When Reinhard Heydrich died, was Heinrich Himmler sad or distressed at all? How did he react to his deputy’s death?
The story of what happened to Himmler after Heydrich's death in Prague, about June 1942, is quite bizarre. On the records you will find that at the same moment, there were two completely different responses from Himmler. He was so shocked in one side, but he was so happy in the other side.
Himmler was truly shaken the first time he heard of Heydrich's attack. He immediately dispatched his personal physician Karl Gebhardt to Prague to make it better for Heydrich. However, when Heydrich died a few days later due to sepsis from the shrapnel and dirt, Himmler cried in front of all of the gathered crowd. He even addressed him in the large funeral in Berlin as guy with a pure heart. He was really upset because Heydrich was taking all the responsibility for the SS, planning it out.
The big surprise, however, is. . . In the depths of his soul, Himmler felt relieved.
Heydrich was too cunning, too cold and too powerful every day. His secret service organization had black files on nearly every single principal Nazi. Himmler was always afraid that Heydrich would make a clever move and take the place of his position.
Dr. Gebhardt refused to administer sulfa drugs to prevent the infection, so there began to be rumors inside the SS. Many commanders discussed the matter privately with the doctor and his assertion that on purpose, Himmler instructed him to let Heydrich perish. Today, physicians state it was simply a poor infection, but this is a glimpse into the dread and mistrust that existed between doctors and patients.
Immediately following his death, Himmler demonstrated his viciousness. He was responsible for the destruction of two entire villages of Czechs called Lidice and Ležáky solely in order to make Hitler happy. Instead, Himmler took over the management of the entire security office himself, without relieving Heydrich from his duties, for months. He did not want anyone to have the opportunity to become as powerful as Heydrich again. He had lost his top performer that day but he had taken away his biggest threat. I’d appreciate an upvote if you find it helpful and informative.
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