See Also

Heinrich Himmler

Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel Schutzstaffel

The Schutzstaffel , abbreviated ... 

and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, refers to Germany in the years 1933 to 1945, when it was governe... 

. As Reichsfhrer-SS he controlled the SS and the Gestapo Gestapo

The Gestapo was the official secret police [i] of Nazi Germany [i]. ... 

. Himmler became a leading organizer of the Holocaust The Holocaust

The Holocaust, also known as Ha-Shoah and the Porajmos [i] or Samudaripen in Romani [i] ... 

. As founder and officer-in-charge of the Nazi concentration camps Nazi concentration camps

Prior to and during World War II [i] Nazi Germany [i] maintained concentration camp [i]s throughout the ... 

 and the Einsatzgruppen Einsatzgruppen

Einsatzgruppen were paramilitary [i] groups operated by the SS [i] before and during World War II [i]. ... 

death squads, Himmler held final command responsibility for implementing the industrial-scale extermination of between 6 and 12 million people. This was aimed particularly at Jews Jew

Jews are followers of Judaism [i] or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno [i] ... 

, but also against those of many other nationalities, races and conditions considered by him to be suitable for killing, or Sonderbehandlung as gas chamber Gas chamber

A gas chamber is a means of execution [i] where a poison [i]ous gas [i] is introduced into a hermetically sealed [i] ... 

 murder was euphemistically known within the SS.

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Timeline

1900   Born

1934   All the police forces in Germany come under command of Heinrich Himmler

1943   Porajmos Porajmos

The Porajmos literally Devouring, or Samudaripen is a term coined by the Roma [i] ... 

: German Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country [i] in central Europe [i]. ... 

 SS Schutzstaffel

The Schutzstaffel , abbreviated ... 

 leader Heinrich Himmler orders that Gypsies Roma people

The Roma People , sometimes "Romany Folk" in the British Isles, often referred to as Gypsies , are... 

 and "part-Gypsies" were to be put "on the same level as Jew Jew

Jews are followers of Judaism [i] or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno [i] ... 

s and placed in concentration camp Internment

"Internment" is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without due process... 

s."

1945   Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Nazi Nazism

National Socialism, commonly shortened to Nazism or Naziism, originated as a fascist [i] mo ... 

 Gestapo Gestapo

The Gestapo was the official secret police [i] of Nazi Germany [i]. ... 

, commits suicide in British custody.

1945   Died


Quotations

I still lack to a considerable degree that naturally superior kind of manner that I would dearly like to possess.

Diary entry (November 1921) , Quoted in Derek Raymond, The Hidden Files (1992)

My honor is my loyalty.

Formulated as the watchword of the S.S. Nazi elite, Translated by Hannah Arendt in The Origins of Totalitarianism, ch. 10 (1951)

       More Quotes >>


Encyclopedia

Heinrich Himmler

BirthOctober 7 1900 3:30 p.m.
DeathMay 23 1945 11:14 p.m.
PartyNational Socialist German Workers Party National Socialist German Workers Party

The National Socialist German Workers Party , generally known in English [i] as the ... 

Political positions
  • Reichsführer-SS Reichsführer-SS

    ... 

     
    in the NSDAP
  • Reichs- und Preussischer Minister des Innern of Germany
  • Chef der Deutschen Polizei
  • Chef der Heeresrüstung und Befehlshaber des Ersatzheeres of Germany
  • Reichskommissar für die Festigung des Deutschen Volkstums in the NSDAP
  • Verein "Lebensborn Lebensborn

    Lebensborn was a child welfare [i] and relocation program initiated by Nazi [i] leader Heinrich Himmler [i] ... 

     e.V."
    of the NSDAP
  • Verein "Das Ahnenerbe Ahnenerbe

    The Nazi [i] Deutsches Ahnenerbe Studiengesellschaft fr Geistesurgeschichte was founded by Heinrich Himmler [i] ... 

     Forschungs-und Lehrgemeinschaft"
    of the NSDAP
  • Beauftragter der NSDAP für alle Volkstumsfragen
  • Generalbevollmächtigter für die Verwaltung of Germany


Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel Schutzstaffel

The Schutzstaffel , abbreviated
... 

and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, refers to Germany in the years 1933 to 1945, when it was governe... 

. As Reichsführer-SS Reichsführer-SS

... 

 he controlled the SS and the Gestapo Gestapo

The Gestapo was the official secret police [i] of Nazi Germany [i]. ... 

.

Himmler became a leading organizer of the Holocaust The Holocaust

The Holocaust, also known as Ha-Shoah and the Porajmos [i] or Samudaripen in Romani [i] ... 

. As founder and officer-in-charge of the Nazi concentration camps Nazi concentration camps

Prior to and during World War II [i] Nazi Germany [i] maintained concentration camp [i]s throughout the ... 

 and the Einsatzgruppen Einsatzgruppen

Einsatzgruppen were paramilitary [i] groups operated by the SS [i] before and during World War II [i]. ... 

death squads, Himmler held final command responsibility for implementing the industrial-scale extermination of between 6 and 12 million people. This was aimed particularly at Jews Jew

Jews are followers of Judaism [i] or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno [i]... 

, but also against those of many other nationalities, races and conditions considered by him to be suitable for killing, or Sonderbehandlung as gas chamber Gas chamber

A gas chamber is a means of execution [i] where a poison [i]ous gas [i] is introduced into a hermetically sealed [i] ... 

 murder was euphemistically known within the SS.

Early life

Born near Munich Munich

colspan="2" bgcolor="BBDDFF" | Munich
... 

, Bavaria Bavaria

The Free State [i] of Bavaria  , with an area of 70,553 km and 12.4 million inhab... 

, Germany Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country [i] in central Europe [i]. ... 

, into a middle-class Middle class

The middle class, in colloquial usage, consists of those people who have a degree of economic independen... 

 family, he was the son of Gebhardt Himmler, a schoolmaster, and his wife Anna Heyder as the middle of three brothers; the eldest Gebhardt Jr. , the youngest Ernst After leaving Landshut Landshut

Landshut is a city in Bavaria [i], Germany [i], the capital of the Niederbayern [i] region. ... 

 High School in 1918, Himmler was appointed an Officer Cadet Officer Cadet

Officer Cadet is a rank [i] held by military cadet [i]s during their training to become commissioned officer [i] ... 

 and joined the 11th Bavarian Regiment for service in World War I World War I

World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and "The War to End All War... 

. Shortly before he was due for commissioning as an officer the war ended, and he was discharged from the military without seeing combat.
The following year, Himmler began studying agronomy at the Technische Hochschule in Munich. During his time as a student, he became active in the Freikorps , private armies of ex-German Army men resentful of Germany's loss of the First World War. Himmler joined the Reichkriegsflagge and, in 1923, applied to join the Nazi Party National Socialist German Workers Party

The National Socialist German Workers Party , generally known in English [i] as the ... 

, which were recruiting Freikorps members as potential members of the new Nazi stormtrooper units known as the Sturmabteilung Sturmabteilung

The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary [i] organization [i] of the NSDAP [i] – the German [i] ... 

. He took part in the ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch in November 1923.

Rise in the SS


Himmler joined the SS in 1925 and by 1927 had been appointed as Deputy Reichsführer-SS Reichsführer-SS

... 

; a role he began to take very seriously. Upon the resignation of SS Commander Erhard Heiden, Himmler was appointed as the new Reichsführer-SS Reichsführer-SS

... 

 in January 1929. At the time Himmler was appointed to lead the SS, it numbered only 280 members and was considered a mere battalion Battalion

A battalion is a military unit [i] usually consisting of between two and six companies [i] and ... 

 of the much larger SA Sturmabteilung

The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary [i] organization [i] of the NSDAP [i] – the German [i] ... 

. Himmler himself was considered only an SA-Oberführer, but after 1929 he simply referred to himself as the "Reichsführer-SS".

By 1933, when the Nazi Party rose to power in Germany, Himmler's SS numbered 52,000 members, and the organization had developed strict membership requirements ensuring all members were of Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was Chancellor of Germany [i] from 1933, and Fhrer [i] of Germany [i] from 1934 until h ... 

's "Aryan Aryan

Aryan is an English language [i] word derived from the Iranian [i] and Sanskrit [i] t... 

 Herrenvolk" . Now a Gruppenführer Gruppenführer

Gruppenfhrer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party [i], first created in 1925 [i] as a se ... 

in the SA, Himmler, along with his deputy Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Heydrich

Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was an SS-Obergruppenfhrer [i], chief of the Reich Security Main Office [i]... 

 next began a massive effort to separate the SS from SA control; he introduced black SS uniform SS uniform

[i] uniform was one of the uniforms that was worn during [[Nazi Germany]... 

s to replace the SA brown shirts in the fall of 1933. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to SS-Obergruppenführer Obergruppenführer

Obergruppenfhrer was a Nazi Party [i] paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 [i] as a rank of the SA [i] ... 

 und Reichsführer-SS
and became an equal to the senior SA commanders, who by this time loathed the SS and the power it held.

Himmler and another of Hitler's right-hand men, Hermann Göring Hermann Göring

Hermann Wilhelm Gring was a German [i] politician [i] and military [i] leader, a leading membe ... 

, agreed that the SA and its leader Ernst Röhm Ernst Röhm

Ernst Julius Rhm, also known as Ernst Roehm in English [i] was a German [i] ... 

 were beginning to pose a real threat to the German Army and the Nazi leadership of Germany. Röhm had strong socialist Socialism

Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic [i]... 

 views and believed that, although Hitler had successfully gained power in Germany, the "real" revolution Revolution

A revolution is a drastic change that usually occurs relatively quickly.... 

 had not yet begun, leaving some Nazi leaders believing Röhm was intent on using the SA to administer a coup Coup d'état

A coup d'tat , or simply coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government [i] through unconstitutiona ... 

.

With some persuasion from Himmler and Göring, Hitler began to feel threatened by this prospect and agreed that Röhm had to die. He delegated the task of Röhm's demise to Himmler and Göring who, along with Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Heydrich

Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was an SS-Obergruppenfhrer [i], chief of the Reich Security Main Office [i]... 

, Kurt Daluege Kurt Daluege

Kurt Daluege was a Nazi [i] officer who served in the SS [i] from the early 1920s [i] until 1945. ... 

 and Walter Schellenberg Walter Schellenberg

Walter Friedrich Schellenberg was a German [i] Nazi [i] who rose through the SS [i] ... 

, ordered the execution Capital punishment

Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution [i] of a convicted criminal by the ... 

 of Röhm and numerous other senior SA officials, as well as some of Hitlers personal enemies on June 301934, in what became known as "The Night of the Long Knives Night of the Long Knives

The Night of the Long Knives , also known as Reichsmordwoche, "Operation Hummingbird" or "the Blood... 

". The next day, Himmler's title of Reichsführer-SS became a rank to which he was appointed and the SS became an independent organization of the Nazi Party.

Consolidation of power

In 1936 Himmler gained further authority as all of Germany's uniformed law enforcement Police

Police forces are government organizations [i] charged with the responsibility of maintaining law [i] and ... 

 agencies were amalgamated into the new Ordnungspolizei Ordnungspolizei

The Ordnungspolizei was the name for the regular German police force that existed in Nazi Germany [i] be ... 

, whose main office became a headquarters branch of the SS as Himmler was accorded the title Chief of the German police. Himmler however was never able to gain operational control over the uniformed police. The actual powers granted him with the appointment were those previously exercised in police matters by the ministry of the interior, and not even all of those. It was only in 1943 when Himmler was appointed minister of the interior that the transfer of ministerial power was complete. Germany's political police forces came under Himmler's authority in 1934 which he organised into the Gestapo Gestapo

The Gestapo was the official secret police [i] of Nazi Germany [i]. ... 

as well as Germany's entire concentration camps Internment

"Internment" is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without due process... 

complex. Once war began, though, new internment camps not formally classified as concentration camps would be established, over which Himmler and the SS would not exercise control. In 1943 following the outbreak of popular word of mouth criticism of the regime as a result of the stalingrad Volgograd

Volgograd , formerly called [i] Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is a city [i] ... 

 disaster, the party apparatus professing disappointment with the Gestapo's performance in detering such criticism, established the so-called Politische Staffeln as its own political policing organ destroying the Gestapo's nominal monopoly in this field. With his 1936 appointment Himmler also gained ministerial authority over Germany's non-political detective forces known as Kripo which he attempted to combine with the Gestapo into the Sicherheitspolizei placed under the command of Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Heydrich

Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was an SS-Obergruppenfhrer [i], chief of the Reich Security Main Office [i]... 

and thus gain operational control over Germany's entire detective force, but the merger remained a dead letter within the Reich, with Kripo remaining firmly under the control of the civilian administration and later the party apparatus as the latter annexed the civilian administration. However, in occupied territories not incorporated into the reich proper it proved mostly effective. Following the outbreak of WWII, Himmler formed the Reichssicherheitshauptamt RSHA

The RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt, was a subordinate organization of the SS [i] ... 

wherein Gestapo, Kripo and the SD became departments. Attempts in 1940 to use the new RSHA structure to gain control over Kripo by giving RSHA regional officers command authority over Kripo offices in their juristictions were rebuffed. The SS was also developing its military branch, known as the SS-Verfügungstruppe, which would later become known as the Waffen-SS Waffen-SS

The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel [i]. ... 

.

Himmler's War on the Jews


After the Night of the Long Knives, the SS-Totenkopfverbände was given the task of organizing and administering Germany's regime of concentration camp Internment

"Internment" is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without due process... 

s and, after 1941, the extermination camp Extermination camps in the Holocaust

The extermination camps were the facilities established by Nazi Germany [i] in World War II [i] initiall... 

s in occupied Poland Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country located in Central Europe [i]. ... 

. The SS, through its intelligence arm, the Sicherheitsdienst Sicherheitsdienst

The Sicherheitsdienst was the intelligence service [i] of the SS [i]. ... 

, was charged with finding Jew Jew

Jews are followers of Judaism [i] or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno [i]... 

s, Roma, priest Priest

A priest or priestess is a person having the authority, or power , to perform and administer relig... 

s, homosexuals Homosexuality

Homosexuality refers to sexual [i] and romantic [i] attraction between t ... 

, communists Communism

Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a future classless [i], stateless [i] ... 

 and those persons of any other cultural, racial Race

The term race distinguishes one population [i] of an animal species from another of the same species. ... 

, political or religious Religion

Religion is a system of social coherence based on a common group of belief [i]s or attitudes concerning ... 

 affiliation deemed by the Nazis to be either Untermenschen or in opposition to the regime, and placing them in concentration camps. Himmler opened the first of these camps near Dachau Dachau

Dachau is a town in southern Germany [i], in the federal state [i] of Bavaria [i].... 

  on March 22nd, 1933. He became one of the main architects of the Holocaust The Holocaust

The Holocaust, also known as Ha-Shoah and the Porajmos [i] or Samudaripen in Romani [i] ... 

, using elements of mysticism Mysticism

Mysticism from the Greek [i] ?st???? "an initiate" is the pursuit of achieving communi ... 

 and a fanatical belief in the racist Racism

Racism is a belief in the moral or biological superiority of one race or ethnic group over another or ot... 

 Nazi ideology to justify the mass murder and genocide of millions of victims.

Posen speech 

On 4 October 1943, Himmler referred explicitly to the extermination of the Jewish people during a secret SS Schutzstaffel

The Schutzstaffel , abbreviated
... 

 meeting in the city of Posen. The following are excerpts from a transcription of an that exists of the speech:

I also want to mention a very difficult subject before you here, completely openly.
It should be discussed amongst us, and yet, nevertheless, we will never speak about it in public....


I am talking about the “Jewish evacuation”: the extermination of the Jewish people.
It is one of those things that is easily said. "The Jewish people is being exterminated,” every Party
member will tell you, 'perfectly clear, it's part of our plans, we're eliminating the Jews, exterminating
them, ha!, a small matter.…

The Second World War


Before the invasion of Russia Operation Barbarossa

Operation Barbarossa was the codename [i] for Nazi Germany [i]'s invasion of the Soviet Union [i] ... 

 in 1941, Himmler began preparing his SS for a war of extermination against the forces of "Judeo-Bolshevism Judeo-Bolshevism

Sorry, no overview for this topic 

". Himmler, always glad to make parallels between Nazi Germany and the Middle Ages, compared the invasion to the Crusade Crusades

The Crusades were a series of military campaigns waged in the name of Christendom [i] This term refers t ... 

s. He collected volunteers from all over Europe, including Danes Denmark

The Kingdom of Denmark is the smallest and southernmost of the Nordic countries [i].... 

, Norwegians Norway

Insert non-formatted text here
... 

, Swedes Sweden

The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country [i] in Scandinavia [i]. ... 

, Dutch Netherlands

The Netherlands is the Europe [i]an part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands [i] , which is formed ... 

, Belgians Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe [i] bordered by the Netherlands [i] ... 

, French France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

, Spaniards Spain

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a Europe [i]an parliamentary monarchy [i].... 

, and, after the invasion, Ukrainians Ukraine

Ukraine is a country [i] in Eastern Europe [i]. ... 

, Latvia Latvia

Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in Eastern Europe [i]. ... 

ns, Lithuania Lithuania

Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania , is a country in northern Europe.... 

ns, and Estonia Estonia

Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia , is a country in Northern Europe [i]. ... 

ns, attracting the non-Germanic volunteers by declaring a pan-European crusade to defend the traditional values of Old Europe from the "Godless Bolshevik Hordes". In truth the "volunteers" from the occupied Soviet territories were mostly collaborator policemen pressed en-masse into the Waffen SS once their territories of origin were overrun by the Red Army Red Army

The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, , the armed ... 

. As long as they were employed against Soviet troops, they performed fanatically, expecting no mercy if captured. When employed against the western allies, they tended to eagerly surrender. Waffen SS recruitment in western and nordic Europe was abysmally unsuccessful.

In 1942, Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Heydrich

Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was an SS-Obergruppenfhrer [i], chief of the Reich Security Main Office [i]... 

, Himmler´s right hand man, was killed in Prague after an attack by Czech special forces. Himmler immediately carried out a reprisal, killing the entire male population in the village of Lidice Lidice

[i] which was completely destroyed by the [[Nazism|Nazis]... 

 where the soldiers had escaped.

In 1943, Himmler was appointed German Interior Minister. This was very much a pyrrhic victory. Himmler sought to use his new office to reverse the party apparatus' annexation of the civil service, and in the process fulfill his long cherished dream of gaining real power over the non-gestapo police. This hopeless aspiration was easily frustrated by Martin Bormann Martin Bormann

Martin Bormann was a prominent German [i] National Socialist [i] ... 

, Hitler's secretary and party chancellor. It also incurred some displeasure from Hitler himself, whose long standing disdain for the traditional civil service was one of the foundations of Nazi administrative thinking. Himmler made things much worse still when following his appointment as head of the replacement Army he tried to use his authority in both military and police matters by "bestowing" automatic SS membership on all policemen and then "transferring" them to the Waffen SS. With Himmler about to hang himself Borman could not give him the rope fast enough, initially acquiesing in the lunacy , until furious protests broke out, then destroying the scheme with a vengeance leaving Himmler much discredited, and his and the SS' relations with the police badly compromised.

The involvement in the July 20, 1944, plot against Hitler of leaders of the Abwehr Abwehr

The Abwehr was a German [i] intelligence [i] organization from 1921 [i] to 1944 [i]... 

 , including its head, Admiral Canaris Wilhelm Canaris

Wilhelm Franz Canaris was a German [i] admiral [i] and head of the Abwehr [i], the German military intelligence [i]... 

, prompted Hitler to disband the Abwehr and make the SD the sole intelligence service of the Third Reich Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, refers to Germany in the years 1933 to 1945, when it was governe... 

. This increased Himmler's already considerable personal power.
It also soon emerged that General Friedrich Fromm, Commander-in-Chief of the Ersatzheer  was implicated in the conspiracy. Fromm's removal, coupled with Hitler's great suspicion of the army led the way to Himmler's appointment as Fromm's successor, which he predictibly abused to enormously expand the Waffen SS even further to the detriment of the rapidly deteriorating Wehrmacht Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht was the name of the armed forces [i] of Nazi-Germany [i] from 1935 [i] t... 

.

Unfortunately for Himmler, the investigation soon revealed the involvement of many SS Officers in the conspiracy, including some senior ones, which played into the hands of Borman's power struggle against the SS, as very few party cadre officers were implicated.

In late 1944, Himmler became Commander-in-Chief of army group Upper Rhine Rhine

The Rhine River is one of the longest and most important river [i]s in Europe [i] at 1,320 kilometres [i] ... 

, which was fighting the oncoming United States United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 7th Army U.S. Seventh Army

The United States Seventh Army is the land component of United States European Command [i]. ... 

 and French France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

 1st Army in the Alsace Alsace

Alsace is one of 26 french rgions [i], located on the eastern border of France [i], on the west ban ... 

 region on the west bank of the Rhine. Himmler held this post until early 1945 when, after the Wehrmacht's failure to halt the Red Army Red Army

The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, , the armed ... 

's Vistula-Oder Offensive Vistula-Oder Offensive

The Vistula-Oder Offensive took place between 12 January, 1945 until 2 February, 1945 and was a successf... 

, Hitler placed Himmler in command of the newly formed Army Group Vistula. As Himmler had no practical military experience as a field commander, this choices proved catastrophic and he was quickly relieved of his field commands, to be replaced by General Gotthard Heinrici Gotthard Heinrici

Gotthard Heinrici was a General in the German Army during World War II [i]. ... 

.

As the war was drawing to a German defeat, Himmler was considered by many to be a candidate to succeed Hitler as the Führer of Germany. However, it became known after the war that Hitler never really considered Himmler as a successor, even before his betrayal, believing that the authority that was his as head of the SS had caused him to be so hated that he would be rejected by the Party.

Peace negotiations, capture, and death


In Winter 1944/45, Himmler's Waffen-SS Waffen-SS

The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel [i]. ... 

 numbered 910,000 members, with the Allgemeine-SS Allgemeine SS

The Allgemeine SS was established in the autumn of 1934 to distinguish SS [i] members from ... 

hosting a membership of nearly two million. However, by the spring of 1945 Himmler had lost faith in German victory, probably partially due to his discussions with his masseur Felix Kersten and Walter Schellenberg Walter Schellenberg

Walter Friedrich Schellenberg was a German [i] Nazi [i] who rose through the SS [i] ... 

. He came to the realization that if the Nazi regime was to have any chance of survival, it would need to seek peace with Britain United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state [i] tha ... 

 and the United States. Toward this end, he contacted Count Folke Bernadotte Folke Bernadotte

Count Folke Bernadotte of Wisborg or simply Count Bernadotte, was a Swedish diplomat noted for his negot... 

 of Sweden Sweden

The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country [i] in Scandinavia [i]. ... 

 at Lübeck Lübeck

Lbeck is the second largest city [i] in Schleswig-Holstein [i], in northern Germany [i]. ... 

, near the Danish Denmark

The Kingdom of Denmark is the smallest and southernmost of the Nordic countries [i].... 

 border, and began negotiations to surrender in the West. Himmler hoped the British and Americans would fight their Soviet Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , more commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a Communist state [i] ... 

 allies with the remains of the Wehrmacht. When Hitler Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was Chancellor of Germany [i] from 1933, and Fhrer [i] of Germany [i] from 1934 until h ... 

 discovered this, Himmler was declared a traitor and stripped of all his titles and ranks the day before Hitler committed suicide Death of Adolf Hitler

The generally accepted cause of the death of Adolf Hitler on April 30, 1945 is suicide [i] by gunshot an ... 

. At the time of Himmler's denunciation, he held the positions of Reich Leader-SS, Chief of the German Police, Reich Commissioner of German Nationhood, Reich Minister of the Interior, Supreme Commander of the Volkssturm Volkssturm

The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of Germany [i]'s Third Reich [i]. ... 

, and Supreme Commander of the Home Army.

Unfortunately for Himmler, his negotiations with Count Bernadotte failed. Since he could not return to Berlin Berlin

Berlin is the capital [i] city and a state [i] of Germany [i]. ... 

, he joined Grand Admiral Grand Admiral

Grand Admiral is a historic naval [i] rank, generally being the highest such rank present in any pa ... 

 Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz

Karl Dnitz ; September 16, 1891 – December 24, 1980) was a German naval leader, famous for his com... 

, who by then was commanding all German forces in the West, in nearby Plön Plön

Pln is the district seat of the Pln district in Schleswig-Holstein [i], Germany [i], and has about 13,00... 

. Somehow, Hitler's orders concerning him never reached Dönitz. After Hitler's death, Himmler joined the short-lived Flensburg government headed by Dönitz but was dismissed on May 6, 1945 by its leader in a move Dönitz hoped would gain him favour with the Allies.

Himmler next turned to the Americans as a defector, contacting the headquarters of Dwight Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was an American [i] soldier and politician.... 

 and proclaiming he would surrender all of Germany to the Allies if he was spared from prosecution as a Nazi leader. In an example of Himmler's mental state at this point, he sent a personal application to General Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was an American [i] soldier and politician.... 

 stating he wished to apply for the position of "Minister of Police" in the post-war government of Germany. He also reportedly mused on how to handle his first meeting with the SHAEF Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied [i] for... 

 commander and whether to give the Nazi salute or shake hands with him. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was an American [i] soldier and politician.... 

 refused to have anything to do with Himmler, who was subsequently declared a major war criminal War crime

In the context of war [i], a war crime is a punishable offense under International Law [i], for violatio ... 

.


Unwanted by his former colleagues and hunted by the Allies, Himmler wandered for several days around Flensburg Flensburg

Flensburg is an independent town [i] in the North of the German state [i] ... 

 near the Danish border, capital of the Dönitz government. Attempting to evade arrest Arrest

An arrest is the action of the police [i], or person acting under the color of law [i], to take a person ... 

, he disguised himself as a sergeant-major of the Secret Military Police, using the name Heinrich Hitzinger, shaving his moustache and donning an eye patch over his left eye , in the hope that he could return to Bavaria. He had equipped himself with a full set of false documents, but someone whose papers were wholly in order was so unusual that it aroused the suspicions of a British Army British Army

The British Army is the land armed forces [i] branch of the British Armed Forces [i].... 

 unit in Bremen, Germany. Himmler was arrested on May 22, and in captivity, was soon recognized. Himmler was scheduled to stand trial with other German leaders as a major war criminal at Nuremberg Nuremberg Trials

The Nuremberg Trials were the trial [i]s of the Nazi [i] officials involved in the Holocaust [i]... 

, but committed suicide Suicide

Suicide is the act of willfully ending one's own life [i]. ... 

 in Lüneburg by swallowing a potassium cyanide capsule before interrogation could begin. His last words were "Ich bin Heinrich Himmler!"

Conspiracy theories

There would be later claims that the man who committed suicide in Lüneburg was not Himmler but a double Political decoy

A political decoy is a person employed to impersonate [i] a politician [i], in order to draw attention a ... 

. Statements allegedly attributed to ODESSA Odessa

name = Odessa
| coa = Odesa emblem.gif
... 

 were said to have asserted Himmler escaped to the tiny and rustic farming village of Strones in the Waldviertel, a hilly forested area in the northwest part of Lower Austria just north of Vienna, birthplace of Alois Hitler Alois Hitler

Alois Hitler, born Aloys Schicklgruber was the father of Adolf Hitler [i].... 

, where he was running a reborn SS in exile .

A recently-published book by American author, Joseph Bellinger, Himmler's Death, offers another "conspiracy theory" alternative to Himmler's death, stating that Heinrich Himmler was assassinated Assassination

Assassination is the deliberate killing of an important person, usually a political figure or other stra... 

 by his British interrogators in May 1945 along with other high-ranking officers of the SS and Werewolf Resistance Organization. Bellinger's book was first published in Germany by Arndt Verlag, Kiel Kiel

Kiel is a city in northern Germany [i] and the capital of the Bundesland [i] Schleswig-Holstein [i]... 

. A similar book, Himmler's Secret War, by Martin Allen makes similar claims: it is, however, based on forged documents smuggled into the National Archives

. Since a group of people had to get together both to forge the documents and smuggle them into the proper section of the archives , the assertion that there was a conspiracy to spread confusion about the circumstances surrounding Himmler's death may be credible, as well as Allen's participation in the conspiracy, possibly as a means of discrediting and distracting from Bellinger's book before it was published.

David Irving David Irving

David John Cawdell Irving is a British [i] Holocaust denier [i] and auth ... 

 also claimed Himmler was beaten and killed by the British interrogators. He also claimed his nose was broken by the beating.

Most historians discount these claims.

Historical views

Historians are divided on the psychology, motives and influences that drove Himmler. Some see him as a willing dupe of Hitler, fully under his influence and seeing himself essentially as a tool, carrying Hitler's views to their logical conclusion, in some cases possibly without Hitler's direct orders or agreement. A key issue in understanding Himmler is to what extent he was a primary instigator and developer of anti-Semitism and racial murder in Nazi Germany in his own right, and not totally within Hitler's control, or was simply the executor of Hitler's direct orders. A related issue is the extent to which anti-semitism and racism were primary motives for him, over and above self-aggrandisement, accumulation of power and influence.

Himmler to some extent answered this himself saying if Hitler were to tell him to shoot his mother, he would do it and 'be proud of the Führer's confidence'. It was this unconditional loyalty that was the driving force behind Himmler's unlikely career. Most commentators agree that commitment to Hitler's murderous racism made Himmler the mastermind of ethnic cleansing and the Holocaust.

According to the Jewish Virtual Library, Himmler's decisive innovation was to transform the race question from "a negative concept based on matter-of-course anti-Semitism" into "an organizational task for building up the SS ... It was Himmler's master stroke that he succeeded in indoctrinating the SS with an apocalyptic "idealism" beyond all guilt and responsibility, which rationalized mass murder as a form of martyrdom and harshness towards oneself."

The famous wartime cartoonist Victor Weisz saw Himmler as a terrible octopus, wielding oppressed nations in each of his 8 arms. .

Wolfgang Sauer, historian at Berkeley University of California, Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley is the oldest and flagship campus of the ten-campus University of California [i] ... 

 felt that "although he was pedantic, dogmatic, and dull, Himmler emerged under Hitler as second in actual power. His strength lay in a combination of unusual shrewdness, burning ambition, and servile loyalty to Hitler." .

In an extract in the Norman Brook War Cabinet Diaries , Winston Churchill Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG [i], OM [i], CH [i] ... 

 took a view towards Himmler widely shared during the war, advocating his assassination. According to Brook, responding to a suggestion that the Nazi leaders be executed, "this prompted Churchill to ask if they should negotiate with Himmler 'and bump him off later', once peace terms had been agreed. The suggestion to cut a deal for a German surrender with Himmler and then assassinate him won support from the Home Office. 'Quite entitled to do so,' the minutes record it as commenting."

A main focus of recent work on Himmler has been the extent to which he competed for, and craved, Hitler's attention and respect, along with other Nazi leaders. The events of the last days of the war, when he abandoned Hitler and began separate negotiations with the Allies, are obviously significant in this respect.

Himmler appears to have had a completely distorted view of how he was perceived by the Allies; he intended to meet with US and British leaders and have discussions "as gentlemen". He tried to buy off their vengeance by last-minute reprieves for Jews and important prisoners. According to British soldiers who arrested Himmler, he was genuinely shocked when treated as a prisoner.

Surviving family

He was survived by his wife Marga and natural daughter Gudrun , who still resides in Germany, and by his illegitimate son Helge and daughter Nanette Doreathea from a relationship with his personal assistant Hedwig Potthast. Catharine Himmler, a great-niece Cousin chart

A cousin chart, or table of consanguinity [i], is a chart that identifies cousin relationships usi ... 

 of Heinrich Himmler, is married to an Israel Israel

Israel , officially the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia [i] on the so ... 

i, the son of Holocaust survivors who survived the Warsaw Ghetto Warsaw Ghetto

The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of the Jew [i]ish ghetto [i]s established by Nazi Germany [i] in General Government [i] ... 

 .

In Fiction

  • In Douglas Niles's and Michael Dobson Michael Dobson

    Michael Dobson is one of the three Dobson brothers, all of whom have made themselves known prominently i... 

    's alternative history novel Fox on the Rhine , in which Hitler is killed in the attempted Bomb Plot of 20 July, 1944, Himmler assumes command of the Third Reich by a series of assassinations of the conspirators planning to form a new government and, most prominently, of Hermann Göring, who was appointed the official new Führer. Thus, Himmler, as the highest-ranking official remaining, takes up the position as leader of Nazi Germany, which enables him to execute "Operation Carousel" — a new offensive against the Allies. Himmler also features in Fox At The Front , the sequel to Fox On The Rhine.
  • Himmler is played by Donald Pleasance Donald Pleasence

    Donald Pleasence, OBE [i] was an English [i] actor [i] ... 

     in the movie The Eagle Has Landed The Eagle Has Landed

    The Eagle Has Landed is a book by Jack Higgins [i] first published in 1975 [i]. ... 

    , which is based on a novel by Jack Higgins Jack Higgins

    Jack Higgins is the principal pseudonym of British [i] novelist Harry Patterson. ... 

     . He is also featured in several other Jack Higgins novels, including The Eagle Has Flown, the sequel to The Eagle Has Landed.
  • He also appears in Return to Castle Wolfenstein Return to Castle Wolfenstein

    Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first person shooter [i] computer game [i] published by Activision [i]... 

     as a SS chief overseeing the resurrection of Heinrich I and the occult during Operation Resurrection. He and his team were successful in the ordeal, but Heinrich I and his dark knights were quickly defeated by Agent Blazkowicz. He watched in horror that "This American, he has ruined everything" before he was told that he needed to go back to Berlin to report to Hitler.

References


  • Heinz Höhne, The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS, London: Pan Books Ltd. 1972
  • Crocker, Harry, "Triumph: A 2,000 Year History of the Catholic Church"
  • ibid.
  • ibid.
  • Strange Death of Heinrich Himmler: A Forensic Investigation, by W. Hugh Thomas, M.D.
  • Peter Padfield: Himmler. Reichsführer-SS. Cassel & Co, London 2001, ISBN 0-304-35839-8.
  • Katrin Himmler: Die Brüder Himmler. Eine deutsche Familiengeschichte. S. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt a. M. 2005, ISBN 3-10-033629-1.

External links