Adolf Hitler - Reinhard Heydrich - Infamous Assassinations TV - The SS: Heydrich TV - The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich TV - Edward Crankshaw - Heinrich Himmler - Wilhelm Hottl - Ernst Kaltenbrunner - Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin - Walter Schellenberg - Nazi Hunters TV - Hitler’s Circle of Evil TV - Nazi Underworld TV -
The man with the iron heart. Adolf Hitler
That a man as irreplaceable as Heydrich should expose himself to unnecessary danger, I can only condemn as stupid and idiotic. Adolf Hitler
One of the best national socialists [Heinrich], one of the best believers in the German ideology, and one of the greatest opponents to all enemies of the Third Reich. Adolf Hitler
Now the rough work has been done we begin the period of finer work. We need to work in harmony with the civil administration. We count on you gentlemen as far as the final solution is concerned. Reinhard Heydrich, speech 20th January 1942
The planned total measures are to be kept strictly secret ... The first prerequisite for the final aim (Endziel) is the concentration of the Jews from the countryside into the larger cities. Reinhard Heydrich, September 1939
It is natural that people do not want to be involved with us too much. There is no problem down to the smallest egotistical longing which the Gestapo cannot solve. Regarded in this way we are, if a joke is permitted, looked upon as a cross between a general maid and the dustbin of the Reich. Reinhard Heydrich 1941, cited Crankshaw’s ‘Gestapo: Instrument of Tyranny’, 1956
To take the place of emigration, and with the prior approval of the Führer, the evacuation of the Jews to the East has become another possible solution. Although both courses of action – emigration and evacuation – must, of course, be considered as nothing more than ... temporary expedients, they do help to provide practical experience which should be of great importance in view of the coming Endlösung (Final Solution) of the Jewish question. Reinhard Heydrich, speech Berlin 1942, cited Meye’s ‘The Final Solution’, 1990
May 27th 1942: Prague, Czechoslovakia: A powerful Mercedes approaches a hairpin bend. A young man steps out aiming a machine gun. It jams. A second man throws a powerful grenade fatally wounding one of Adolf Hitler’s most bloodthirsty henchmen. Infamous Assassinations: Reinhard Heydrich
June 1934, Berlin: Heydrich is instrumental in planning and carrying out the Purge of Rohm and the SA – the Night of the Long Knives. ibid.
The operation to assassinate Heydrich is codenamed Anthropoid. ibid.
He has severe internal injuries from the bomb splinters and bits of car upholstery which have been embedded in him. ibid.
More than 36,000 houses are raided. ibid.
More than 1,500 people are killed in reprisals, and more than 10,000 sent to concentration camps. ibid.
Reinhard Heydrich was head of the Secret police – the Gestapo. He was the quintessential Nazi. The SS: Heydrich
Heydrich coordinated the persecution of the enemies of the Nazi state, culminating in the holocaust. ibid.
The highest ranking SS man to be successfully targeted by Allied Intelligence forces. ibid.
Documents came to light suggesting he had Jewish ancestry. He was investigated and cleared. But the rumours persisted. ibid.
Heydrich: the governor of Bohemia and Moravia, and the head of the Secret Police ... Heydrich left his country mansion to drive to Prague airport. The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, H2 2014
He [Heydrich] chaired the conference that officially sealed the fate of millions of Jews. ibid.
The plan to kill him [Heydrich] was codenamed Anthropoid. ibid.
The British press called the occasion [funeral of Reinhard Heydrich] – ‘A gangster funeral in the pompous Chicago style.’ ibid.
He was very young, very handsome, save that his eyes were too close-set; an outstanding example of that blond mixture of effeminacy and toughness which may be observed in any Teutonic nightclub. He had immense drive, which was liable to carry him too far; total ruthlessness in the attainment of his own ends, which were wrapped up in personal ambition; no active enjoyment of cruelty except sometimes, perhaps, almost as an afterthought; and a devilish sense of humor. Vain as a peacock, but mockingly aware of his vanity, clever, perhaps too clever by half, and contemptuous of the clumsiness of most of his colleagues and superiors, he nevertheless could be clumsy in his use of force and, unlike Himmler, was liable to over-reach himself. He was dynamite, like a character in an American gangster story; and in the SS he was able to canalise his nihilism into a constructive purpose. Edward Crankshaw, Gestapo: Instrument of Tyranny 1956
What ever actions he took he carried them out as a National Socialist and an SS man, from the very bottom of his heart and through his blood, he carried out felt and understood Adolf Hitler’s world vision. Heinrich Himmler, funeral eulogy
Truth and goodness had no intrinsic meaning for him; they were instruments to be used for the gaining of more and more power. To debate whether any action was of itself right appeared so stupid to him that it was certainly a question he never asked himself. Wilhelm Höttl
He was a terribly ambitious man with a great craving for power. This desire for power was measureless, and he was extraordinarily clever and cunning. Ernst Kaltenbrunner, interview Leon Goldensohn 1946
Himmler was a rival of Bormann, and Heydrich played both against each other. Heydrich pretended to be friendly with Bormann, but Bormann realized that Heydrich was a follower of Himmler. Bormann was trying to use Heydrich. Himmler saw what was happening. Between Himmler and Bormann, Heydrich grew bigger and bigger, until he was personally received by Hitler. But both Bormann and Himmler recognized Heydrich’s threat. ibid.
I believe that Heydrich was the worst criminal of them all. I myself saw him and he looked with such a glance of hatred that I shall never forget it. Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin, interview Leon Goldensohn 1946
Heydrich had an incredibly acute perception of the moral, human, professional and political weaknesses of others. His unusual intellect was matched by the ever-watchful instincts of a predatory animal. He was inordinately ambitious. It seemed as if, in a pack of ferocious wolves, he must always prove himself the strongest and assume the leadership. Walter Schellenberg
They called him the hangman: Reinhard Heydrich. This notorious Nazi became one the most hated men in all of occupied Europe. He was the real mastermind behind the Final Solution. Nazi Hunters s1e9: Killing Reinhardt Heydrich
He thought he was untouchable. But in London a top secret hit-squad had different ideas. They targeted Heydrich for execution: a crack team of Czech assassins. ibid.
But the cost was terrible. Hundreds died, murdered in revenge by German soldiers. ibid.
Heydrich was hit by shrapnel: even so he decided to take them on. ibid.
Heydrich died on 4th June 1942, 8 days after the attack. ibid.
One of the most fanatical figures within Hitler’s inner circle – SS boss Heinrich Himmler. To make his dreams a reality, Himmler has within his SS the most ruthless Nazi of them all – his name is Reinhard Heydrich. Hitler’s Circle of Evil s1e7: The Rise and Fall of Reinhard Heydrich, Netflix 2018
Heydrich’s meteoric rise will make him a target both inside and outside Hitlers inner circle. ibid.
Heydrich has ordered a terrifying escalation of violence against the Jews. ibid.
Heydrich is coming to Prague … The Czechs appear to have been brought to heel. ibid.
Heydrich immediately goes for his gun. The bomb thrown by a second assassin explodes by the side of the car. ibid.