Heinrich Himmler Facts: A Leading Member Of The Nazi Party

Sakshi Thakur
Mar 20, 2023 By Sakshi Thakur
Originally Published on Mar 20, 2023
Fact-checked by Shadiya Ahammad
Read Heinrich Himmler Facts to learn more about the Nazi movement.

Heinrich Himmler was a Nazi military leader from Germany.

He was Adolf Hitler's close collaborator. Himmler rose to power during the Second World War.

Heinrich Himmler is infamous for being one of the persons responsible for the holocaust. This is remembered as one of the most heinous holocausts in human history. He joined the Nazi Party in 1923.

Within a few years, he had risen to the position of Reichsführer of the 'Schutzstaffel' (SS). Later he was recruited as a police commander in the German police. Under his direction, the SS surged in size and personnel more than ever before.

By 1934, he was one of the Gestapo's most feared and regarded officials. After Adolf Hitler, he was the Gestapo's second most powerful commander. He established and oversaw the concentration camps under Hitler's instructions. He established the 'Einsatzgruppen' on Hitler's behalf and created the groundwork for extermination camps which claimed the lives of almost six million people.

Hitler placed him in command of Army Group Upper Rhine and Army Group Vistula at the conclusion of the Second World War. Hitler arrested him in April 1945, accusing him of plotting against him. Himmler attempted to flee but was apprehended and eventually imprisoned by British forces. On May 23, 1945, while in British custody, he committed suicide.

Heinrich Himmler was a significant figure in Hitler's ascent to power. He stayed dedicated to him until his death. However, a collision of ideologies and distrust drove him apart from Hitler. At the height of his powers, he annihilated most of Hitler's adversaries both inside and outside the nation.

Read along to know more about the Nazi party, western allies, and German Settlers from the pure German Race. There are many astonishing facts related to Heinrich Himmler that you may like to know.

If you enjoyed this article, why not also read about 'Cardinal Richelieu Facts' or 'Bruce Ismay Facts' here on Kidadl?

Heinrich Himmler Life History

Heinrich Himmler held a very important position in The Nazi Party. Here is a brief history of how he got there.

Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire, on October 7, 1900. He was born into a Roman Catholic German family. Gebhard Himmler, his father, was a schoolteacher, and Anna Maria Himmler, his mother, was a fervent Catholic. Heinrich acquired his schooling at a grammar school where his father was the principal.

As a kid, Himmler hated athletics; he liked studies. He forced him to work hard in sports, but Himmler never felt comfortable participating in athletics. Instead, he immersed himself in the studies of religion and mysticism.

Himmler showed tremendous patriotism as a youngster, wanting to serve his nation in the unfolding First World War. Using his contacts with the royal family, his father enlisted him in the reserve Battalion. He was a part of the 11th Bavarian regiment when he was 17 years old.

However, it was the latter days of the First World War, and Germany was on the edge of defeat. Himmler did not take an active part in World War I. He came to be known in World War II.

After the war, Heinrich Himmler resumed his schooling and appeared to be interested in mystic studies and German mythology. He aspired to be a doctor, but his parents would not pay for his study, so he settled for a certificate in agricultural studies. He worked odd jobs before leaving in 1923 to pursue his military ambitions.

Himmler became a member of the Artaman League, a Völkisch youth organization, in 1927. There he met Rudolf Höss. Who was later commander of the Auschwitz extermination camp, and Walther Darré. Darré was a staunch believer in the Nordic race's supremacy, and his worldview had a significant effect on Himmler.

Heinrich Himmler Role In German Army

Heinrich Himmler played a major role in the German Army and the Nazi party. Here is how it all went about.

Heinrich Himmler got involved in the activities of right-wing paramilitary organizations and met Ernst Rohm in 1923. He joined the 'Bund Reichskriegsflagge' and took part in Hitler's failed 'Beer Hall Putsch' in Munich in November 1923. Himmler worked his way through the ranks. He joined the Nazi Party in 1923, followed by the SS in 1925.

He was later chosen as a delegate to Germany's Reichstag. By the age of 30, he had achieved enormous success. When he took over as Reichsführer of the SS, his prominence skyrocketed.

The SS grew into a formidable force, with its personnel rising to more than 50,000 in a very short amount of time. Himmler became the chief of the Munich police after Hitler gained political fame in 1933.

Apart from Prussia, he soon became the chief of all German police. Following Hitler's orders, he established the Third Reich first concentration camp in Dachau.

Hitler and other Nazi leaders grew apprehensive in early 1934 that Röhm was plotting a coup. Hitler appointed Himmler as Gestapo assistant head in 1934, giving him control of Germany's police forces.

He also played a significant part in the SS vs. SA battle, in which the former triumphed, giving Hitler control of the German Army. The SS rose to be the most powerful military force after the Army, which was also under Hitler's authority. When the Second World War began, Germans expected a lot from Himmler and Hitler.

Himmler fought tirelessly to make the SS impenetrable, and he was successful. Hitler directed him to invade the Soviet Union in 1941.

Himmler used brutality and force to eliminate all of the Third Reich's political rivals, resulting in a vast bloodbath. He established extermination camps in German-occupied Poland and killed millions of Jews. Babi Yar, Ukraine, was another location where Jews were slaughtered.

Himmler's collapse began in 1943 when Hitler appointed him as the Reich administration's interior minister. He then allowed the Waffen-SS to grow to the size of 35 divisions. It grew comparable to the military in the number of personnel.

He also gained command of intelligence groups and military equipment, the Volkssturm. Himmler also headed a guerrilla army known as Werwolf. He also took command of two army groups.

Himmler declared that 629,000 ethnic Germans had been relocated by January 1943. Nevertheless, the majority of resettled Germans did not get the envisioned modest farms.

Instead, they were put up in temporary camps or municipal quarters. Half a million citizens of seized Polish lands, as well as Slovenia, Alsace, Lorraine, and Luxembourg, were deported or transferred to Germany as labor.

Himmler taught the German nation to regard any foreign laborers brought to Germany as a threat to their German blood. Sexual interactions between Germans and foreigners were prohibited under German racial laws called Rassenschande.

With many groups under his direction, Himmler's ambitions expanded beyond the military. He began constructing an SS industrial empire. Albert Speer, who wanted to focus solely on the war, opposed his idea. Hitler's crew began to downgrade Himmler. Feeling neglected and enraged, he began scheming the demise of Hitler's empire in 1945.

Himmler met Bernadotte at the Swedish consulate at Lübeck on April 23, 1945. He claimed to be the temporary leader of Germany and said that Hitler would be killed within a few days.

Himmler instructed Bernadotte to warn General Dwight Eisenhower that Germany preferred surrendering to the Western Allies rather than the Soviet Union. He hoped that the British and Americans would fight over the remaining Wehrmacht. Bernadotte requested that Himmler put his proposition in writing, which Himmler did.

Why Was Heinrich Himmler Known As Hitler's Right Hand

Heinrich Himmler held a very important post in the Nazi Movement. He raised the SS to a stature higher than the German Armed forces. He was trusted by Adolf Hitler.

Hitler entrusted Himmler with carrying out 'The Final Solution of the Jewish Question'. As a result, six million Jews died in the Holocaust.

Himmler's Einsatzgruppen forces were responsible for the murder of over two million more individuals in the Soviet Union. Himmler was able to utilize his position and advantages to spread his racial beliefs throughout Europe and the Soviet Union. Himmler, as Hitler's right-hand man, was a tremendous planner of horror throughout WWII.

Role Of Heinrich Himmler In World War II

Heinrich Himmler played a devastating role in World war ii. He has been held responsible for the Holocaust.

Himmler's contribution to the development of the Nazi system of concentration camps and the Holocaust is what makes him most famous in World War II history. Himmler opened the Nazis' first concentration camp at an abandoned munitions plant at Dachau in 1933.

Concentration camps were first established to house political prisoners. The earliest Dachau detainees were communist people, democratic socialists, and many other political opponents of the Nazi regime.

Hitler was so delighted by Dachau that he gave Himmler permission to set up an extensive network of concentration camps. When the war ended, the Nazi camp system had expanded to include thousands of facilities, including death centers, transit camps, POW camps, and concentration camps.

Hitler severed Germany's connection with China and went into an arrangement with Japan in 1938. Hitler's main objective for war was securing more Lebensraum for the people of Germany, who were seen as racially superior by Nazi ideology. A second purpose was to expel persons deemed ethnically inferior, mainly Jews and Slavs.

They belonged to the Third Reich-controlled territory. Hundreds of thousands of Jews moved to the United States, the United Kingdom, and other nations between 1933 and 1938. Some people become Christians.

Himmler tasked General Odilo Globocnik with carrying out Operation Reinhard in 1941. The operation, named for SS General Reinhard Heydrich, was a well-devised scheme to slaughter the Jews of an occupied portion of Poland. Subsequently, the whole of European Jews was cleared.

Jewish Men, women, and kids were slaughtered. Millions of Jews were killed. This was sadly called the Holocaust. In these killing facilities, people were slain through asphyxiation with gas or gunfire.

One of the most infamous people in history committed suicide by consuming cyanide in 1945. Heinrich Himmler, who is renowned for his involvement in putting the "Final Solution" into effect, is remembered today for his horrible actions committed throughout Europe during World War II.

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Sources

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/heinrich-himmler-4818.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Himmler

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Heinrich-Himmler

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/heinrich-himmler

https://owlcation.com/humanities/Heinrich-Himmler-Quick-Facts

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Written by Sakshi Thakur

Bachelor of Science

Sakshi Thakur picture

Sakshi ThakurBachelor of Science

Sakshi is a skilled content writer with extensive experience in the education industry. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for helping others, she has developed a reputation for excellence in academic content writing. She has worked with esteemed professionals such as Mr. Kapil Raj, a professor of History of Science at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, further enhancing her knowledge and expertise. Sakshi is well-versed in the latest developments in e-learning and has a deep understanding of how to engage students and make learning fun and accessible. In her spare time, she indulges in her creative passions, including painting, embroidery, and listening to soft music. She also enjoys exploring new cultures and traveling, which helps her broaden her perspectives and inspire her writing. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Science from Panjab University.

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Fact-checked by Shadiya Ahammad

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Language and Literature, Master of Arts specializing in India and World Literature

Shadiya Ahammad picture

Shadiya AhammadBachelor of Arts specializing in English Language and Literature, Master of Arts specializing in India and World Literature

A skilled writer and content creator with a postgraduate degree in English literature from the University of Calicut, Shadiya has also completed a Master of Arts in World Literature from Widya Dharma University and studied English Language and Literature at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. With her educational background and four years of experience in content writing, Shadiya has developed excellent research, communication, and writing skills, which she brings to her work every day. Her passion for language extends beyond her professional work, as she enjoys studying Arabic and Spanish in her free time.

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