Reinhard Heydrich
A World War Two era evil genius, Reinhard Heydrich was one of the most ferocious man in Nazi Germany, not by looks, but by brains. A skilled musician and an expert fencer, Heydrich’s political understanding of Germany made him a “natural successor” to Hitler, as seen by many.
But the music didn’t stop here. In addition to being the supreme commander of the Political Police, he was one of the main characters behind institutionalizing the Holocaust. Heydrich was the person who led the despised Nazi meeting where the decision to eliminate Jews from Europe was taken. Antisemitism ran in his blood and from the very beginning he tried his best to ensure swift action against the Jews. He was the a staunch ally of Himmler as both shared similar thinking.
Some people think that the reason Heydrich was so committed to eradicating Jews was his ancestry, which may have been Jewish on his mother’s side. He was part of the German navy prior to joining the SS in 1932 as an unemployed person. However, his effectiveness in the malicious organization was soon noted and he was made the head of the intelligence unit.
As he showed his evil capabilities, he was made the head of the Gestapo division as well as the “Kripo”, criminal police. Heydrich repeatedly stated that simply expelling the Jews and clearing off Europe wasn’t enough and only getting rid of them was the ultimate solution. In 1941, Heydrich was made the Reich Protector of Bohemia giving him unprecedented excess to crush any Czech resistance and deport as many Jews as possible.
Little did he know that he was also being scouted by British trained Czech patriots. On 27th May, 1942 his convoy was ambushed and a bomb was thrown in the front seat. Heydrich was severely injured but even this didn’t bring a moment of peace for the Jews. Joseph Goebbels, the Propaganda Minister blamed Jewish terrorists for the attack and kicked off a violent wave of executions throughout the occupied territories. Meanwhile, Heydrich’s condition worsened and he finally gave up on June 4th.
Eventually, the sudden grip against Jews was loosened and a statue of Heydrich’s assassins was built for the heroes who saved God knows, how many people from being imprisoned and sent off to camps.