Heinrich Himmler

{{Audio|de-Heinrich Himmler.ogg|Heinrich Himmler}} (October 7, 1900 – May 23, 1945) was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel (SS) and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. As Reichsführer-SS, he controlled the SS and the Gestapo, and was the leading organizer of the Holocaust. As founder and officer-in-charge of the Nazi concentration camps and the Einsatzgruppen death squads, Himmler was responsible for implementing the industrial scale murder of between six and twelve million of people. Among the victims were Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, Communists, Slavs, and Catholic priests.

Early life

Born near Munich, Bavaria, Germany, into a middle-class family, he was the son of a Bavarian schoolmaster and attended Landshut High School. After leaving school, Himmler was appointed an Officer Cadet in 1918 and joined the 11th Bavarian Regiment for service in World War I. Shortly before he was due for commissioning as an officer the war ended, and he was discharged from the military without seeing combat.

Related Topics:
Munich - Bavaria - Germany - Landshut - Officer Cadet - 1918 - World War I

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1919, a year after World War I had ended, Himmler began studying agronomy at the Technische Hochschule in Munich. During his time as a student, he was an active member of several student clubs. {{fn|1}} At the same time, he became active in the Freikorps, private armies of right-wing, ex-German Army men resentful of Germany's loss of the First World War. Himmler joined the Reichkriegsflagge (Imperial War Flag) and, in 1923, applied to join the Nazi Party, which were recruiting Freikorps members as potential members of the new Nazi stormtrooper units known as the Sturmabteilung.

Related Topics:
1919 - Agronomy - Freikorps - 1923 - Nazi Party - Sturmabteilung

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~