2 – His Arrogance & Womanizing Resulted in Dismissal from the Navy
Heydrich joined the German Navy because it offered security, stability and a pension. He started life as a cadet in Kiel but earned a promotion to the rank of senior midshipman on April 1, 1924. He trained at the Naval Academy Murwik and earned another promotion in 1926, this time to the rank of ensign. Heydrich was apparently destined for great things in the Navy and became a sub-lieutenant on July 1, 1928. At this point, he seemed unstoppable until his dalliances with women and overall arrogant nature torpedoed his Navy career.
Although Heydrich was a loner, he earned the respect of the men in the navy and showed real politicking skill. His ability to always show himself in the best light helped him move up the ranks, but once he became a sub-lieutenant, success clearly went to his head. In December 1930, he fell for a Nazi Party member called Lina von Osten and quickly engaged the woman. The problem was, another woman claimed Heydrich had already proposed to her and when she learned about von Osten, the unnamed lady complained about Heydrich’s behavior to his senior officers.
He may have escaped with his career intact had his arrogance not come out during a military court of honor in 1931. He was charged with “conduct unbecoming to an officer and a gentleman.” The court heard that Heydrich had made an engagement promise to another woman some six months before meeting von Osten. At the hearing, Heydrich displayed such a disdainful attitude towards women that Admiral Erich Raeder had no hesitation in expelling him from the Navy in April 1931.
Despite the dismissal and the fact that Heydrich was notorious for having a string of affairs, von Osten stood by him, and the couple was married in December 1931. However, the sacking was devastating news for Heydrich as he had no career. Another problem was that his family’s vast wealth had disintegrated during the 1920s so he couldn’t ask his father for help.