb was about to go off .

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Hitler began this speech at the same time every year, but on this occasion, heavy fog closed Munich's airport meaning Hitler needed to catch a train back to Berlin early, where he was to consult with his military advisers eager.

Thirteen minutes later, the bomb exploded, causing eight deaths and massive damage. The ceiling collapsed just above where Hitler had been standing.

Elser was arrested trying to cross the border into Switzerland. According to the Spiegel, he was carrying incriminating evidence, notes on how to make explosives and a postcard of the beer hall, among other things. Eventually, Elser had to confess.