In July of 1944, he was also designated minister of home defense. Hitler ordered Himmler's arrest in April 1945 because he attempted to propose peace to the allies.
Heinrich Himmler's life came to an abrupt end when he was captured by the British attempting to flee. He then poisoned himself to escape trial in Luneburg on May 23, 1945.
Heinrich Himmler became a very powerful man in his years serving as Adolf Hitler's "right hand man." Himmler's second-in-command was Reinhard Heydrich. Together, Himmler and Heydrich made the Security Service the most powerful division of the Nazi party. As for admission to the Black Shirts, none were permitted unless they clearly displayed outward signs of Nordic. Also, they must be tall, blue-eyed, and "fair.".
Even though Himmler conveyed the image of a cartoon character with his round, pudgy face and almost comical eyeglasses, he had an iron will and ruthless determination to get his way, which led to all of his orders being carried out as swiftly and effectively as possible.
In addition to proposing that all homosexuals be sent to concentration camps, Himmler also proposed the wholesale extermination of them. He even tried to prove that a certain von Fritsch was, in fact, a homosexual because he was gaining too much power. (Proof of homosexuality resulted in immediate ejection from the Nazi party.) "Evidence" was even compiled by Himmler against von Fritsch and presented to Hitler.
Himmler planned a fake Polish attack on September 1, 1939 which resulted in many deaths. He also closed down factories that weren't producing weapons or ammunition.
Himmler rationalized mass murder as a form of martyrdom and harshness towards oneself. Nowhere was this more apparent than in this speech by Himmler given on October 4, 1943 to the SS group leaders in Poznan:.
"One principle must be absolute for the SS man: we must be honest, decent, loyal, and comradely to members of our own blood and to no one else.
