Heinrich Himmler Biography

Heinrich Himmler was a German Nazi military commander and close associate of Adolf Hitler. He rose to power during the ‘Second World War’ and is known as one of the men responsible for the ‘massacre of Jews,’ one of the most notorious holocausts in human history. In 1925, he joined the ‘Nazi Party.’ By the next decade, he had established himself as Reichsführer of the ‘Schutzstaffel’ (SS), and was later appointed as a police commander. Under his command, SS grew larger than ever in terms of manpower. By 1934, he was amongst the most feared and respected Gestapo officers. He became the second most important officer of the Gestapo after Hitler. As per Hitler’s orders, he set up and controlled the concentration camps. He formed the ‘Einsatzgruppen’ and on behalf of Hitler, laid the foundation of extermination camps. Hence, he was held responsible for the brutal massacre of the Jews, which ended the lives of about six million people. Hitler had immense faith in him and made him in-charge of ‘Army Group Upper Rhine’ and ‘Army Group Vistula’ towards the end of the ‘Second World War.’ In April 1945, Hitler held him responsible for conspiring against him and had him arrested. On 23 May 1945, Himmler committed suicide under British custody.