Life and death of Heinrich Himmler

Introduction

Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was born on 7 October 1900 in Munich, Bavaria, into a conservative, middle-class Catholic family. His father, Joseph Gebhard Himmler, was a school director who raised him with strict discipline and strong religious values. Himmler was in poor health during his youth and focused heavily on his studies, developing an interest in history, languages, and religion.

During the final stages of the First World War, Himmler trained as an officer cadet but did not see active combat before the war ended in November 1918. He had hoped for a military career, but his physical condition limited his opportunities. After the war, he studied agriculture at the Technical University of Munich and became involved in nationalist and right-wing political movements.

Quick Facts

• Full name: Heinrich Luitpold Himmler
• Born: 7 October 1900, Munich, German Empire
• Died: 23 May 1945, Lüneburg, Germany
• Cause of death: Suicide by cyanide poisoning
• NSDAP number: 14.303
• SS number: 168
• Rank: Reichsführer-SS
• Years in office: 6 January 1929 – 29 April 1945
• Political party: National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP)
• Spouse: Margarete Boden
• Children: Gudrun Burwitz and Gerhard von der Ahé
• Alias at capture: Heinrich Hitzinger
• Captured: 21 May 1945
• Known for: Head of the SS, architect of the concentration camp system and one of the principal organizers of the Holocaust

Personal life

Heinrich Himmler married Margarete Boden in 1928, a nurse several years his senior. The couple had one daughter, Gudrun Himmler, born in 1929. Himmler maintained a conventional family image, although the marriage became strained over time. During the war, Himmler also maintained a relationship with his secretary, Hedwig Potthast, with whom he had two children.

Rise within the Nazi Party

Himmler joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) in 1923 and participated in the failed Beer Hall Putsch, although his role was limited. He remained committed to the movement and gradually rose within its ranks.

On 6 January 1929, Adolf Hitler appointed him Reichsführer-SS, giving him command of the Schutzstaffel (SS), which at that time numbered fewer than 300 men. Under Himmler’s leadership, the SS was transformed into an elite and ideologically driven organization characterized by strict discipline and personal loyalty to Hitler. Membership grew rapidly, reaching more than 50.000 members by 1933.

Power in Nazi Germany

Throughout the 1930s, Himmler expanded the SS into one of the most powerful institutions in Nazi Germany. With the assistance of Reinhard Heydrich, he established the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) in 1931 as the SS intelligence service.

In 1934, Himmler took control of the Gestapo, and following the Night of the Long Knives, the SS replaced the SA as the primary instrument of Nazi power. On 17 June 1936, he was appointed Chief of the German Police, placing all police forces under his authority while remaining head of the SS.

Himmler reorganized the police into the Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) and the Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo), the latter including the Gestapo and Kriminalpolizei (Kripo). In September 1939, these organizations were combined into the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA), forming the central apparatus of Nazi internal security, intelligence, and repression.

Role in Nazi crimes

Heinrich Himmler was one of the principal architects of the Holocaust. He oversaw the expansion of the concentration camp system, beginning with Dachau in March 1933, and later the establishment of extermination camps in occupied Poland.

Under his authority, SS units, including the Einsatzgruppen, carried out mass shootings of civilians, particularly in the Soviet Union, where approximately 1.5 million people were killed.

In July 1941, Himmler was entrusted by Adolf Hitler with implementing the “Final Solution,” the systematic extermination of Europe’s Jewish population. The administrative coordination of this policy was discussed at the Wannsee Conference in January 1942. In total, approximately six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, along with millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.

Second World War

During the Second World War, Himmler continued to expand the SS, including the creation of the Waffen-SS, which developed into a large military force fighting alongside the Wehrmacht. By 1945, the Waffen-SS had grown to more than 800.000 personnel.

Despite his lack of military training, Himmler was appointed commander of Army Group Vistula in January 1945. His leadership proved ineffective, and he was unable to halt the Soviet advance toward Berlin. Nevertheless, he remained one of the most powerful figures in Nazi Germany, controlling extensive security, intelligence, and military resources.

The SS on D-Day

On D-Day, 6 June 1944, SS formations were part of the German forces defending Normandy, although they were not the primary coastal defenders. Elite Waffen-SS units such as the 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend”, with approximately 20.000 men, were positioned inland and played a major role in the fighting that followed, particularly in the Caen sector.

These units launched counterattacks against Allied forces but were unable to prevent the establishment of the Allied beachhead. Like other German formations, they were severely hindered by Allied air superiority, which disrupted movement and limited operational effectiveness. The 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” became one of the most heavily engaged German formations in Normandy and suffered heavy losses during the campaign.

Fall from power

By early 1945, Himmler recognized that Germany could not win the war and attempted to negotiate with the Western Allies through intermediaries, including Count Folke Bernadotte of Sweden. When Adolf Hitler learned of these efforts, he declared Himmler a traitor and stripped him of all positions on 29 April 1945.

Himmler briefly joined the Flensburg Government under Admiral Karl Dönitz but was dismissed on 6 May 1945. Isolated and no longer trusted, he attempted to escape in disguise.

Capture and death

Following the collapse of Nazi Germany in May 1945, Heinrich Himmler attempted to evade capture by disguising himself as a non-commissioned officer under the false name Heinrich Hitzinger. Carrying forged identity documents and dressed in a military uniform, he hoped to blend in with the large numbers of German soldiers moving through northern Germany.

On 21 May 1945, Himmler was detained by British troops near Bremervörde. Initially, his true identity was not recognized. During subsequent interrogations, however, British authorities became suspicious and eventually confirmed that the prisoner was the former Reichsführer-SS. Himmler was transferred to a British interrogation centre near Lüneburg. During a medical examination on 23 May 1945, he suddenly bit into a concealed cyanide capsule hidden inside his mouth. British medical personnel immediately attempted to save him, but the poison acted rapidly and he died within minutes.

To prevent his grave from becoming a shrine for Nazi sympathizers, British authorities buried Himmler in an unmarked location on Lüneburg Heath. The exact location of the grave remains unknown.

Recovered Diaries and Appointment Books

In 2013, thousands of pages from Heinrich Himmler's appointment books and personal diaries were rediscovered in archives and subsequently studied by historians. The documents covered significant periods of the Second World War and provided an unusually detailed insight into the daily activities of one of the most powerful figures in Nazi Germany.

The records revealed the disturbing contrast between Himmler's ordinary routine and his central role in mass murder. On the same days that he discussed deportations, concentration camps and the extermination of European Jewry, he also attended social engagements, family meetings and official dinners. Historians have frequently cited the diaries as evidence of the bureaucratic and administrative nature of the Holocaust. Particularly significant were the entries surrounding the Posen speeches of October 1943, in which Himmler openly referred to the ongoing extermination of the Jewish population.

The diaries provided additional confirmation of his direct involvement in Nazi racial policy and the implementation of the Final Solution.

Historical significance

Heinrich Himmler was one of the most powerful figures in Nazi Germany and a central architect of its system of terror. As head of the SS and Chief of the German Police, he created and controlled the institutions responsible for repression, forced labor, mass murder, and genocide.

His role in the Holocaust made him one of the primary perpetrators of the crimes of the Second World War.

Awards and Decorations

• Golden Party Badge
• Blood Order (Blutorden)
• Honour Chevron for the Old Guard
• Pilot-Observer Badge in Gold with Diamonds (honorary award, 9 November 1935)
• SS Honour Ring (Totenkopfring)
• SS Honour Sword

Key Dates

• 7 October 1900: Born in Munich, Germany.
• 1925: Joined the NSDAP and the SS.
• 6 January 1929: Appointed Reichsführer-SS.
• 30 June 1934: Played a major role in the Night of the Long Knives.
• 17 June 1936: Became Chief of the German Police.
• 20 January 1942: Representatives of the SS attended the Wannsee Conference.
• 4 October 1943: Delivered the infamous Posen speech.
• 20 July 1944: Expanded his influence following the failed assassination attempt against Hitler.
• 28 April 1945: Adolf Hitler stripped Himmler of all offices and expelled him from the Nazi Party after learning of his secret negotiations with the Western Allies.
• 21 May 1945: Captured by British forces.
• 23 May 1945: Committed suicide by cyanide poisoning while in British custody.