The beginning of the political struggle.

Heinrich Himmler(more correctly Heinrich Himmler, German. Heinrich Luitpold Himmler, October 7, Munich, Bavaria, German Empire - May 23, Lüneburg, Lower Saxony, Third Reich) one of the main political and military figures of the Third Reich. Reichsführer SS (1929-1945), Reich Minister of the Interior of Germany (1943-1945), Reichsleiter (), Head of the RSHA (1942-1943). No. in SS - 168.

Biography

Childhood and youth

Born into the family of Gebhard Himmler, director of the gymnasium in Landshut. Besides him, there were two more brothers in the family: the elder Gebhard and the younger Ernst. According to family legend, Heinrich Himmler’s brothers were technocrats, far from politics, but in 2005, his great-niece Katrin Himmler published a book about him and his brothers with harsh criticism of Nazism, where she showed that this was far from the case.

It received its name in honor of the patron saint of the family of Wittelsbach Prince Heinrich, whose school teacher was Himmler Sr. The prince agreed to become the godfather and guardian of his namesake.

Having such a noble patron, Himmler dreamed from childhood that he would become the commander of a victorious army. He initially wanted to enlist in the Navy, but was rejected due to myopia. Then he decided to serve in the ground forces. So that Himmler could go into service, his father turned to his high-ranking patrons for help. A positive response from the Yard Management was soon received:

Banking house "I. N. Oberndörfer, Salwatorstrasse 18, is authorized to transfer to you 1000 Reichsmarks from the 5% of the war loan. Please accept this amount as a gift to your son Henry from his godfather, His Royal Highness Prince Henry, who suddenly passed away from us.

Post-war years

A second chance to enlist in the army presented itself in the spring, when the Freikorps began to form to fight the Bavarian Soviet Republic. Himmler was about to enroll in Lautenbacher’s detachment, but this time it didn’t come to participating in hostilities. And yet, on June 17, Himmler sent a letter to the headquarters of the 11th Infantry Regiment with a request to give him his documents “due to the fact that in a few days I am entering service in the Reichswehr.” However, the idea with the Reichswehr also failed. One of the reasons for this was that after the November Revolution, the Himmler family lost all high-ranking patrons.

After failure in military service, Himmler accepted his father’s offer to study as an agronomist, especially since agriculture also interested him: as a child he collected a herbarium, and was also a supporter of herbal medicine. Having already become Reichsführer, Himmler will begin to widely use prison labor to grow medicinal plants.

An attempt to begin training in agricultural technology on a large farm near Ingolstadt was unsuccessful: Himmler fell ill with typhus, after which the attending physician strongly recommended that he study full-time at an educational institution.

The path to the heights of power

Then Himmler took advantage of the fact that Hitler was afraid of assassination attempts, and snipers aroused his particular fear. The first victim was Count Anton von Arco auf Valley, whom Himmler had once tried to free from prison, and was now arrested on charges of “preparing an assassination attempt on Hitler.” Then newspapers began publishing weekly reports of prevented “terrorist attacks.” Information began to reach Hitler about Himmler’s “fruitful” work to ensure his safety. And then Hitler, who did not trust the security of the Reichswehr soldiers, instructed Himmler to form a team of SS men to ensure security. Soon, 120 fighters led by Joseph Dietrich were sent to Hitler's disposal. Similar units (Sonderkommandos and readiness units) began to be created in all states of Germany. On April 1, Himmler was appointed head of the political police and department of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior. On Hitler's orders, he created the first concentration camp, Dachau.

The separation of the political police from public administration will lead to long-term complications that you, Mr. Prime Minister, should be aware of. The violation of administrative integrity is caused by the dominance of the party in the state... Therefore, it is necessary to do away with the concept of “political expediency”, since it is the basis for the ever-growing mistrust and misunderstanding, which only complicates the work of the state apparatus.

Conflicts, intrigues and Eastern politics

In order not to strengthen Himmler’s already great influence, Gauleiters, officials, representatives of the SA, NSDAP and even the labor front, but not SS men, were appointed to the positions of heads of civil administrations in the occupied territories. It was planned to appoint SA Obergruppenführ Siegfried Kasche as Commissioner of Moscow, who miraculously survived the “Night of the Long Knives” and sabotaged the actions of the SS wherever possible.

The Final Solution to the Jewish Question

On the eve of the invasion of the USSR, four Einsatzgruppen were formed for the systematic extermination of Jews, Gypsies and Communists. By the end, they killed about 300 thousand people. However, participation in mass executions began to have a negative impact on the psychological state of the Einsatzgruppen personnel. Many of them left for the Reich at the first opportunity, and there were cases of mental disorders and suicides. There was a growing feeling of protest and disgust towards the actions of the Einsatzgruppen in the world and even in Germany. In such conditions, Himmler had to maneuver to reduce the scale of atrocities.

There were people who created obstacles to the extermination of the Jews. This was due to the fact that among them there were many highly skilled workers, and their deaths undermined the economy of the occupied territories. However, Himmler managed to quickly cope with this problem.

But at the same time, Himmler was against arbitrary abuse of prisoners by concentration camp employees, since he regarded them, along with corruption, as the most serious violations of military discipline. So, to the question of the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the SS about how the execution of Jews without an order should be classified, Himmler replied:

1. For political reasons and if it was related to the establishment of proper order, the person who committed such an action is not subject to punishment.

2. If this happens for selfish purposes, as well as for sadistic or sexual reasons, then a judicial investigation is necessary.

Himmler repeatedly instructed Konrad Morgen to initiate criminal cases against concentration camp personnel. In about a quarter of cases they were able to be brought to trial. Thus, Karl Koch and Hermann Florstedt were sentenced to death. But in April, Himmler ordered the investigations to be stopped. This was due to the fact that a threat loomed over Rudolf Hoess, whom Himmler valued very much.

New opportunities and old enemies

In the fall of 1944, Himmler ordered the end of the “Final Solution” program, hoping that this would help in negotiations with the Western Allies for a separate peace.

The camp commandant, Captain Tom Sylvester, immediately drew attention to three of the newly arrived prisoners: “two were tall, and the third was a small, homely and shabbyly dressed man.” Having sent the first two to separate cells, he decided to talk to the third. Suddenly he took off the blindfold, put on his glasses and said: “I am Heinrich Himmler.” Sylvester immediately called the secret service, from where two officers came, one of whom was Chaim Herzog. In the evening, Michael Murphy, the chief of the secret service at Montgomery's headquarters, arrived. Suspecting that Himmler might have suicide poison on him, Murphy ordered a search of him. During the search, an ampoule with poison was found. Then the doctor noticed a foreign object in Himmler’s mouth and decided to bring it closer to the light. Then Himmler clenched his jaw, bit through an ampoule of potassium cyanide and died a few seconds later.

Himmler's body found

Himmler's body was cremated and the ashes were scattered in the forest near

Himmler... This surname still evokes horror among those who went through the concentration camps of World War II and the repressive machine of the SD and the Gestapo. This man is the evil spirit of Hitler, cold, calculating, thirsty for power. He was perhaps the most purposeful and at the same time sinister figure of the Third Reich - that’s what Hitler’s former adjutant Friedrich Hosbach said about him. One of our historians gave him an apt nickname - “the inquisitor in pince-nez.” Behind that cold gaze through the glasses hid something like, if not a second Satan, then at least beast No. 2. Although opinions here are far from unambiguous: some consider Rudolf Hess to be Nazi No. 2, others consider Himmler, the chief of the SS and Gestapo. Hess is also called “prisoner No. 7” - this number was assigned to him as soon as he got to Spandau (this prison has now been demolished). Today "The Himmler of the 21st century." we can safely name the Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk: there is a very similar resemblance to this Bandera rabbit, not only in appearance, but also in the methods of his actions. Bandera’s prime minister advocates such “innovations” as the Great Wall and the creation of filtration camps for “damned Muscovites” and “separatists.” The only difference: the ukrokalka Yatsenyuk fully justifies his nickname “Rabbit”: as soon as any difficulties arise, he immediately disappears. The same cannot be said about Himmler: his idol and spiritual patron was King Heinrich the Birdcatcher, and if Yatsenyuk had been a commoner with his appearance, people like Himmler would have grabbed him like a bird and sent him to camps according to racial theory. But horseradish is no sweeter than radish, and if Himmler committed suicide, then who knows how Yatsenyuk might end up. Perhaps he will follow in the footsteps of his German predecessor, or perhaps he will be killed as a result of another Bandera putsch. What unites them both is their commitment to the occult: Himmler was a supporter of black magic, Yatsenyuk was a Scientologist. It should also be noted that Yatsenyuk’s sister Anne Steele is a Master of the Church of Scientology in Santa Barbara, California. Yes, yes, in the same Santa Barbara, which was shown in the soap opera of the same name for 10 years in Russia (from 1992 to 2002).

Fate gave Himmler less than 45 years of life. He managed to escape Nuremberg, although he still surrendered to the Allies. Today marks exactly 115 years since his birth. In the year dedicated to the 70th Anniversary of the Victory, let us remember about the SS chief and the master of Wewelsburg Castle rolled into one. Theoretically, this could have been done on the date of his death, but it is nevertheless impossible to ignore such figures.


Yatsenyuk vs Himmler. Curious similarities

The future SS chief and master of Wewelsburg Castle Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was born in Munich on October 7, 1900 in the family of a teacher (and later the director of a school in Landshut) Gebhard Himmler and Anna Maria Haider. In addition to him, there were two more brothers in the family - the elder Gebhard and the younger Ernst. According to family legend, Heinrich Himmler's brothers were technocrats, far from politics, but in 2005, his great-niece Katrin Himmler published a book about him and his brothers with harsh criticism of Nazism, where she showed that this was far from the case.

The father was a rather tough and extremely domineering person, demanding strict adherence to religious norms; The Himmler couple professed Catholicism. In general, it should be noted that the religious division between Germany and Austria is strikingly different. The north and central parts of Germany are predominantly Protestant (Lutheran), Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Austria are Catholic regions. In neutral Switzerland, about half the population professes Calvinism (a form of Protestantism).

“Oh, how I want to become an adult faster so that I can go to the front too!”— Diary entry, February 1915.

Himmler Jr. grew up as a dreamy child. His father forced him to keep a diary, where he could write down his actions and innermost thoughts. Despite the fact that Heini was not old enough to serve in the army, he enlisted in the volunteer corps. After six months of initial training in Regensburg, Himmler studied at the ensign school in Freising (from June 15 to September 15), then from September 15 to October 1 at a machine gun course in Bayreuth, and after 2 months he was demobilized. Despite the fact that Himmler was unable to take part in the hostilities, he subsequently spoke about his “front-line exploits.”

“By origin, blood and essence, I myself am a peasant.”
After failure in military service, Himmler heeded his father’s advice and studied to be an agronomist, especially since agriculture also interested him: as a child he collected a herbarium, and was also a supporter of herbal medicine. Having already become Reichsführer, Himmler will begin to widely use prison labor to grow medicinal plants. An attempt to begin training in agricultural technology on a large farm near Ingolstadt was unsuccessful: Himmler fell ill with typhus, after which the attending physician strongly recommended that he study full-time at an educational institution. On October 18, 1919, Himmler entered the agricultural department of the Higher Technical School at the University of Munich.

“Just as a seed breeder takes an old good variety of plants, contaminated with impurities, and, in order to clean it, plants it in the ground, and weeds out unsuccessful seedlings, we decided to weed out all people unsuitable for security detachments purely based on external signs.”
Himmler's political views during this period can be characterized as regional nationalism. He rented a tailcoat and top hat to see off King Ludwig III on his last journey, but in the elections he voted for the all-German legal-statist coalition. His anti-Semitism was very moderate. And although Himmler showed satisfaction with the murder of Walter Rathenau, he immediately added that the deceased was “a very intelligent man.” Wolfgang Hallgarten, his former classmate and ideological opponent, was called a “lousy Jew” rather as a joke.

In 1923, Himmler took part in the Beer Hall Putsch, which failed miserably. When coming under fire, he remains unharmed. From this year he is already a member of the NSDAP. Rudolf Hess, in one of his dialogues with Hitler, spoke of Himmler like this: “I swear, you will have a Praetorian Guard.” In March of the same year, a decision was made to create the Black Order of the SS, of which Himmler was appointed chief.

The history of the SS begins in March 1923, when Hitler formed a bodyguard detachment (Stabswache) in Munich, whose personnel swore personal loyalty to the Fuhrer. Two months later, in order to avoid confusion (one of the SA detachments bore the same name), Hitler renamed the detachment of his bodyguards Stosstruppe (ST), which was the name given to the shock units of the Kaiser's army during the First World War. Hitler chose the “death’s head” as the unit’s emblem. Subsequently, the “dead head” will be depicted on the loyalty ring, which Reichsführer SS Himmler gave for loyalty to the leader.

Ring of fidelity.

The Death's Head Ring was instituted by Himmler on April 10, 1934. Within the SS, the ring was seen as the highest honor given for personal achievement, dedication to service, and loyalty to Hitler and national ideals.

The ring was a massive piece of silver in the form of a wreath of oak leaves, in which the image of a death's head and runes were immersed. The rings were made by casting and then each ring was finished by hand. Inside each ring there was an engraving that began with the words "To my dear..." and ended with the owner's name, the date of delivery and Himmler's facsimile signature.

Initially, such rings were awarded only to representatives of the “old guard”. Subsequently, the rules for obtaining this ring were simplified and by 1939, almost every SS officer who served for more than three years had this ring. Only disciplinary action in the past could delay the presentation of the ring.

Abschnitte headquarters regularly submitted to the top lists of those awarded, supplemented by finger sizes. The SS Personnel Department in Berlin reviewed the lists and sent rings to the locations, accompanied by an award sheet. The text on the sheet read:

"I reward you with the SS Death's Head ring."

The ring symbolizes our loyalty to the Fuhrer, obedience and our brotherhood and friendship.
The Death's Head reminds us that we must be ready at any moment to give our lives for the good of the German people.
The runes located opposite the death's head symbolize our former power, which we must recreate.
Two zig runes make up the name of our organization - SS.
The swastika and hagall rune signify our unshakable faith in the triumph of our philosophy.
The ring is surrounded by oak leaves - a traditional German symbol.

The Death's Head Ring cannot be bought or sold, it should never fall into the hands of someone who does not have the right to own it. If you leave the ranks of the SS, you must return the ring to the Reichsfuehrer.

Illegal acquisition or copying of a ring is prohibited and is punishable by law.

Wear the ring with honor!

G. Himmler"

The ring was worn on the ring finger of the left hand, usually presented simultaneously with the conferment of a new rank. Entries were made about the award in the list of officer ranks and in the personal file. All owners of rings who were demoted, temporarily suspended from office, expelled from the ranks of the SS, and those who retired or resigned, returned the rings along with award sheets. The collected rings were sent to Wewelsburg for eternal storage. If a soldier died in battle, the ring was removed from the corpse and sent for storage. Rings taken from murdered SS members were used in the exhibition of the war memorial in Wewelsburg, which was called "Tomb of the owners of the Death's Head Ring."

From 1934 to 1944 approximately 14,500 rings were produced. As of January 1, 1945, according to SD documents, 64% of the rings were returned to Wewelsburg after the death of their owners, 10% were lost, 26% remained issued. On October 17, 1944, Himmler ordered the production of rings to cease until the end of the war. In the spring of 1945, all the rings located in Wewelsburg, by order of Himmler, were buried under a mountain collapse caused by a directed explosion. These rings have not yet been found.

SS banner "Totenkopf"

But let's go back to 1923. The detachment was led by Julius Schreck and Josef Berthold. Bodyguards included Joseph "Sepp" Dietrich, Rudolf Hess, Julius Schaub, Ulrich Graf and Karl Fieler. This detachment took part in the unsuccessful Munich Putsch, which began on November 9, 1923. After the defeat of the putsch, the NSDAP was banned, the SA was disbanded, and Hitler himself was imprisoned. After leaving prison, Hitler began to restore the NSDAP.

In April 1925, Hitler formed a new bodyguard squad, led by Schaub, Schreck and other members of the Stosstruppe. Initially the detachment was called Schutzkommando, then Sturmstaffel, and on November 9, 1925 the detachment received its final name - Schutzstaffel (defense detachment) or SS for short. On September 21, 1925, Schreck issued a circular that ordered all local NSDAP organizations to create SS units consisting of 10 people locally and 20 people in Berlin. Men from 25 to 35 years old who had two recommendations from members of the SS, who had lived in one place for 5 years and were distinguished by sobriety, discipline, strength and health, were accepted into the ranks of the SS. The appointment of Himmler, who at that time was already 28 years old, to the post of Reichsführer SS, was taken as a joke by members of the SA. However, as we know, “he who laughs last laughs best.”

With Karl Wolf. 1933

Having joined the SS, Himmler began to preach the theory of “blood and soil” among his subordinates, which attracted the attention of the party leadership. It is worth noting here that this theory formed the basis of the Nazi agricultural policy, which was implemented by Richard Walter Darre. It is Darre who is considered the father of this ideology. In 1927, Himmler became Deputy Reichsführer-SS.

On July 3, 1928, he married the Prussian aristocrat Margarete von Boden. Himmler's parents objected to this marriage: Margaret was 8 years older than him and professed Protestantism, while the Himmlers were Catholics. This marriage was unsuccessful due to incompatibility of characters.

By order of the acting Chief of Staff of the SA, Obergruppenführer von Krausser No. 1734/33 of December 15, 1933, the service dagger was introduced. The SS dagger was made in black and silver. The blade was engraved with the SS motto, and the handle was decorated with an eagle and runes. The general design of the dagger was based on the design of daggers that were widespread in Switzerland and Germany in the 15th - 17th centuries. - “Holbein’s daggers” (since the image of such a dagger is known from his painting “Dance of Death”). All SS members wore daggers with their weekend and everyday uniforms. The dagger was awarded at a ceremony on November 9 each year when SS cadets were promoted to SS membership. Each SS member paid the cost of the dagger himself (usually in installments).

On February 17, 1934, the head of the SS department, Gruppenführer Kurt Wittier, banned the open sale of daggers. Daggers began to arrive from manufacturers to SS warehouses in Munich, Dresden and Berlin, and from there they were distributed according to the requests of the headquarters of territorial departments. For the loss of a dagger, an SS man received disciplinary action.

On January 25, 1935, persons dismissed from the SS were obliged to hand over their daggers. If it was a question of retirement, then the dagger was allowed to be retained, and the right to own it was certified by a certificate.

Until November 1934, the dagger was hung obliquely on a single leather strap, and then a vertical dagger suspension was introduced, which was used during the protection of rallies and processions. This pendant made the dagger look like an army bayonet, so in 1936 they returned to the idea of ​​a single-strap pendant, which they began to use with everyday and weekend uniforms. The vertical suspension began to be used only during marches and during military exercises.
On June 21, 1936, Himmler instituted a more ornate dagger, which was awarded only to the "old guard", this dagger was called the "dagger of honor". The dagger was hung not on a strap, but on a chain of connected octagonal plates, decorated with the image of a death's head and runes. The scabbard was decorated with a pattern of intertwined swastikas. In 1936 - 1937 the chain and scabbard decorations, designed by K. Dibich, were made of nickel-silver alloy. Then they began to be made from nickel-plated steel, and later examples are also distinguished by smaller dead heads and a less oval shape.

Each “dagger of honor” was redeemed by its owner. At the beginning of each month, Oberabschnitte headquarters sent requests to Berlin for the required number of daggers. Direct orders from officers were not considered.

In the spring of 1940, SS Obergruppenführer F. Weitzel proposed to G. Himmler to establish an army-style dagger for SS officers, which could be used at the front (an ordinary dagger of the 1933 model was prohibited from being worn with a field uniform). However, only on February 15, 1943, during preparations for the offensive near Kharkov, SS officers received the right to wear a dagger with a “gray uniform”. In addition, it was allowed to put an army lanyard on the handle of the dagger, although it was attached to the handle with a special knot. Four months later, security police and SD officers were allowed to carry a dagger with a “gray uniform”.

In 1933 - 1936 officers and non-commissioned officers had the right to supplement their equipment on special occasions with sabers purchased at their own expense. In 1936, unified sabers with a straight blade appeared, designed specifically for the SS and police. Officer and non-commissioned officer sabers were distinguished by minimal finishing details; police and SS sabers also had some differences: an eagle was placed on the hilt of police sabers, and runes were placed on the hilt of SS sabers.

Non-commissioned officers willingly purchased sabers for themselves through local authorities. The officer's saber was called the "honorary saber of the Reichsführer SS" and gave the owner a certain status. Only SS officers chosen by Himmler, as well as graduates of SS officer schools, received this saber. The production of honorary sabers ceased in January 1941.

Even more rare was the “birthday saber” that Himmler gave to SS generals and senior NSDAP leaders. The sabers were made from Damascus steel by the leading German gunsmith Paul Müller.

Racial purity in the SS

Himmler, and Hitler too, needed not just a collection of rowdies and criminal elements, which the SA and SS were at the first stage, but a military formation of disciplined warriors loyal to the Fuhrer, something purely military and at the same time... not military. The Nazis and their elite called themselves not soldiers, but fighters, and in 1940 Himmler said: “Young Germans, who stand out for their behavior and character, want to be more than soldiers...”

For Himmler, the SS was more than a clique of party fanatics who destroyed the enemies of the Third Reich. It was the vaunted "Order of the Nordic Race" - a mysterious brotherhood inspired by tales of Teutonic knights and medieval legends. According to the statements of many members of SS researchers, this was an order built on the principle of a “Jesuit order.” Hitler himself repeatedly called Himmler “my Ignatius of Loyola.”

The first thing the creators of the “order” did was make it extremely difficult to join it. In mid-1933, Himmler temporarily stopped accepting new members into the SS. In two years from 1933 to 1935, 60,000 people were expelled from the SS. Himmler himself stated about this purge: “Not a single person was accepted anymore. And from the end of 1933 to the end of 1935 we expelled everyone who did not suit us.”


The selection was based on racial principles. The "pedigrees" of the SS men had to be one hundred percent "pure". The requirement of racial purity also extended to the wives of SS men. In 1931, Himmler issued an order for marriage licenses.

1. The SS is a union of Nordically programmed men chosen from a certain point of view.
2. In accordance with the national-socialist worldview and in the consciousness that the future of our people depends on selection and on the preservation of racially and hereditarily healthy pure blood, I am introducing, from July 1, 1931, a marriage license for all unmarried members of the SS.
3. The goal we strive for is the creation of hereditarily healthy, valuable births of the German programmed type.
4. Permission to marry will or will not be given only on the basis of the principle of hereditary health.
5. Every SS man who intends to get married must henceforth obtain permission to marry from the Reichsführer SS.
6. SS men who, despite not receiving a marriage license, still get married, are deleted from the SS lists, they can themselves leave the ranks of the SS.
7. The appropriate processing of applications for marriage licenses is the prerogative of the racial affairs office of the SS.
8. The SS Office of Racial Affairs maintains a “SS pedigree book” in which the families of relatives of SS men are entered after the issuance of a marriage license or a positive response to an application for marriage.
9. The Reichsführer SS, the head of the racial department and the assistants of this department swore an oath not to disclose secrets related to the above.
10. The SS is clear that with this order they will take a step of great importance. All ridicule, mockery and misinterpretations do not touch us, the future belongs to us.

Reichsführer SS
G. Himmler.

Dr. Bruno Schultz, SS Hauptsturmführer and professor, based on the research of racial theorists, created a special scale, dividing all possible candidates into five groups: 1. “Purely Nordic group”; 2. "predominantly Nordic, or Phalic, group"; 3. a group “consisting of harmoniously mixed people of both races” with “a slight admixture of Alpine, Dinaric and Mediterranean blood”; 4. group of “hybrids where Alpine, or eastern, blood predominates”; 5. group of “mestizoes of non-European origin.” Only those people who belonged to the first three groups could apply to join the SS. However, Himmler assured that in a few decades the members of the SS would be exclusively pure Aryans (Nordic group), and in 120 years the entire German people would turn into blue-eyed and blond-haired Vikings.

In addition, the candidate had to have certain, strictly standardized proportions. An SS man should not have had a disproportionate figure.

If no particular physical defects were found in a candidate and he passed the questionnaire, this did not mean that this lucky person became a full-fledged SS man. He still had a long way to go. On November 9, the next anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch, the candidate was declared a recruit and allowed to wear a black uniform, but without buttonholes. The next stage came on January 30; the recruit received a provisional SS certificate. A few months later, on April 20, Hitler’s birthday, the recruit received buttonholes and a permanent SS ID, after which he took the oath to Hitler (the text of which you know better than me). It is interesting that members of foreign formations of Nazi Germany took exactly the same oath.

It should be added that similar ceremonies are held in the United States when obtaining American citizenship (which can be obtained through a Green Card; in other words, through a lottery), and in American schools, before the start of classes, the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag is performed (Can the US state flag even be called a flag, when in reality he is a dirty rag whose place is in the crematorium)


Oath of allegiance to American citizenship.

Pledge of Allegiance to the US Flag. This text is spoken every day in American schools. The comparison between the text of the oath to Hitler is almost identical to what is pronounced in America. Doesn't say anything?

"Lieber ein Geschwür am Lumpen
Nur für deppen in braunen Sümpfen..."


The oath of SS officers was stricter, for example, the oath of a Gruppenführer sounded like this: “As a Gruppenführer of the SS, I undertake to ensure with all rigor that only people who fully meet its high standards enter the SS, whatever the merits of their parents or ancestors. I I will not deviate from this rule, even if I have to reject my own sons, daughters or relatives. In addition, I undertake to see that every year at least a quarter of the candidates for the SS consist of people who are not the sons of members of the SS. I swear to observe these obligations , without violating allegiance to our Fuhrer Adolf Hitler and without disgracing the honor of our ancestors: God help me."

Initiation into the SS in special-purpose SS units took place with super solemnity. It was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch - the ceremony was held at 22 o'clock, that is, in complete darkness, in Munich in the Feldherrnhalle; Hitler himself was often present at the ceremony. By the light of torches, thousands of SS men repeated the oath.

Geschwür der SS-Sonderkommandos

While members of the Special Purpose SS units became full SS men a year after they passed the first blood purity test, members of the Allgemeine SS were subject to additional processing. Having sworn an oath of allegiance to the Fuhrer on April 20, they passed the sports standards, because they were required to receive an Imperial sports badge. Next, the recruit took a “theoretical course,” memorized “questions” and “answers” ​​and passed exams.

On October 1, the SS recruit went to serve his labor service, and then he was called up for a short time into the Wehrmacht. Only after this, having received a good reference from the Wehrmacht commanders, did he return to the SS again and on November 9th he became a 100% SS man. This time, he took a new oath: he swore that he would choose his life partner, “solely on the basis of a racial hereditary healthy principle,” as well as with the consent of the department for racial affairs or Himmler himself, and only after that the candidate became a full member of the SS.

The incredible obstacles facing the candidates were absolutely necessary: ​​the future SS man immediately had to understand that he was entering the holy of holies of the Nazi state - an elite organization. He had to believe that he was counted not just among the elite, but among a double elite: the Germans are the elite of nations; The SS are the elite of the Germans.

Staying in the SS was accompanied by a number of rituals. The existing set of rules placed the SS men in a very special position. The significance of these rules was that even the direct privileges of the SS men - they did not undergo compulsory service in the Wehrmacht, they were paid more than all other career military personnel - took the form of a kind of ideological asceticism according to the principle: to whom more is given, more will be asked .

The SS were not subject to the jurisdiction of ordinary courts. They had their own courts.

There were other special rules for the SS that had a purely “decorative” meaning: SS men were allowed duels, “every SS man has the right and duty to defend his honor by force of arms,” Himmler said. An SS man who committed a crime had the right to commit suicide. True, in both cases permission from superiors and compliance with a host of bureaucratic formalities was required.

Experienced SS men wore a ring with the image of a death's head on the ring finger of their right hand. Particularly trusted persons received a “dagger of honor” and honorary sabers. Who exactly was awarded the honorary weapon depended personally on Himmler. Only SS men who graduated from cadet schools automatically received honorary sabers.

In addition, there were many ceremonies and rituals in which the SS men were required to participate. All SS men had special holidays. Even ordinary “fighters” did not celebrate Christmas, New Year, or Easter.

The most important family holidays for the SS men were considered to be marriages and the celebration of the birth of a child. SS men did not get married in church. Colleagues and always the boss came to the wedding. The chief gave a speech, the newlyweds were presented with bread and salt and handed a silver cup. The newborn also received an SS gift - a silver bowl, a silver spoon and a blue silk bow. At the funeral, the commander of the SS detachment again made a speech.

Instead of Christmas, all SS men celebrated the day of the “winter solstice”, the SS men also celebrated the “solstice holiday” (the day of the vernal equinox), and then, like all of Germany, they celebrated Hitler’s birthday, the anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch and the anniversary of the seizure of power.

However, the real mysticism began at those levels of the SS hierarchy where Himmler himself and his inner circle were located.

Himmler believed in black magic, transmigration of souls, easily “communicated with spirits,” and consulted with fortune-tellers and astrologers.

In addition, Himmler identified himself either with the mythical King of the Britons, Arthur, or with King Henry, whose spirit allegedly appeared to him and gave all sorts of valuable instructions.

The main “order” castle of the SS men was Wewelsburg Castle, located in Westphalia, in the city of Paderborn.


At the same time, Himmler did not forget King Henry I. On July 2, 1936, supposedly on the millennium since the death of Henry I, Himmler swore to his namesake in the Quedlinburg Cathedral that he would “finish his work ... the enslavement of the Slavs.” In 1937, the remains of Henry I were transferred to Quedlinburg Cathedral, and Himmler declared that this cathedral should become a place of pilgrimage for the SS. For several years in a row, on the anniversary of the death of Henry I, Himmler himself went to the cathedral and at exactly midnight went to the crypt under the altar, where he held conversations with the ashes of the king.

Master of Wewelsburg

In 1934, Himmler, for a nominal fee of one mark per year, rented a crumbling castle in Westphalia. The fortress, known as Wewelsburg, was allegedly built by the Huns. It got its name from a knight named Wevel von Buren. During medieval civil strife, Paderborn bishops hid in the castle. In the 17th century, the fortress was rebuilt and took on its modern appearance.

Himmler intended to turn it into a spiritual center of the SS and open an imperial school there for SS officers. At his personal headquarters, the Wewelsburg directorate was formed under the command of SS Standartenführer Taubert.

Initially, the castle began its journey as a museum and ideological education college for SS officers, within the framework of the Main Directorate of Race and Resettlement, but already in February 1935 it came under the control of the Personal Headquarters of the Reichsführer SS. Himmler intended to turn Wewelsburg into the spiritual center of the SS. At his personal headquarters, the Wewelsburg department was formed under the command of SS Standartenführer Taubert.


The radicalization of the Wewelsburg concept was prompted by Wiligut, who accompanied Himmler during his visits to the castle. Wiligut predicted that the castle was destined to become a magical place in the future struggle between Europe and Asia. His idea was based on an old Westphalian legend that found romantic expression in a 19th-century poem. It described the old shepherd's vision of the "Battle of the Birch Tree", in which a huge army from the East would be finally defeated by the West. Wiligut reported this legend to Himmler, claiming that Wewelsburg would become a bastion against which the “invasion of the new Huns” would break, thereby fulfilling an old prophecy. Karl Wolf recalled that Himmler was very moved by Wiligut's idea; it satisfied his own vision of the future role of the SS in defending Europe in the coming confrontation between West and East.

After Himmler rented Wewelsburg, the castle was rebuilt (the architect Bartels was responsible for the reconstruction and modernization of the castle).

As a result, above the gigantic hall - the dining room in the southern wing - the personal chambers of the Reichsführer SS himself were arranged - including a huge room for a weapons collection and a library with 12,000 volumes. Nearby there was a meeting room and a courtroom. The architect placed Hitler's apartments in the same south wing. The castle contained rooms for twelve of Himmler's associates, who regularly met in the main hall, thirty-five meters long and fifteen meters wide - with a round oak table in the middle, sitting in huge chairs upholstered in pigskin and decorated with coats of arms. According to SS researcher Heinz Höhne, these sessions were very similar to seances.


The Wewelsburg basement was converted into the Hall of the High Commanders, in which the coats of arms of the highest SS commanders were to be burned in the event of their death.

The final plan of Wewelsburg reflects Himmler's cult of the SS. The main hall of the castle was a huge round room under a vault in the north tower, decorated with the coat of arms of the SS Gruppenführer; below, in the SS Obergruppenführer Hall, daily ceremonies were held. In the outbuildings of the castle there were study rooms named and decorated with the help of the heroes of “Nordic mythology”: Widukind, King Henry, Henry the Lion, King Arthur and the Grail. Site plans dating from 1940 to 1942 suggest moving the surrounding villages a considerable distance and building a grandiose architectural complex consisting of halls, galleries, towers and turrets, fortress walls, made in the shape of a semicircle on the hillside as the main defense of the original medieval castle. The project was supposed to be completed by 1960. Himmler apparently dreamed of creating the Vatican SS, the center of the thousand-year Greater German Reich.

13,000,000 marks were spent on modernizing Wewelsburg.

However, Himmler saw Wewelsburg as only the beginning - the Reichsführer SS wanted “a similar cultural center of German greatness and the German past to be created in each standard and to be brought into the order and condition that would be worthy of a people with an ancient culture... "

Today Wewelsburg has become one of the tourist sites; There are excursions there every year.

Carrying out his plan to create a nationwide police force, Himmler brought the Hamburg police under his control in October 1933. Then Mecklenburg, Lübeck, Thuringia, the Grand Duchy of Hesse, Baden, Württemberg and Anhalt fell. At the beginning of 1934 - Bremen, Oldenburg and Saxony. The only land whose police were not controlled by Himmler was Prussia. The Prussian police were controlled by Goering.

By 1934, the SS had achieved everything that it could achieve while within the SA structure. SA restrained the growth of SS. Goering became an unexpected and new ally of Himmler in the fight against the SA. They were both heading towards a collision, since Goering also wanted to create a national police force, but on the basis of the Prussian Gestapo. But Goering understood that he would not be able to cope with Rem’s stormtroopers. On April 20, 1934, Goering appointed Himmler head of the Prussian Gestapo. Two days later, Himmler appointed Heydrich as his deputy.

Having firmly entered Hitler's circle, Himmler moved to Berlin and began preparing the liquidation of Rem. He traveled to various points in the SS network, giving speeches to his subordinates about the need for complete loyalty. Meanwhile, Heydrich collected incriminating materials on Rehm and other SA leaders. Theodor Eicke, commandant of the Dachau concentration camp, prepared his men to fight the SA in Munich and its surroundings. Eicke received orders to compile lists of “undesirable people” to eliminate them. Himmler and Goering drew up their own lists. Lists and plans of all German cities where SS units were to strike were prepared. "Sepp" Dietrich and two selected groups were ordered to go to Southern Bavaria, where Röhm and several of his senior officers were relaxing at a resort.

By this time, the SA began to interfere with Hitler. Rehm, the head of the SA, wanted the SA to replace the army. As a show of strength, Remus encouraged large gatherings of stormtroopers. Despite this, Hitler could not decide to give the order to eliminate Rem. If he needed any motivation, he got it on June 21, when President Hindenburg, frightened by the continued brutal behavior of Röhm and his stormtroopers, told Hitler that if order was not restored, he would declare a state of emergency and transfer power to the army. Hitler could not allow this.

On June 28, Hitler and Goering went to West Germany for a wedding. Himmler constantly called from Berlin with information about the impending coup. On June 29, Hitler said: "I've had enough. I'll make an example of them."

With this decision, Goering returned to Berlin, and Hitler, accompanied by the SS and Gestapo agents, went to Bad Wiessee, where Rehm was vacationing, and arrested him. Meanwhile, raids began throughout Germany. People were seized according to pre-compiled lists. On July 1, 1934, Theodor Eicke, on Hitler's orders, killed Röhm.

On July 20, 1934, Hitler elevated the SS to the status of an independent organization. As a result of further development, the SS penetrated almost all spheres of life in Germany.

Patriarch of Lebensborn.

Another innovation introduced by Himmler was the Lebensborn program. It is worth noting here that the origins of this project come from Sweden. The Swedes collaborated very closely with the Nazis in the field of racial policy in many ways. The project originated in the early 20s. when Himmler was just beginning his ascent to the heights of power. By the end of the 30s, he held several government posts: Reich Minister of the Interior, Reichsleiter, acting. Chief of the RSHA, Reichsführer SS, State Secretary of the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs, Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of the German People, Head of the Army Weapons Department. By that time, Himmler had three children, all daughters: Gudrun (from his first marriage), Helge and Nanette-Dorothea (from his second marriage to Hedwig Potthast).

The Second World War. Intrigues and conflicts
After the transfer of Wehrmacht units to the west, Himmler had complete freedom of action. He came up with the idea of ​​housing Volksdeutsche in Poland who arrived in the Third Reich under the resettlement program. But here he encountered resistance from the Gauleiters of Danzig - West Prussia Albert Forster and East Prussia Erich Koch.

Forster, threatening with arrest, forced resettlement officials to stop reserving housing for repatriates. He also managed to redirect the ship with settlers to Stettin. Only after several phone calls from Himmler did he agree to accommodate them, and even then only temporarily.


Himmler during the Anschluss at the ceremony of reuniting the German and Austrian police into one. March 1938

Koch, in turn, promised to expel from East Prussia Professor Konrad Meyer-Hetling, who was engaged in surveying work in the areas of the future compact settlement of repatriates.

Goering, in contrast to the Central Land Administration created by Himmler, formed the Service for the Management of Sequestered Property in the East. And although Himmler managed to agree on a division of powers in which land issues fell within his sphere of competence, he could not achieve complete control. Himmler's former friend, Minister of Agriculture Richard Darre, not wanting to conflict with Goering, subordinated to him the organization created within the ministry for the development of confiscated Polish agricultural holdings.

Another aspect of the resettlement policy was the mass deportation of Poles and Jews from the Reichsgau created in the occupied Polish lands to the territory of the General Government. The Germans moved in the opposite direction. The Germanization of Poles was also carried out. For this purpose, children from Polish families were taken from their parents and, after a racial examination, were sent to orphanages or Lebensborn departments in the Reich with subsequent transfer to the families of childless SS men.

By pursuing such a policy, Himmler made enemies among the Gauleiters, who rightly feared that there would soon be no skilled workers left in the territories under their control.

But Himmler’s most principled and implacable enemy was Governor General Hans Frank, who was prevented from carrying out the task assigned by Hitler to keep the Poles in obedience by the actions of the SS and police in Poland. Despite initial success, Himmler failed to remove Frank from office. Moreover, Odilo Globocnik and Friedrich Wilhelm Kruger, with whose hands Himmler wanted to remove Frank, were removed from their posts in Poland.

On the eve of the invasion of the USSR, four Einsatzgruppen were formed for the systematic extermination of Jews, Gypsies and Communists. By the end of 1941, they killed about 300 thousand people. However, participation in mass executions began to have a negative impact on the psychological state of the Einsatzgruppen personnel. Many of them left for the Reich at the first opportunity, and there were cases of mental disorders and suicides. There was a growing feeling of protest and disgust towards the actions of the Einsatzgruppen in the world, and even in Germany. In such conditions, Himmler had to maneuver to downplay the scale of the atrocities.

Himmler's temper later played a cruel joke on him, which, as it turned out later, was tragic. The Reichsführer's surname literally translates as “heavenly,” “messenger of heaven.” Despite this, Himmler turned into a kind of Lucifer in a pince-nez, becoming the fallen angel of his leader. Shortly before his suicide, Hitler, in his political testament, removed the SS chief from all government posts.

From Hitler's political will:
“Before my death, I expel the former Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler from the party and remove him from all government posts... Goering and Himmler conducted secret negotiations with the enemy without my consent and against my will, and also tried to take power in the state into their own hands, which caused harm to the country and irreparable damage to the entire people, not to mention the betrayal of my personality..."

The capture of the master and the suicide of the Reichsfuehrer

On May 21, 1945, almost 2 weeks after the signing of the act of unconditional surrender of the Third Reich, a detachment of British intelligence officers detained a group of 3 people. One of them had a bandage over his eye, and in his jacket pocket they found documents in the name of Heinrich Hitzinger and an ampoule of cyanide. Slowly removing the bandage and putting on his pince-nez, he introduced himself: “Himmler. I demand that you take me to Field Marshal Montgomery.”

Himmler was placed in a cell. A day later, senior representative Robert Murphy arrived on behalf of the field marshal and ordered another search of the detainee. But the ampoule with the poison mysteriously disappeared. Then he asked Himmler to open his mouth. The ex-SS chief refused. In response to a forced repeated request, Himmler sharply and tightly clenched his teeth, after which a crunch was heard, ending the life of the Nazi inquisitor. The ampoule of poison was hidden in his mouth.

Himmler's corpse after suicide

The body of the chief of the SS leaders was first buried in the forest near Lüneburg, then exhumed and cremated, and the ashes were scattered to the wind.

Instead of an epilogue.
One of the fruits of Himmler’s activities as chief SS officer was the publication in 1943 of a brochure entitled “The Subhuman.” The main point of this brochure was summarized in the formula below:


Himmler applied this characteristic to the Slavs and cruelly miscalculated. This interpretation of the term today most accurately characterizes Americans, because the so-called. "American" people and their so-called The “elite” are not only hegemons, but also, among other things, subhumans and non-humans, bearing the greatest responsibility for their actions throughout their 240-year history. They are the ones who are responsible for inciting two world wars, the genocide of Indians (the Holocaust is a total cracker here) and local military conflicts (starting with the Korean War) after 1945. And there is no need to roll all the barrels of blame on Russia, as well as to make waves if it happens the eruption of Yellowstone, which I have repeatedly talked about. Woe to those who truly forget the simple formula:

"Whoever does not learn history is doomed to repeat it" Jorge Santayana

Materials used from Wikipedia and the site wolfschanze.ru

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Himmler, German. Heinrich Luitpold Himmler, October 7, 1900, Munich, Bavaria, German Empire - May 23, 1945, Lüneburg, Lower Saxony, Third Reich) one of the main political and military figures of the Third Reich. Reichsführer SS (1929-1945), Reich Minister of the Interior of Germany (1943-1945), Reichsleiter (1934), Head of the RSHA (1942-1943). No. in SS - 168.

Biography

Childhood and youth

Born into the family of Privy Councilor for the Department of Education Gebhard Himmler. Besides him, there were two more brothers in the family: the elder Gebhard and the younger Ernst. According to family legend, Heinrich Himmler’s brothers were technocrats, far from politics, but in 2005, his great-niece Katrin Himmler published a book about him and his brothers with harsh criticism of Nazism, where she showed that this was far from the case.

It received its name in honor of the patron saint of the family of Wittelsbach Prince Heinrich, whose school teacher was Himmler Sr. The prince agreed to become the godfather and guardian of his namesake.

Having such a noble patron, Himmler dreamed from childhood that he would become the commander of a victorious army. He originally wanted to join the Navy, but was rejected because he was nearsighted. Then he decided to serve in the ground forces. So that Himmler could go into service, his father turned to his high-ranking patrons for help. A positive response from the Yard Management was soon received:
Banking house "I. N. Oberndörfer, Salwatorstrasse 18, is authorized to transfer to you 1000 Reichsmarks from the 5% of the war loan. Please accept this amount as a gift to your son Henry from his godfather, His Royal Highness Prince Henry, who suddenly passed away from us.

Post-war years

A second chance to enlist in the army presented itself in the spring of 1919, when the Freikorps began to form to fight the Bavarian Soviet Republic. Himmler was about to enroll in Lautenbacher’s detachment, but this time it didn’t come to participating in hostilities. And yet, on June 17, 1919, Himmler sent a letter to the headquarters of the 11th Infantry Regiment with a request to give him his documents “due to the fact that in a few days I am entering service in the Reichswehr.” However, the idea with the Reichswehr also failed. One of the reasons for this was that after the November Revolution, the Himmler family lost all high-ranking patrons.

After failure in military service, Himmler accepted his father’s offer to study as an agronomist, especially since agriculture also interested him: as a child he collected a herbarium, and was also a supporter of herbal medicine. Having already become Reichsführer, Himmler will begin to widely use prison labor to grow medicinal plants.

An attempt to begin training in agricultural technology on a large farm near Ingolstadt was unsuccessful: Himmler fell ill with typhus, after which the attending physician strongly recommended that he study full-time at an educational institution.

Then Himmler, on October 18, 1919, entered the agricultural department of the Higher Technical School at the University of Munich.

Himmler's political views during this period can be characterized as regional nationalism. He rented a tailcoat and top hat to see off King Ludwig III on his last journey, but in the elections he voted for the all-German legal-statist coalition. His anti-Semitism was very moderate. And although Himmler showed satisfaction with the murder of Walter Rathenau, he immediately added that the deceased was “a very intelligent man.” Wolfgang Hallgarten, his former classmate and ideological opponent, was called a “lousy Jew” rather as a joke, and Inge Barko, a Jewish dancer expelled from her family for having an affair with a German, was considered “a girl worthy of all respect.” He also joined various public organizations, such as the German Society for Breeding Pets, the German Agricultural Society, the Association of Friends of the Humane Gymnasium, the shooting society "Free Path" Old Bavarian Shooting Association, the Society of War Veterans of the Munich Higher Technical School, the Munich section of the Alpine Society, the German Tourism Club , sports society "1860" Landshut, Association of officers of the former 11th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment.

On May 16, 1920, Himmler signed up for the Einwonerwehr and received at the warehouse of the 21st Infantry Brigade 1 rifle and 50 cartridges for it, 1 helmet, 2 cartridge belts and 1 old-style bag for crackers. On December 1, 1921, Himmler was awarded the rank of reserve ensign. Around the same time, he participated in preparing the escape from prison of Kurt Eisner's murderer Count Anton von Arco auf Valley, which was canceled due to the replacement of the death penalty for the count with life imprisonment. Himmler wrote in his diary: “Well, some other time.”

The beginning of the political struggle

In January 1922, a meeting with Röhm took place, which became a turning point in Himmler’s biography: “Captain Röhm and Major Angerer were also present there. It was a pleasure. Roehm is pessimistic about Bolshevism.”

On August 5, 1922, immediately after passing the final exams and getting a job at the Stickstoff-Land GmbH company in Schleissheim, on the advice of Röhm, he joined the Reischflagge. Having received his uniform, he enthusiastically began to engage in military training in the evenings.

At the end of August 1923, Himmler moved from Schleissheim to Munich. By that time, Reichskrigsflagge had been renamed Reichskrigsflagge after internal strife. At the same time, Himmler joined the NSDAP.

On November 8, 1923, Himmler, as usual, came to a meeting of the Reichskrigsflagge at the Löwenbräukeller beer hall. Very soon the message came that Hitler had started the Beer Hall Putsch in the Bürgerbräukeller. The crowd was filled with general rejoicing. Everyone swore allegiance on the imperial flag, which was solemnly presented to Himmler. Then everyone, forming a column, moved towards the Burgerbräukeller, but on the way an order was received to seize the War Ministry building, which was accomplished without any problems. However, the next day the house was surrounded by superior Reichswehr and police forces, and the invaders had to capitulate.

After 21 years, Hitler, who did not go to Munich, will instruct G. Himmler to perform in his place at, as it turned out, the last celebration of the anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923. It was G. Himmler who became the last of the leaders of the Third Reich, who completed his performance in the circus on November 12, 1944 “ Kron" official celebrations of the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch.

After the failure of the Beer Hall Putsch, Himmler joined the National Liberation Movement, one of two parties (along with the Greater German People's Association) created to replace the dispersed NSDAP. Its de facto leader, Gregor Strasser, noticed Himmler's organizational skills and involved him in propaganda work. During the 1924 election campaign, Himmler traveled almost all of Lower Bavaria on a motorcycle, giving speeches.

Himmler also tried to put into practice the idea of ​​a “peasant state” and even found people ready to support him. They bought a farm for him in Lower Bavaria, but they were never able to gather the required number of followers. Nevertheless, Himmler was able to familiarize himself with the real state of affairs in the German village, but from what he saw he drew unique conclusions. The main reasons for the plight of the German peasantry, in his opinion, were not the low profitability associated with artisanal production methods, but the machinations of “world Jewry.” Around the same period, Himmler formed ideas about the Slavs as enemies.

In 1924, Himmler joined the Artaman Order and, soon, he managed to achieve a high position in the order: he became the Hauführer of Bavaria, established contacts with the leaders of other regional branches, among whom was Rudolf Hoess, the future commandant of Auschwitz.

There he also met Richard Darre, who brought Himmler’s scattered ideas about the theory of “blood and soil” into a coherent system.

In August 1925, he joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party, recreated by Adolf Hitler, and was appointed secretary to Gregor Strasser, who was then in charge of propaganda in Lower Bavaria, who entrusted Himmler with the task of maintaining contacts with local party branches. After some time, he was appointed manager of the affairs of the Gau of Lower Bavaria and deputy Reichsleiter of the party for propaganda.

Having joined the SS, Himmler began to preach the theory of “blood and soil” among his subordinates, which attracted the attention of the party leadership. In 1927, Himmler became Deputy Reichsführer-SS.

On July 3, 1928, he married the Prussian aristocrat Margarete von Boden. Himmler's parents objected to this marriage: Margaret was 8 years older than him and professed Protestantism, while the Himmlers were Catholics. This marriage was unsuccessful due to incompatibility of characters.

Led by the SS

On January 6, 1929, by order of Hitler, Himmler was appointed Reichsführer of the SS. Having headed the SS, Himmler began to implement the ideas set out in his letter to the leadership of the NSDAP by Landsführer of South Hanover Haase, who proposed: “The National Socialist Order of the future must introduce into the mushy National Socialist Party an organization capable of becoming an instrument in the hands of the supreme leader, for successful implementation of populist policies." This letter was subsequently found in Himmler's personal archive.

Himmler began his work as Reichsführer of the SS by tightening personnel policies. The new requirements, developed by Richard Darre, had to be introduced gradually so as not to lose half of the personnel. At the same time, the restrictions introduced did not apply to participants in the First World War. Himmler spent hours studying photographs of SS candidates with a magnifying glass until he was convinced of their “racial purity.” Among the recruits, the majority were Freikorps fighters. Thanks to the measures taken, within two years the number of the SS increased almost 10 times. In addition, the prestige of the SS increased due to scandals associated with the very dubious moral character of the SA leader, Ryom. Himmler's attempt to initiate recruitment work among stormtroopers caused a conflict with the leadership of the SA. Hitler achieved reconciliation between the two warring parties, and at the end of 1930 he removed the SS from subordination to the SA, and subsequently obliged the leadership of local assault troops to send reinforcements to the ranks of the SS. To emphasize independence from the SA, Himmler introduced a new black uniform, instead of the previous brown one.

Since 1931, Himmler was creating his own secret service - the SD, at the head of which he put Heydrich.

The path to the heights of power

The “National Revolution” of January 30, 1933 did not bring Himmler any significant government position. The putsch on March 9, when the right-wing Catholic government led by Heinrich Held was overthrown, was led by General von Epp, who became the new imperial governor of Bavaria, and Himmler was appointed police president of Munich. An attempt to establish contact with his main rival in the SS, Dalyuge, ended in failure: he refused to accept Heydrich, who soon had to leave Berlin due to the threat of arrest by the Prussian Gestapo.

Then Himmler took advantage of the fact that Hitler was afraid of assassination attempts, and snipers aroused his particular fear. The first victim was Count Anton von Arco auf Valley, whom Himmler had once tried to free from prison, and was now arrested on charges of “preparing an assassination attempt on Hitler.” Then newspapers began publishing weekly reports of thwarted “terrorist attacks.” Information began to reach Hitler about Himmler’s “fruitful” work to ensure his safety. And then Hitler, who did not trust the security of the Reichswehr soldiers, instructed Himmler to form a team of SS men to ensure security. Soon, 120 fighters led by Joseph Dietrich were sent to Hitler's disposal. Similar units (Sonderkommandos and readiness units) began to be created in all German states. On April 1, Himmler was appointed head of the political police and department of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior. On Hitler's orders, he created the first concentration camp, Dachau.

Already in the summer of 1933, Himmler’s working methods aroused keen interest from the prosecutor’s office: an investigation was launched into the suspicious deaths of Dachau prisoners. Forensic examinations conducted in the fall showed that in at least two cases the death was violent. The Munich prosecutor's office demanded that the Ministry of the Interior begin an investigation into the concentration camp and brought charges against its leadership. Himmler managed to hush up the matter. Everything was limited to the criminal prosecution of the commandant of the SS Oberführer Hilmar Wackerle, the investigation, at the direction of Frank, was suspended until further notice, and Himmler forbade the entry of prosecutors into concentration camps. The second attempt was made on July 12, 1934, but it was even less successful, since by that time the SS was a serious force and tried to cover up all traces. The investigation was closed on September 27, 1934. Himmler subsequently protected himself by awarding the leading prosecutor Walter Stepp the title of SS Hauptsturmführer and inviting him to work in the Bavarian Gestapo.

Then Himmler began to spread his influence beyond Bavaria. With the help of Wilhelm Frick, he took control of the political police of the states: in November 1933 - Hamburg, Lübeck and Mecklenburg-Schwerin; in January 1934 - Braunschweig, Oldenburg and Saxony. Only Prussia and Schaumburg-Lippe remained uncontrolled. Here Himmler's interests collided with the interests of Prussian Prime Minister Hermann Goering, who also sought to subjugate the entire Reich police force.

Night of the Long Knives

Heydrich had to make a lot of efforts to get Himmler to approve his intentions to eliminate the leadership of the SA. Himmler was the only high-ranking Nazi with whom Röhm was not on hostile terms. They were often together, made pompous speeches and even had dinner. Moreover, the SS and SA carried out joint actions (for example, the murder on April 3, 1933 in Austria of the journalist Georg Bell, who had broken away from Röhm). Röhm and Himmler were godfathers to Heydrich's first son. At Röhm's last birthday on November 28, 1933, Himmler declared that he would continue to count himself among his most devoted comrades with great pride. Even after Röhm's scandalous speech against Hitler on March 1, 1934, Himmler tried to keep him from rash actions. But by the spring of 1934, Himmler’s priority became an alliance with Goering, without which the transfer of the Prussian Gestapo to the control of the SS was impossible. Goering, in turn, saw Himmler as an ally in the conflict between the Reichswehr and the SA. On April 20, 1934, Goering appointed Himmler chief of the Prussian Gestapo.

Together with Heydrich and Major General von Reichenau, Himmler developed an operation plan and began to implement it. On June 22, he informed the commander of the territorial district of the SS "Center" Baron von Eberstein about the preparation of a coup by stormtroopers, ordered to contact the commander of the military district and put all SS units on alert, and on June 27 he called the heads of the territorial districts of the SD and ordered to closely monitor the commanding staff SA and report anything suspicious to the SD headquarters.

On June 28, Himmler called Hitler, who was at that time in Essen at the wedding of Gauleiter Terboven, and reported alarming information about the stormtroopers, and also transmitted a written report through Paul Körner. On June 29, he sent two more false reports to Hitler: the first - about Röhm’s plans to start an armed uprising in Berlin on June 30 at 16.00; the second is about the outrages of stormtroopers in Munich. Then, while in Berlin, Himmler directly supervised the reprisal of persons objectionable to the new regime.

Guarding the Reich

After the Night of the Long Knives, the influence of the SS, SD and Gestapo increased significantly. Himmler began the creation, with the consent of Hitler, of large armed units on the basis of the Leibstandarte and political readiness units. On December 14, 1934, he issued an order to reorganize political readiness units into battalions. Therefore, a number of lawyers began to promote the idea of ​​limiting the arbitrariness of the political police at the legislative level. Thus, Minister of Justice Franz Gürtner and Reich Commissioner Hans Frank developed a draft of a new criminal code, which, however, was rejected by Hitler. However, Gürtner did not calm down and began to collect information about cover-ups of deaths of concentration camp prisoners. At the same time, he offered to provide them with legal assistance. This proposal was met with hostility by Himmler:
The camp leadership, represented by decent people, does not consider it necessary to introduce any additional measures. I reported your proposal to allow prisoners to use legal assistance, that is, lawyers, to the Fuhrer and Chancellor on November 1, 1935. The Fuhrer forbade the use of lawyers and instructed me to inform you of his decision.

In an effort to subjugate the Gestapo, Frick issued an order according to which “the independence of the Gestapo from local administrative structures is temporary and was introduced in connection with the difficult political situation in the country due to the alarming actions of Röhm.” He also demanded “close cooperation” and accountability of local Gestapo authorities to the departments. Eggert Reeder informed Frick in August 1934 that he was ready to take over the leadership of the political police in the district. Rudolf Diels wrote to Goering on November 4, 1934:
The separation of the political police from public administration will lead to long-term complications that you, Mr. Prime Minister, should be aware of. The violation of administrative integrity is caused by the dominance of the party in the state... Therefore, it is necessary to do away with the concept of “political expediency”, since it is the basis for the ever-growing mistrust and misunderstanding, which only complicates the work of the state apparatus.

Following a complaint from the Gauleiter of East Prussia, Erich Koch, Frick wrote to Himmler on September 23, 1935:
I consider the current relationship between the chief president of East Prussia and the head of the local secret police department unacceptable, since it negatively affects the authority of the state.

Himmler responded as usual:
The Fuhrer decided not to change anything in the Königsberg State Police Department.

Such collisions prompted Himmler and Heydrich to contact the Ministry of the Interior with the initiative to develop a new regulation on the Gestapo, which, after months of discussions, was adopted on February 10, 1936. It consolidated the existing situation. And although paragraph 5 stated: “State police departments are subordinate to the corresponding heads of district departments and must carry out their instructions, informing them about all ongoing political and police activities,” the department heads managed to resist only in unresolved issues, and in general the Gestapo received all powers.

Next on the agenda was the question of how Himmler would lead the unified police force of the Reich. Frick developed a project where Himmler would be given a purely nominal role, and the real leadership would be exercised by Kurt Daluege. In response, Heydrich on June 9, 1936 demanded that Frick grant Himmler ministerial powers. Outraged by this, Frick went to see Hitler, who reassured Frick by saying that Himmler would not be a minister, but a secretary of state, while at the same time making it clear that the issue of Himmler's appointment had already been decided.

On June 17, 1936, Hitler signed a decree by which Himmler was appointed supreme leader of all German police services, both paramilitary and civilian, which came under his control. After his appointment, Himmler carried out a reorganization, creating two departments: the security police (German: Sicherheitspolizei; Sipo) under the leadership of Heydrich (state secret and criminal police) and the public order police (German: Ordnungspolizei; Orpo) under the leadership of Daluege (regular police, gendarmerie and communal police).

On July 2, 1936, the millennium since the death of Henry I the Birdcatcher, Himmler swore on his grave that he would finish the work of the Saxons. A year later, he ordered the remains of the king to be transferred to Quedlinburg Cathedral. Every year on the day of Henry I's death at midnight, Himmler, who considered himself his reincarnation, visited his grave.

At the beginning of 1938, Himmler found himself at the center of a scandal involving unfounded accusations of homosexuality against General von Fritsch. In addition, von Fritsch's defenders managed to prove at the trial that Himmler and Heydrich knew that the testimony of the blackmailer Schmidt, on which the accusation was based, was deliberately false.

Himmler ordered Schmidt shot, fired or transferred the employees involved in the investigation to lower positions, and he himself later claimed that he, too, had become a victim of unscrupulous and incompetent officials.

After such a failure, Himmler was faced with the question of reforming the Reich police. The development of the reform project took place under conditions of fierce discussion and resistance from the party apparatus. Its result was the creation on September 27, 1939 of the Main Directorate of Imperial Security.

Kristallnacht came as a complete surprise to Himmler. The only thing he could do was give orders to protect Jewish property, protect establishments owned by non-Jews, and prevent attacks on foreigners. He also began to collect materials about the crimes of the pogromists and enlisted the support of Goering in the fight against Goebbels. However, Hitler came to his defense, and the idea failed.

Conflicts, intrigues and Eastern politics

Before the attack on Poland, five task forces were created, whose main task was the liquidation of Jews, the Polish ruling elite and intelligentsia. However, this task had to be kept secret from the Wehrmacht leadership. Officially, the Einsatzgruppen were supposed to maintain order in the rear of the advancing troops.

The real purpose of the Einsatzgruppen did not remain a secret for long, and by September 11, Admiral Canaris had collected materials for a report to Keitel. He replied that if the Wehrmacht does not want to do dirty work, then let him come to terms with the fact that someone is doing it for him.

But soon Keitel, along with Rundstedt, had to stand in opposition to Himmler, as the latter tried to achieve the status of occupation forces for the SS and police units in Poland. The newly appointed commander of the Wehrmacht in Poland, Colonel General Blaskowitz, despite Hitler's dissatisfaction, also began to collect information about the atrocities of the SS. The information he collected forced even such Hitler supporters as General von Reichenau to side with the SS accusers. Wehrmacht officers stopped shaking hands with the SS men.

Meanwhile, this was not Himmler's only problem. Hitler was not satisfied with the results of the preliminary investigation, according to which the explosion in the Bürgerbräukeller beer hall, which occurred on November 8, 1939 a few minutes after his departure, was organized by Georg Elser alone. He demanded that Himmler, at all costs, find evidence of Elser’s connections with the British intelligence services, as well as Jews, Freemasons and Otto Strasser. For this purpose, a special commission flew to Munich, the chairman of which was Nebe, whose members were Heydrich, Müller and Lobbs, but it also came to the same conclusions as before. Then Himmler decided to personally interrogate Elser. This is how Oberregirungrat Böhme later described the interrogation scene:
Spewing curses, Himmler began to beat the bound Elser with his boots, then ordered him to be treated in the next room (he howled, apparently from blows with a whip or something similar). When he was again brought to Himmler, the Reichsfuehrer again began to hit him with his boots and curse.

However, Elser stood his ground, claiming that he acted on his own. The head of the Vienna criminal police, crime lord Huber, who was invited to Munich, also did not find anything that would indicate that Elser acted in collusion with someone. In the end, Himmler and Heydrich agreed with the version of a lone terrorist, which gave Hitler a reason to accuse the Reichsführer of incompetence.

Blaskowitz's problem was resolved in the spring of 1940, when, in connection with preparations for the invasion of France, he was transferred to the western borders.

In May 1940, Himmler developed a memo “Treatment of Other Nations in the East” and submitted it to Hitler, who ordered the memo to be reproduced in just a few copies. Several Gauleiters, two ministers, the Governor-General of Poland, the supreme leaders of the SS and police in the East were familiarized with its contents on receipt, and after familiarization they were obliged to return the copy provided to them.

Before the attack on Norway, the Wehrmacht commander, Colonel General von Brauchitsch, demanded that Hitler grant full occupation power to the Wehrmacht and not transfer SS units. Hitler initially agreed with this demand, but together with Reich Commissioner Joseph Terboven, a representative of the SS and police arrived in Norway, demanding the introduction of special forces into the country.

And subsequently, the Wehrmacht was very reluctant to transfer powers to the SS and police.

After the transfer of Wehrmacht units to the west, Himmler had complete freedom of action. He came up with the idea of ​​housing Volksdeutsche in Poland who arrived in the Third Reich under the resettlement program. But here he encountered resistance from the Gauleiters of Danzig - West Prussia Albert Forster and East Prussia Erich Koch.

Forster, threatening with arrest, forced resettlement officials to stop reserving housing for repatriates. He also managed to redirect the ship with settlers to Stettin. Only after several phone calls from Himmler did he agree to accommodate them, and even then only temporarily.

Koch, in turn, promised to expel from East Prussia Professor Konrad Mayer-Hetling, who was engaged in land surveying in the areas of the future compact settlement of repatriates.

Goering, in contrast to the Central Land Administration created by Himmler, formed the Service for the Management of Sequestered Property in the East. And although Himmler managed to agree on a division of powers in which land issues fell within his sphere of competence, he could not achieve complete control. Himmler's former friend, Minister of Agriculture Richard Darre, not wanting to conflict with Goering, subordinated to him the organization created within the ministry for the development of confiscated Polish agricultural holdings.

Another aspect of the resettlement policy was the mass deportation of Poles and Jews from the Reichsgau created in the occupied Polish lands to the territory of the General Government. The Germans moved in the opposite direction. The Germanization of Poles was also carried out. For this purpose, children from Polish families were taken from their parents and, after a racial examination, were sent to orphanages or Lebensborn departments in the Reich with subsequent transfer to the families of childless SS men.

By pursuing such a policy, Himmler made enemies among the Gauleiters, who rightly feared that there would soon be no skilled workers left in the territories under their control.

But Himmler’s most principled and implacable enemy was Governor General Hans Frank, who was prevented from carrying out the task assigned by Hitler to keep the Poles in obedience by the actions of the SS and police in Poland. Despite initial success, Himmler failed to remove Frank from office. Moreover, Odilo Globocnik and Friedrich Wilhelm Kruger, with whose hands Himmler wanted to remove Frank, were removed from their posts in Poland.

In January 1941, Himmler once again had to feel the wrath of Hitler, who promised to “root out the black plague if it does not obey unquestioningly.” The reason for this was the arbitrariness of the SD, which organized the Iron Guard putsch in Romania.

Victor Lutze, in turn, could not forgive himself for Röhm’s betrayal and tried in every possible way to take revenge on the SS. Since the SA forces were not enough for this, he looked for allies in the Wehrmacht and the NSDAP. So, during the Blomberg-Fritsch affair, he tried to negotiate with the generals about a joint action against the SS. Later he found a common language with Frank.

Rosenberg did not appoint SS men as heads of occupation administrations, so as not to strengthen Himmler’s already great influence. Gauleiters, officials, representatives of the SA, NSDAP and even the labor front were appointed to the positions of general commissars, but not SS men. It was planned to appoint SA Obergruppenführ Siegfried Kasche as Commissioner of Moscow, who miraculously survived the “Night of the Long Knives” and sabotaged the actions of the SS wherever possible.

The Final Solution to the Jewish Question
Holocaust

On the eve of the invasion of the USSR, four Einsatzgruppen were formed for the systematic extermination of Jews, Gypsies and Communists. By the end of 1941, they killed about 300 thousand people. However, participation in mass executions began to have a negative impact on the psychological state of the Einsatzgruppen personnel. Many of them left for the Reich at the first opportunity, and there were cases of mental disorders and suicides. There was a growing feeling of protest and disgust towards the actions of the Einsatzgruppen in the world and even in Germany. In such conditions, Himmler had to maneuver to reduce the scale of atrocities.

In response to Erich von Bach-Zelewski's proposal to stop the mass execution of civilians, Himmler shouted:
This is the order of the Fuhrer! Jews are the bearers of Bolshevism... Just try to pull your fingers away from the Jewish question, then you will see what will happen to you.

Himmler inspired his subordinates by his personal example. In Minsk, he was present at the execution of 200 Jews and was shocked by what he saw. Only the help of Karl Wolf, who with great difficulty restrained Himmler, allowed him to stand on his feet.

They soon came up with a justification for punitive actions: the myth that all Jews are partisans. This made it possible to carry out mass executions under the pretext of fighting bandits.

There were people who created obstacles to the extermination of the Jews. This was due to the fact that among them there were many highly skilled workers, and their deaths undermined the economy of the occupied territories. However, Himmler managed to quickly cope with this problem.

But at the same time, Himmler was against arbitrary abuse of prisoners by concentration camp employees, since he regarded them, along with corruption, as the most serious violations of military discipline. So, to the question of the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the SS about how the execution of Jews without an order should be classified, Himmler replied:

1. For political reasons and if it was related to the establishment of proper order, the person who committed such an action is not subject to punishment.

2. If this happens for selfish purposes, as well as for sadistic or sexual reasons, then a judicial investigation is necessary.

Himmler repeatedly instructed Konrad Morgen to initiate criminal cases against concentration camp personnel. In about a quarter of cases they were able to be brought to trial. Thus, Karl Koch and Hermann Florstedt were sentenced to death. But in April 1944, Himmler ordered the investigations to be stopped. This was due to the fact that a threat loomed over Rudolf Hoess, whom Himmler valued very much.

New opportunities and old enemies

On August 24, 1943, Himmler was appointed Minister of the Interior. He began his activities with the reorganization of the ministry. The officials who did not allow Himmler to commit arbitrariness were replaced by SS men. The most important functions were transferred to the SD. Himmler also subjugated the public order police, taking advantage of the fact that Kurt Daluege was relieved of all his posts for health reasons. The power of the SS also increased in the economic sphere.

However, the expansion of the sphere of influence of the SS inexorably pushed Himmler into a collision with the top of the NSDAP.

Martin Bormann, who replaced Hess as deputy Fuhrer in the party, took upon himself decisions on issues related to the conduct of the war. His influence grew with each new defeat of German weapons. In addition, Bormann began a campaign to remove the SS from power, acting, at first glance, unnoticed, but very effectively.

The most acute conflict was caused by the activities of Otto Ohlendorf, head of the III Directorate of the RSHA, who collected all the information about the state of affairs in the country, including negative phenomena within the NSDAP. Therefore, the local leaders of the NSDAP, SA and the labor front began a campaign to combat SD proxies in their ranks, and Bormann began to sharply object to interference in party affairs:
I recently drew your attention to the fact that many Gauleiters have the impression that the SD sees its main task as monitoring the political leadership and monitoring the work of the party. It seems to me necessary that you send a circular letter to all Gauleiters as soon as possible explaining the true state of affairs.

Himmler assured Bormann of non-interference in party affairs and turned his wrath on Ohlendorf. Gradually narrowing his powers, he banned the collection of information in the summer of 1944.

Another problem was the decline in Himmler's authority among the top SS leadership. By creating new structures within the “black order,” he risked losing control over them, especially since the expansion of the organization led to the need to take people from outside. SS leaders at all levels were constantly in conflict with each other.

Back in 1937, Himmler introduced the position of supreme leader of the SS and police (German: Höherer SS- und Polizeiführer). However, this idea turned out to be unsuccessful: if in the occupied territories the supreme leaders managed to be granted some kind of power, then in the Reich no one took them into account. Moreover, despite Himmler's threatening orders, there were cases of outright disobedience.

To control the activities of his subordinates, back in 1940, Himmler invited Richard Korcher to the post of statistical inspector. Korcher discovered many additions in the reports of the heads of the main departments, which caused their dissatisfaction. Threats rained down, and some (like SS-Obergruppenführer Richard Hildebrandt, Darre’s successor as head of the SS Main Racial-Settlement Directorate) began to use physical force. Realizing that Himmler could not protect him, Korcher left for Regensburg, where he created a scientific and statistical institute.

In February 1944, Hitler instructed Himmler to disband the Abwehr, as a result of which issues of military intelligence and counterintelligence passed to the SS.

Looking for a way out

Beginning in the fall of 1942, Schellenberg, on behalf of Himmler, began to look for ways to conclude a separate peace with the Western allies. The main condition for these negotiations was the physical liquidation of Hitler, or, as a last resort, removal from power and transfer to the allies. Schellenberg became a supporter of the radical solution, but Himmler did not dare to raise his hand against his idol. Then Wolf proposed a compromise option: to give the German Resistance the opportunity to eliminate Hitler, and then eliminate the Resistance itself.

On August 26, 1943, in his office, Himmler met with Popitz, who suggested that Himmler, after Hitler was removed from power, make peace with the allies. They agreed to meet again, and members of the Resistance made contact with Dulles.

But in early September, contacts had to be curtailed: the Gestapo managed to decipher a message about contacts between the Resistance and the American station in Switzerland, which, bypassing Himmler, was transmitted directly to the Reich Chancellery.

The events of July 20 came as a surprise to Himmler, since he knew nothing about the group of conspirators, which included Stauffenberg, who had never aroused Himmler’s suspicion. Having come to his senses, he unleashed the full might of the SS punitive machine on the heads of the conspirators.

But then Himmler changed his anger to mercy. In October 1944, he decided to use Goerdeler to establish contacts with Jacob Wallenberg and Chaim Weizmann with a view to conducting peace negotiations. Goerdeler put forward conditions unacceptable to Himmler, and contacts were never established.

In August 1944, Himmler was appointed commander of the Reserve Army and began to carry out total mobilization. Soon “people's” divisions and corps appeared. The SD monitored the mood in the Wehrmacht. Improvised gallows on which military personnel were strung up with signs saying “I am a deserter” became commonplace. The troops subordinate to Himmler suppressed the Warsaw and Slovak uprisings, and also overthrew Horthy. Himmler was entrusted with the great honor of delivering the traditional speech on the next anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch, November 8, 1944, instead of Hitler, who could not come to Munich for health reasons.

In the media of the Western allies and neutral countries, it became generally accepted that Himmler was equal in power to Hitler. However, Himmler had a very dangerous rival - Bormann, whose plans did not include strengthening Himmler's influence. Having learned that Erich Koch had created the Volkssturm in East Prussia, Bormann proposed spreading his idea throughout Germany. Hitler agreed with this, appointing Bormann to lead the German Volkssturm. Thus, Himmler's position as commander of the Reserve Army was weakened.

Bormann's next task was to ensure that Himmler appeared at Hitler's headquarters as little as possible. Knowing about Himmler's long-standing dream of becoming a commander, Bormann invited him, as commander of the Reserve Army, to organize a counteroffensive in the Alsace region. And while Himmler at his headquarters in the Black Forest was preparing for the decisive battle, a number of senior SS officers went over to Bormann’s side. Among them were the SS representative at the Fuehrer's headquarters, Fegelein, and the head of the RSHA, Kaltenbrunner. Goebbels also went over to Bormann's side. It was in vain that the SS Fuhrers who remained loyal to Himmler informed him of the betrayal. Moreover, the offensive was successful: it was possible to break through the Maginot Line and come close to Strasbourg, which was not abandoned by the Allied troops only at the insistence of its burgomaster. But soon military luck turned away from Himmler, the Allies went on the offensive, and German troops retreated beyond the Rhine.

To completely discredit Himmler, Bormann prepared another trap: Himmler had to repel the advance of the Soviet army in Pomerania. This time, failure followed him from the very beginning. Therefore, Himmler suddenly fell ill and went to the Karl Gebhardt Hospital for treatment. Guderian, who from the very beginning objected to such an appointment of Himmler and tried to send General Wenck to him as an assistant, was then able to get Hitler to appoint him to the headquarters of the Wehrmacht generals, but could not persuade Himmler to be removed from his post. Then, at the request of the chief of staff of SS Brigadeführer Lammerding, he visited Himmler in the hospital and promised to protect him from Hitler’s wrath. Soon, Himmler was removed from his post, to which Colonel General Heinrici was appointed.

In the fall of 1944, Himmler ordered the end of the “Final Solution” program, hoping that this would help in negotiations with the Western Allies for a separate peace.

On February 19, 1945, Himmler's first meeting with Count Folke Bernadotte took place on the issue of transporting concentration camp prisoners from Scandinavia to Norway. After this meeting, Schelenberg began to convince Himmler to become the head of Germany.

During the next meeting on April 2, at the instigation of Schellenberg, he invited the count to become a mediator in the negotiations.

But Himmler still remained loyal to Hitler. When he learned that Karl Wolf was negotiating with Dulles, Himmler summoned him and interrogated him. Wolf, realizing that he was “backed up against the wall,” invited Himmler and Kaltenbrunner to go with him to Hitler. Himmler was scared and did not want to go. Hitler was satisfied with Wolf's explanations and released him.

More and more SS men began to move away from Himmler.

On April 28, Hitler, who never received help from Steiner, was brought a radio interception report, according to which Reuters and Stockholm Radio reported on Himmler’s negotiations with the Western allies and on his proposal to surrender. On the same day, Hitler dictated in his will:
Before my death, I expel the former Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler from the party and remove him from all government posts... Goering and Himmler conducted secret negotiations with the enemy without my consent and against my will, and also tried to take power in the state into their own hands, which caused harm to the country and the whole irreparable damage to the people, not to mention the betrayal of my personality...

Chapter 27

In the highest echelons of National Socialism there was no more paradoxical figure than Heinrich Himmler. Diplomats described him as a man of sound judgment, and the Resistance movement considered him the only Nazi leader who could be used to end Hitler's power. For General Hosbach he was the evil spirit of the Fuhrer, cold and calculating, “the most unprincipled person of the Third Reich,” and for Max Amann he was a kind of Robespierre or witch-hunting Jesuit. Danzig's former representative to the League of Nations, Karl Burckhardt, found Himmler to be a sinister character; he was struck by Himmler's ability to focus on detail, which made the SS chief look like a robot. And for his daughter Gudrun he was a loving father. “No matter what they say about my daddy,” she later admitted, “no matter what they write about him now or in the future, he was my father, the best father he could be, and I loved him and love him.”

Most of his subordinates considered Himmler a pleasant, attentive boss who never missed an opportunity to demonstrate his democracy. He played cards with secretaries and football with assistants and adjutants. One day, the Reichsführer SS invited a dozen cleaning ladies to a festive dinner on his birthday and forced the puzzled officers to choose their ladies from among them.

It is unlikely that one can find a clue to the mysterious character of Himmler in his younger years. He was born into a middle-class Bavarian family. The young Himmler was no more or less anti-Semitic than the average young Bavarian. In short, he was a typical product of Bavarian upbringing and education - a capable young official, precise and neat.

In 1922, at the age of 22, a young nationalist with anti-Semitic tendencies and a romantic view of the war became fascinated by the ideas of National Socialism and its mysterious leader. Constantly displaying loyal zeal, he was potentially the ideal Nazi, and joining the party helped him begin a steep climb through the ranks. Himmler was a Bavarian and at the same time admired the Prussian kings, especially Frederick the Great, and always praised Prussian prudence and resilience. Dark-haired, of average height and with features of an oriental type, very far from the Nordic type, Himmler, like his master, preferred to surround himself with tall, blond, blue-eyed subordinates. He admired physical perfection and athletic achievements, but he himself constantly suffered from stomach cramps, could barely ski, could not swim, and once even fell from exhaustion while running the 1500 meters.

Having more personal power than anyone else in the Reich, not counting Hitler, he always tried to keep a low profile. As a Catholic, Himmler sharply criticized the Catholic Church and nevertheless organized the SS in strict accordance with Jesuit principles.

Although his name was feared by millions of people, he was in awe of the Fuhrer. Like his idol, Himmler was indifferent to everyday comforts and, unlike Goering and other Nazi bosses, never benefited from his official position. He had two families: one - his wife and daughter, the other - his personal secretary Hedwig Potthast, who gave birth to “daddy” a son and a daughter. He supported both families, spending almost all his funds on this.

His hobbies were striking in their eccentricity: cosmogony, magnetism, homeopathy, eugenics, clairvoyance and witchcraft. The Reichsführer SS encouraged experiments in producing gasoline by washing coal with water and “extracting” gold from non-ferrous metals.

All his power came from Hitler, but the Fuhrer did not have much sympathy for him. “I need policemen like these,” he told one of his associates, “but I don’t like them. Hitler ordered his aide-de-camp Schulze, an SS captain, not to report anything to Himmler about the progress of military discussions. And at the same time, he entrusted the Reichsführer with the implementation of the matter closest to his heart - the “final solution to the Jewish question.”

From the very beginning, Himmler remained in the full sense of the word Hitler's man, his student and follower. He was the Fuhrer's right hand and, despite hypocritical complaints about the massacres, he became their organizer.

However, apparently, something human remained in him.

“I had to kill a deer,” he told his personal doctor, “and I must tell you: every time I looked into his glassy eyes, I was ashamed.”

Risking his career, he, in collusion with Field Marshal Milch, saved the lives of 14 thousand skilled Jewish workers in Holland. In one case, Himmler freed a deserter, in another he pardoned an official who wrote a complaint about the SS’s cruel treatment of the Poles. When his nephew, an SS officer, was convicted of homosexuality, the Reichsführer signed an order to imprison him. There, the nephew committed a series of homosexual acts, and his uncle ordered his execution. SS judge Rolf Weser insisted on leniency, but Himmler was adamant. “I don’t want people to say that I’m more lenient with my nephew than with others,” he explained. The death sentence was overturned by Hitler himself.

By the fall of 1943, under the control of Himmler, the Nazi “death factories” were operating at full capacity. In Auschwitz, people walked, unsuspectingly, into the gas chambers to the music of a symphony orchestra of prisoners. However, in Treblinka the condemned always knew that they were going to their death, and many cried or laughed hysterically. The brutal guards beat them. Infants who prevented the executioners from cutting their mothers' hair were grabbed and hit with their heads against the wall... In case of resistance, guards and capos (prisoner assistants) used rubber batons to force the naked victims into trucks that took them to the gas chambers.

The executioners had no doubts about their actions. “I didn’t think that I would ever have to answer for what I had done,” former Auschwitz commandant Hess admitted at the Nuremberg trials. “At that time, it was generally accepted that the person who gave the order was responsible for everything.”

Some of them did their work with passion, turning into sadists and risking punishment from their boss. “An SS commander must be tough, but not cruel,” Himmler instructed one Sturmbannführer. “If you encounter instances of abuse of power and someone's intemperance, intervene immediately.”

On October 4, 1943, Himmler convened the top SS leadership for a meeting in Posen. His goal was to expand the circle of people initiated into the plan to exterminate the Jews. Morgen's recent revelations, coupled with persistent rumors of atrocities in the concentration camps, caused fear and even outrage among the Fuhrer's most ardent followers. Now that the truth began to seep through the veil of secrecy, Hitler decided to involve as many executors as possible in the implementation of his program of the “final solution of the Jewish question” in order to make them accomplices in the conspiracy and thereby force them to go with him to the end. The Fuhrer understood that the war was probably already lost and, most likely, he would die, but would drag millions of Jews with him to the grave.

Himmler said that he wanted to speak completely frankly on a very serious matter. “You can talk about it among your own people, but you have to be silent about it publicly. I mean the destruction of the Jewish race. This is the goal of our program and we must achieve it.”

After years of rhetoric, these words sounded stunning. Even more shocking were Himmler’s threats against those who, in implementing the “Final Solution” program, seek personal gain. “Some members of the SS,” the Reichsführer continued, “are disgracing themselves, and there will be no mercy for them. We have a moral right, a duty to our people, to destroy this race that would like to destroy us. But we have no right to appropriate fur coats, watches, stamps, cigarettes or anything else. Since we destroy bacteria, we cannot allow them to become infected, otherwise we will die. Ultimately, we can say that we performed this most difficult of duties out of love for our people. And our spirit, our character should not suffer from this.”

Two days later, Himmler spoke in the same spirit to a group of Gauleiter and Reichsleiter: “The verdict - the Jews must be exterminated - is easy to pronounce. But putting it into effect is an incredibly difficult task. I ask you not to talk about what we are discussing in this circle. The question arises: what to do with women and children? The answer is clear. We must make a firm decision: this people must disappear from the face of the earth.”

A deathly silence reigned in the hall. As Baldur von Schirach recalled, “Himmler spoke of the extermination of men, women and children with the icy coldness of an accountant presenting a financial report. There was no emotion in his speech." Having highlighted the difficulties of carrying out this task, Himmler concluded by saying: “Now you know the true state of affairs. Perhaps later we will decide to tell the German people about this. But it is probably better for us to bear the responsibility ourselves on behalf of our people and take this secret with us to the grave.” He acted like Brutus, who tried to force his friends to stain their hands with Caesar's blood.

Borman closed the meeting by inviting everyone to lunch in the next room. Schirach and the other participants in the meeting avoided looking each other in the eyes. Most understood that Himmler told them the truth in order to make them his accomplices, and that evening they got so drunk that some had to be dragged by hand onto the train heading to the Wolf's Lair.