Heinrich Himmler (with 1948 Portrait)

Heinrich HIMMLER, born in October 1900 to a middle class family in Southern Germany.

Himmler became a relatively early member of Adolf Hitler's fledgling Nazi party. He organised a squad of men to protect Hitler at public meetings –the Schutzstaffeln or SS. Himmler's strength had always been his organisation abilities.

As the years progressed and Hitler came to power, Himmler began to develop part of the SS into military fighting units or Waffen SS. The start of World War II -saw the Waffen SS units involved in fighting. As the War evolved, Himmler would eventually have 800,000 Waffen SS troops, including Divisions from non-German countries.

Himmler is chiefly known, as the architect of Hitler's Nazi policy to eradicate the Jewish Race in Europe. Under Himmler, concentration camps were established in Germany and German controlled countries and extermination camps were established, predominantly in Poland.

This resulted in the deaths of over 6 million Jews from many countries of Europe. In addition, thousands of Russians and Poles were killed, besides minorities such as gypsies.

By 1945, Himmler had perhaps the greatest direct power within the Third Reich, except Hitler himself.

The events, surrounding his death after the War's end, seem bizarre. History relates Himmler was arrested, with two other men in May 1945, in a village named Bremervoerde, by soldiers of the British Army. They were arrested, because of the (false) identification papers that they carried. Himmler's true identity was unknown to his captors.

Incredibly the next day, Himmler voluntarily revealed his true identity to the British officer in charge of his prison camp. British Army Intelligence Officers then took Himmler to a house in Luneberg. Whilst there, Himmler took poison concealed in a capsule within his mouth and committed suicide. Himmler's body was later buried in secret by British soldiers.

Is this suicide genuine World War II history, or propaganda?

HIMMLER - Post-War Survival

Look at the image of 'Himmler in 1948' 'Take away the SS uniform, change the spectacles, add a beard - Himmler's appearance as a civilian would cause no one to give him a second glance'. As one of the most powerful men in Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, Heinrich Himmler both realised the inevitable outcome of World War II and had plenty of time to make his own survival plans. Does the story of 'Himmler's Double' in fact reveal the way in which Himmler initially outwitted the Allies to survive World War II? Truth is often stranger than fiction. However clever the plan, there is usually a flaw. In the story, Himmler could not have imagined that the depth of perceptiveness of one lowly Jewish British Army soldier, would start a chain of events. As several readers have said: 'This story could be a great movie for Steve Spielberg to film'