Biography himmler heinrich grave

German Nazi leader of the SS (–)

"Himmler" redirects here. For the surname, see Himmler (surname).

Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (German:[ˈhaɪnʁɪçˈluːɪtpɔltˈhɪmlɐ]^ⓘ; 7 October &#;– 23 May ) was a German politician who was the 4th Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the German Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany.

He is primarily known for being a principal architect of the Holocaust.

After serving in a reserve battalion during the First World War without seeing combat, Himmler went on to join the Nazi Party in In , he joined the SS, a small paramilitary arm of the Nazi Party that served as a bodyguard unit for Adolf Hitler.

Subsequently, Himmler rose steadily through the SS's ranks to become Reichsführer-SS by

Under Himmler's leadership, the SS grew from a man battalion into one of the most powerful institutions within Nazi Germany. Over the course of his career, Himmler acqu