Reinhard Heydrich (right) and his deputy, Karl Hermann Frank (center), stand at attention during Heydrich's inauguration as governor ...

Reinhard Heydrich: Key Dates

Reinhard Heydrich was chief of the Reich Security Main Office, the SS and police agency most directly concerned with implementing the Nazi plan to murder Jews of Europe during World War II. Learn about key dates in the life of Reinhard Heydrich. 

March 7, 1904
Reinhard Heydrich is born in Halle an der Saale, in the German state of Saxony.

Spring 1922
Heydrich receives his high school diploma.

March 30, 1922
Heydrich enlists in the German navy.

April 1931
Heydrich is compelled to resign from the navy after being found to have dishonored the officer corps. Soon afterward he becomes involved with the Nazi Party.

SS General Reinhard Heydrich in his office during his tenure as Bavarian police chief.

SS General Reinhard Heydrich in his office during his tenure as Bavarian police chief. Munich, Germany, April 11, 1934.

Credits:
  • Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz

August 1931
Reich Leader of the SS Heinrich Himmler brings Heydrich into the SS and tasks him with developing the Sicherheitsdienst (Security Service), usually called the SD.

December 26, 1931
Heydrich marries Lina von Osten, whom he met the previous year.

January 1933
The Nazis obtain control of the German state with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor.

April 1, 1933
Himmler, commander of the Bavarian political police detective force, appoints Heydrich as his deputy.

June 1934
Nazi party Deputy Chief Rudolf Hess names the SD the sole agency authorized to gather political intelligence inside the Third Reich.

July 1934
Heydrich takes command of the Gestapo while remaining chief of the SD.

June 26, 1936
Himmler appoints Heydrich chief of the Security Police Main Office (Hauptamt Sicherheitspolizei).

January 24, 1939
Hermann Göring authorizes Heydrich to develop plans for a “solution to the Jewish question” in Germany.

September 1, 1939
Germany invades Poland, starting World War II.

September 27, 1939
Himmler appoints Heydrich to command the RSHA, which formally links the Security Police and SD.

June 22, 1941
Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union. Under orders from Heydrich, the Einsatzgruppen of the Security Police and SD follow the German army and begin to systematically kill Jews.

July 31, 1941
Göring authorizes Heydrich to coordinate resources of the Reich for a “solution of the Jewish Question” throughout Europe.

September 1941
Hitler appoints Heydrich Acting Reich Protector for the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (now: Czech Republic).

January 20, 1942
Heydrich convenes the Wannsee Conference, presenting his plans to coordinate a European-wide “Final Solution of the Jewish Question” to key officials from Reich Ministries.

The damaged car of SS General Reinhard Heydrich after an attack by Czech agents working for the British.

The damaged car of SS General Reinhard Heydrich after an attack by Czech agents working for the British. Prague, Czechoslovakia, May 27, 1942.

Credits:
  • Czechoslovak News Agency

May 27, 1942
Czech parachute agents succeed in rolling a hand grenade under Heydrich's vehicle, as Heydrich travels to the Prague airport in an open vehicle. The blast sends metal shards into Heydrich's back and leg, seriously but not mortally wounding him.

June 4, 1942
Heydrich dies from an infection that set in a few days after the assassination attempt.

June 9, 1942
On the day of Heydrich's state funeral in Berlin, Hitler orders retaliatory measures against the Czech population. Reprisals focus on the town of Lidice and another small Czech village, Ležáky.

Critical Thinking Questions

  • Across Europe, the Nazis found countless willing helpers who collaborated or were complicit in their crimes. What motives and pressures led so many individuals to persecute, to murder, or to abandon their fellow human beings?

  • What pressures and motivations affected Heydrich as he rose through the ranks to his leadership position? Were they specific to the Nazi worldview, or were they similar to factors which influence others, then and now?

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