Common questions about Heinrich Himmler

Short answers, pulled from the story.

When was Heinrich Himmler born and where did he grow up?

Heinrich Himmler was born on the 7th of October 1900 in Munich into a conservative middle-class Catholic family. He attended a grammar school in Landshut where he was remembered as studious and socially awkward.

What role did Heinrich Himmler play in the Holocaust and when did he become Reichsführer-SS?

Heinrich Himmler became the primary architect of the Holocaust and assumed the position of Reichsführer-SS in 1929. He transformed the SS from a force of about 290 men into one of the most powerful institutions in Nazi Germany.

How did Heinrich Himmler consolidate power during the Night of the Long Knives?

Heinrich Himmler consolidated power between the 30th of June and the 2nd of July 1934 by neutralizing the SA leadership. The SS became an independent organization answerable only to Hitler on the 20th of July 1934, and Himmler took control of the Gestapo and the entire German police force.

What specific plans did Heinrich Himmler create for the extermination of Slavs and Jews?

Heinrich Himmler commissioned the drafting of Generalplan Ost on the 21st of June 1941, which called for the conquest and resettlement of Eastern Europe. The plan stated that 20 to 30 million Slavs and Jews would perish through military actions and crises of food supply.

How did Heinrich Himmler die and when did his death occur?

Heinrich Himmler died on the 23rd of May 1945 after biting into a hidden potassium cyanide pill during an interrogation by Captain Thomas Selvester. He collapsed and was dead within 15 minutes, and his body was buried in an unmarked grave near Lüneburg.